A handy and stylish pocket guide to Rioja. The Smart Traveller’ s Wine Guide is new series of elegant travel guides for the wine-interested traveller and covers everything readers need to know about Spain’ s most famous wine region.
". . . these charming little pocket guides clearly come from knowledgeable authors. They’ re packed tight with practical advice and informed opinion." — Wall Street Journal
A handy and stylish pocket guide to Rioja, The Smart Traveller’ s Wine Guide covers everything you need to know about Spain’ s most famous wine region, its fascinating 150-year relationship with Bordeaux, the history of its great bodegas, the complex business of barrel ageing, the differences between modern and classic Rioja – and where to find the best tapas in Rioja. This is a guide written by wine experts for the wine-interested tourist. Everything about this complex region is covered: the difference between Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, wine routes to take you past architectural masterpieces like Frank Gehry’ s Marques de Riscal and Calatrava’ s Bodegas Ysios. The Smart Traveller’ s Wine Guide series is written in collaboration with Club Oenologique, with comprehensive listings of restaurants, hotels, café s and bars, points of wider cultural interest such as art galleries and museums, which bodegas you can visit, how to read a Rioja wine list, Rioja winemakers’ favorite restaurants and more.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Foreword 8 Map of Rioja 10 Introduction 12 History 14 Rioja classifications and how they work 26 Old vines and why they matter 32 Rioja’ s greatest wines 36 Geography 46 Wine styles 58 Grape varieties 68 How to read a Rioja label 76 Great Rioja vintages 80 Visiting Rioja 84 The towns and villages of Rioja 92 Wine routes 100 The Guide 108 The best bodegas for tours and tastings 110 The best wine hotels 122 Fine dining in Rioja 134 The best bodega restaurants 140 The best tapas in Logroñ o 149 Where to eat and drink in Haro 155 The best wine shops in Rioja 162 Wines to look out for 166 Glossary 174 Further reading 176 Index 178 Acknowledgements 182
