The Culinary Institute of America

Certainly Rioja has a long history as a winemaking region, stretching back to Roman times. But its modern history has been uneven, the boom times alternating with periods of struggle. Victor Pascual, president of the Consejo Regulador, or regulatory council of Rioja, divides the past 150 years into three distinct phases. Fortunately, the progressive ideas sweeping Rioja today are a sign of a new, vigorous and prosperous phase underway.

For more information about this series, please visit www.ciaprochef.com/rioja.

Many red Riojas include varieties beyond Tempranillo. Three other red grapes are permitted in wines that carry the DOCa designation. Garnachaknown in France as Grenachegives strength and warmth to blends. It thrives in Rioja Baja. Mazuelo, known elsewhere as Carignane, contributes tannin and acidity. Graciano, a variety that some winemakers believe could play a bigger role in the future, adds an appealing aroma, and its acidity and tannin help Rioja age majestically.

For more information about this series, please visit www.ciaprochef.com/rioja.

Despite all the refinement in vineyard practices in recent years, one aspect hasn't changed. Rioja remains the kingdom of Tempranillo, the one place on earth where this noble variety expresses itself to the fullest.

For more information about this series, please visit www.ciaprochef.com/rioja.

Because Rioja's rivers originate in its limestone-rich mountains, even the soils on the valley floor contain considerable limestone, or calcium carbonate. On the hillsides, the soils can change dramatically with modest changes in elevation, shifting from chalky limestone to soils rich in clay or iron. These diverse soils produce subtle differences in the wines a boon to the winemaker at blending time. With these differences in altitude, climate and soil in mind, let's look again at Rioja's sub-regions.

For more information about this series, please visit www.ciaprochef.com/rioja.

Of course, Rioja's moderate weather is only one factor in grape quality. Soils matter, too, and Rioja's best winemakers have a sophisticated understanding of the region's exceedingly complex geology. From the fertile alluvial soils near the river to the limestone bedrock in the hills, Rioja offers a wide spectrum of soil types, challenging growers to match the right clones and grape varieties to their site.

For more information about this series, please visit www.ciaprochef.com/rioja.

Because Rioja's rivers originate in its limestone-rich mountains, even the soils on the valley floor contain considerable limestone, or calcium carbonate. On the hillsides, the soils can change dramatically with modest changes in elevation, shifting from chalky limestone to soils rich in clay or iron. These diverse soils produce subtle differences in the wines a boon to the winemaker at blending time. With these differences in altitude, climate and soil in mind, let's look again at Rioja's sub-regions.

For more information about this series, please visit www.ciaprochef.com/rioja.

The mountains surrounding Rioja affect the wind and rainfall patterns and help to keep summer temperatures moderate. They also encourage the critical night-time temperature drops that preserve acidity in the ripening grapes. Thanks to the mountains, Rioja's footprint resembles an inverted V, with the widest part facing the Mediterranean. As a result, Rioja's vineyards are affected by three distinct climate zones: some vineyards are subject to cool, moist weather from the Atlantic; others, protected by the mountains, experience a more temperate Continental climate; and still others bask in Mediterranean warmth.

For more information about this series, please visit www.ciaprochef.com/rioja.

Situated in north-central Spain, between Madrid and Bilbao, Rioja covers a territory about the size of Delaware. For most of its 60-mile length, it follows the contours of the Ebro River, with the Sierra de Cantabria mountains defining its northwest border, and a series of mountain ranges to the south. This dramatic landscape harbors a range of microclimates and soil types, with the northwest part subject to the cooling effects of the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern part more influenced by the warm Mediterranean.

For more information about this series, please visit www.ciaprochef.com/rioja.

One of Rioja’s most passionate advocates is Adrian Murcia, the young assistant sommelier at Chanterelle in New York City. Adrian has made numerous trips to the region since his college days—most memorably, with a group of young American sommeliers. Aware than many sommeliers don’t know Rioja firsthand, Adrian was eager to introduce his colleagues to the landscapes, flavors and personalities that have made the region so compelling for him.

For more information about this series, please visit www.ciaprochef.com/rioja.

In this first-of-its-kind Web cast initiative, Spain's most famous wine region comes directly to you. Experience Rioja as if you were there, as you watch interviews with its leading winemakers and chefs and tour the vineyards, wineries and restaurant kitchens that make this region among the most talked-about in Spain. Discover a land of breathtaking beauty and cutting-edge architecture, where the people live for wine. America's leading sommeliers and the professional chefs at the Culinary Institute of America weigh in with their guidance on matching Rioja's expressive red and white wines with food. All in all, it's a delightful immersion in the rich history, culture, flavors and terroir of this storied wine region. Narrated by Jonathan Coleman.

For more information about this series, please visit www.ciaprochef.com/rioja.