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RIOJA BLANCO A NEW CHAPTER WORDS PHILIP HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BODEGAS TOBÍA AND CONDE VALDEMAR
IN THE BEGINNING Our story starts on the 6th June, 1925 when Rioja was granted its DO status. In addition to the red varieties, three white grapes were permitted: Viura, Malvasía and Garnacha blanca. The prolific Viura soon established itself as the favourite in an
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era where yield tended to be more desirable than quality. Although two generations have considered Rioja to be a powerhouse for quality red wine production, this did not make itself obvious until the mid1970s. This might also explain why so many of us who
first cut our teeth on red Rioja were treated to a seemingly never-ending supply of 1970 and other mature delights. Today, although whites only represent 9% of total Rioja sales, this does not truly reflect their growth over the last decade.
