How site specific, white and sparkling wines will help change the face of Rioja
VINEX’s Richard Siddle talks to Ricardo Aguiriano, global marketing director for Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja, about how it hopes to put even more emphasis on the diversity of its wines by allowing more vineyard specific wines and encouraging producers and growers to invest more in white and sparkling wines.
You have got a dedicated focus on making and promoting white wines from Rioja. When and why did that initiative start?
Three years ago we decided to work with our wine producers to see how we can make more of our white wines. We thought it would take a lot of time to make this happen, but surprisingly just within a couple of years not only has the quality impressed us, but so have the styles and the diversity of white wines we are being able to produce.
The initiative also goes back to our decision seven years ago to permit the growing of international grape varieties, alongside our native varieties. That was the first step. We had several meetings with winemakers to explain how white wines were improving all over the world and how it was important for Rioja to also have good whites in order to supply more wine in to the supply chain.
Was it difficult to persuade producers and growers to change the way they worked?
Well, they were also receiving feedback from their importers and distributors about the potential for Rioja whites. But to make it happen we needed our wine producers to also start to pay good prices for white wine grapes from their growers. To make good white grapes is expensive, and it’s much easier for them to make reds grape varieties. Wineries have also traditionally paid more for red grapes than white ones.
So it has really come down to a good connection between the growers and the wine producers. The growers need a commitment from their producers that they will pay a good profitable price for their white wine grapes. This balance has been achieved in the last few years compared to say
10 to 15 years ago when growers did not take the same amount of care towards the white grapes as they did as the reds.
But you are also seeing increased demand for white wines within Spain?
Absolutely. The Spanish market is showing the way forward with year-on-year 15% increase in sales of white wines. Rioja is being seen by the trade and wine journalists as an alternative to the top quality white wine regions like Rueda and Rias Biaxas.
How are you looking to promote the fact you have good quality, marketable white wines as well as your traditional red wines?
We are now able to showcase what we are doing at key events, like the recent 10x10 Rioja wine tasting in London or Best of Rioja in Germany. We also held our first standalone tasting event held in Madrid in November that brought together around 25 white wines producers. We are sure we can succeed because of the great quality and diversity of our white wines.”
Are you planting more white wine grape varieties?
Yes, but that takes time. It is a medium term task. We expect our white grape surface to increase by about 3,000 hectares over the next two to three years. Which is not that much when you compare it to 65,000 for reds. But it depends on sales and the performance of our white wines. Currently it is about 10% of our production. It is also not just a question of more surface for vines, it is also paying more attention to white grapes that we already have. So it is a combination of the two.
Are you looking to use more international white varieties?
Yes, but only to complement our native grapes. So we are using more Sauvignon Blanc and and also Verdejo but most Rioja winemakers are focusing on native white grape varieties.
How are the whites being received in the market?
We are trying to talk more about origins of the vines and where these vines come from. First to the trade and hen to the consumer
You have introduced other changes to further identify where vines and wines are being made?
Yes, to be able to explain Rioja’s diversity is key for us. Rioja is a mainstream wine region and well distributed and it is already separated in to ageing categories, but we want to go further with our new ‘Vinedos Singulares’ classification for a specific vineyard area. We are trying to talk about the origins of the wines and where the vines come from in order to give more added value information and detail first to the trade and then to consumers. To be seen as a ‘Vinedos Singulares’ wine you have to fulfil several requirements in terms of quality, and be able to show that the grapes come from a single site, which could be a combination of different plots brought together. For example, the wine has to be made from vines that are at least 35 years old. Another requirement is you have to have owned these vineyards for at least 10 years.
But we won’t see these wines in the market for at least another couple of years. So first the idea is to add value to our wines and second to have new stories to tell the consumers and the buyers.
Where are the big export opportunities for Rioja?
Our main goal it so consolidate our position in our mature markets, which are central Europe, the UK and Germany which are worth 50% of our export sales. Our second goal is to improve our position in growing markets like the US, Canada and Mexico where the consumption per head is growing very quickly, particularly among the younger generations, who are more open to imported wines. Our third goal is to pay attention to emerging markets like China and Russia where there is a big potential for the next 20 years.
So in terms of our promotional investment then 50% is devoted to the mature markets, 30% goes to growing markets and 20% to the emerging markets. But we are also growing very well in other markets like Ireland where are sales are up 50% year-on-year.
You have also approved the production of sparkling wine in Rioja?
Sparkling wine is now so popular around the world that we thought it would be a good entry point for younger, newer and female drinkers in to Rioja. We already have five or six wineries making Cava in Rioja. So not Rioja sparkling wine, but vineyards that have been certified by Cava. So we know our land and the vines from Rioja are good to make sparkling wine and several big players already know how to do it. From June this year producers are now allowed to make Rioja sparkling. So it is a good new opportunity for our producers.