Spring taste of Spain

Rioja owes its fame to its location in north eastern Spain. Tucked behind the mountainous Sierra de Cantabria it is sheltered from the buffeting Atlantic weather but even so, this is not a warm region. Winter can be bitingly cold and the high altitude makes ripening long and slow. Tempranillo is the main grape here, with Garnacha adding some weight and flavour and other grapes like Graciano and Mazuelo adding nuances of flavour.

Rioja would have been just one Spain's many local places to grow grapes and make wine if a viticultural tragedy had not struck in a neighbouring region, propelling it to prominence. When a vineyard pest ravaged Bordeaux in the 19th century, the merchants looked over the border into Spain to find wine to sell. They even sent their winemakers to improve the quality of the wine, helping to set Rioja as the premier wine region of Spain. Even when Bordeaux started production again and despite the pest eventually affecting Rioja, it maintained its position, selling wine across Europe and it developed a careful quality

grading system which relied on the wine spending long periods in oak.

In recent years tastes have changed and we prefer our wines to taste of fruit instead of wood. The big Rioja houses have taken note and now most of the big old American oak barrels have been thrown out of the bodegas, to be replaced by small, quality French oak. These age the wine in a gentle way, retaining the fruit and keeping freshness.

Quality is still graded by the time the wine spends in oak, so Crianza is younger than Reserva and Gran Reserva is the oldest of them all, but many producers avoid these categories, preferring to age their wines for the right length of time for the wine, not the legislation. And there is new investment too. Vineyard management has improved, there is talk of environmental issues, even organic wines, and the producers have woken up to the fact that their wines cannot rest on the laurels of old. Rioja has to compete on flavour with the rest of the world.

I lined up some mid-priced Riojas to find out which producers are really making an effort. Many of these wines are widely available.

WHITE RIOJA

Only a small amount of white Rioja is produced but it has a delicious style, with weight, complexity and food friendliness.

Rioja Blanco 2009, Muga, Majestic, normally 10.99, 8.24 on multibuy

Barrel-fermented Viura and Malvasia grapes give this wine lime-zest freshness, layered with subtle oak and a touch

of spice.

It is the rounded, mouth-coating weight of white Rioja which gives it its ability to go with food. Drink this with herb-baked fish or roast chicken. If you have never tasted a white Rioja, try this one. It is my favourite white Rioja.

RED RIOJA

Cune Crianza 2006, Majestic, 7.99 down to 5.99 on multibuy

This wine now comes with a screwcap closure which is a first for this most traditional region. Juicy, red cherry fruit with a lively, straightforward style makes this one of the most gluggable, easy-to- drink Riojas around.

Don't wait for the roast lamb; team it with pasta and pizza on any night of the week.

Club Privado Rioja, Baron de Ley 2005, Waitrose 7.99

With extensive vineyards of its own, and a keen eye on quality, Baron de Ley is a good producer to look for. Aged just six months in oak, this is a youthful, deep-coloured wine with fresh raspberry fruit and vanilla spice on the finish.

Torres Ibricos Crianza Tempranillo, Waitrose 8.99

Firmly based in Peneds but now with serious investment in Rioja, Torres is making waves with this wine. With big, black cherry fruit, firm, ripe tannins and a leafy accent it is a modern, well-made Rioja for drinking now, or it can be kept another couple of years.

Cosme Palacio 2006, Tesco and Sainsbury, 8.99

Modern-style winemaking, including just nine months in oak makes this a full-flavoured, fruit-driven wine that has all the character of Rioja, but retains youthful freshness and vitality. Great with lamb, will cope with roast beef too.

Beronia Tempranillo 2007, Elaboracin Especial, Rhythm and Booze (large stores) 9.99

Massive investment at Beronia and a keen eye on quality is really making a difference at this company. This is a choca-mocha Rioja with bags of raspberry fruit wrapped up in soft, toasty oak and a distinctly chocolatey note on the finish. Enjoy it with lamb, and then finish the bottle with chocolate pud.

Marqus de Riscal Reserva 2005, Majestic, normally 13.99, down to 9.99 on multibuy

An old-established bodega which continues to update itself on a regular basis. Aged for 26 months in oak, but the fruit still shines through with gentle strawberry flavours, backed by balsamic complexity and velvety tannins. A serious wine, and at the multibuy price, a bargain.

Beronia Gran Reserva Rioja 2001, Rhythm and Booze, larger stores including Skipton, Ripon, Bawtry and Harrogate, 14.99

A revelation when tasted. Gone are the usual dusty, stringy flavours of old-style Gran Reserva and instead the wine is full of complex black cherry fruit, plum and savoury notes with velvety soft tannins. Went well with both fish and lamb.

Palacios Duque Rioja Padus 2004, Vintage Roots (0800 980 4992), 16.50

As expensive as a Gran Reserva, but this wine does not declare its status, so just enjoy it for its astonishing depth of flavour and complexity. Juicy strawberry fruit, layered with sweet, spiced oak and soft ripe tannins. Still young it will open and develop for the next three to four years. And it is one of the few organic wines from this region.