Super gran: is the quality of Rioja’s gran reserva slipping?
Despite being outsold by entry-level Rioja and reservas, winemakers are determined not to let the quality of gran reserva slip, and to prove that it has a bright future. Arabella Mileham reports
Perusing some of the judges’ comments from the drinks business’s Rioja global masters in December 2016 made for sobering reading.
While overall the quality was good, and many wines stood out – both at the cheaper end of the spectrum and the youthful Vinos de Autor at the other end – there was a feeling of dissatisfaction when it came to the gran reservas, long regarded as the apex of the classification system.
Speaking at the judging, Jonathan Pedley MW, wine consultant to Crown Cellars, warned that the gran reserva category was becoming “forgotten and unloved… an embarrassing relic from the past”, which was a shame for “a unique, internationally recognised and treasured part of the Rioja family”.
Sarah Jane Evans MW, a well respected authority on Spanish wines, agreed there was an issue, arguing that the problem was not so much lack of innovation, but a loss of direction. That, she said, was not a new phenomenon. She argued that while there were some notable exceptions, in recent years many gran reservas seemed “like excellent reservas, while others are lifeless. It would be terrible to lose gran reservas,” she told db. “The quantity and quality of gran reserva is something that consumers can rely on; that it’s aged and ready to drink while good ones can go on and on. Hence this is disappointing from a consumer point of view.”
The region is undergoing a regeneration, embracing a diversity beyond the simplistic ‘modern versus traditional’ or ‘terroir-focused avant-garde rebellion against the Consejo Regulador’. But has the gran reserva tier been sacrificed in the process? Many producers argue this is not the case, and the category still holds a valued place in the Rioja winemakers’ repertoire, as well as the consumers’.
“The gran reserva wines have seen some interesting developments, so it’s not been neglected,” Patricia Cardoso, marketing design director of Campo Viejo, says. She notes that the tier is likely to evolve to give more layers of complexity, elegance and structure while continuing to preserve the fruit.
“But given the length of time it takes to produce gran reservas, we are yet to see the results,” she says. “When it comes to premium wines, it’s all about the right balance. Consumers expect them to be complex and powerful, with great layers of flavours and softness on the palate, while retaining that famous fruity Rioja character. At the same time, they want these premium wines to be balanced, elegant and easy to drink.”
Conrado Herrero, export manager of Bodegas Ontañón, agrees: “Rioja has been working hard over the past few decades to ensure gran reserva is the category that makes Rioja different from other regions. Although a wine region shouldn’t lose its identity, it still has to be able to adapt to the new times.”
Many think evolution is on the cards, but Evans points out that gran reservas don’t really need to innovate as such. The issue is more in maintaining the quality of a classic and providing reliability and great drinking pleasure.
“An old wine out of an old barrel is not fun,” she points out. “They need to be well-made wines in a classical style – medium bodied, delicate, with supple tannin, predominantly American oak – a wine with age that’s ready to drink but has plenty of life ahead.”
Sense of place
Winemakers such as Bodegas Bilbaínas’s Alejandro López argue that producers at the highest levels are committed to developing the best expression of quality grapes that also give a better sense of place, tradition and terroir. He points to the evolving style of Bodega Bilbaínas, which adjusted the style and expression of the fruit to adapt to new trends – for example, using Graciano after years of not using it, to evolve and adjust the style.
“To make the Viña Pomal Gran Reserva, we selected Tempranillo from various vineyards on the Pomal estate, which bring excellent cellaring potential and expressiveness to the variety and complement it with Graciano grapes from the Vicuana vineyard. All the vineyards used to make this gran reserva are in Haro, very close to the winery. It has the ageing, but also the typicity of the terroir,” he explains.
The overriding trend in the wider Rioja category is premiumisation, as Rioja asserts its position as Spain’s flagship wine region, Ricardo Aguiriano, marketing director at the Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja, says.
“Value continues to grow ahead of volume, by 2.1% and 1.2% respectively (Nielsen MAT to 18/6/16), and we are seeing a continued shift towards the higher price points, with Rioja now contributing 48% of the value of the entire Spanish category in the UK.” This trend, he argues “leads consumers naturally” to the distinctive style of gran reservas, which he says offer “incredible value for money” and complements the other wine styles. According to the latest figures from the Rioja control board, exports of gran reserva to the UK – Rioja’s biggest market, accounting for 34% of Rioja’s exports in 2015 – rose by 7.8% last year.
However, Nielsen’s Jon Sheppard indicates that while consumers are trading up, the picture is not rosy in all categories. Reservas are leading the charge, alongside more entry-level Riojas and retailer own-labels, he confirms.
“Sales of reserva are up by £1.9m, 24% year on year, with gran reserva and crianza both down by double digits,” he said, before adding that there were “ups and downs in both of these segments”.
Belief in potential
Felíx Solís UK’s managing director, Richard Cochrane, believes in gran reserva’s potential so much that his company is set to launch its first Rioja gran reserva this year, from Pagos del Rey. “We are excited about how this tier will evolve as better wines are launched that bring greater confidence and trust to this key tier for the region,” he said.
He argues that demand for smooth aged gran reservas is set to grow because of a lack of wines available with any appreciable ageing on most shelves, and these will continue to perform, although maybe not at the highest price segment.
“For the rest, gran reservas have gained in importance, especially as better examples come to the shelf.”
The picture is therefore somewhat varied. Premium producers including Marqués de Murrieta and Compañia Vinicola del Norte de España (CVNE) are also reporting increasing demand for their premium gran reserva wines, not only from the key UK market but from the US, Switzerland, Norway and Asia, to the extent that they cannot fulfil all the requests for them.
Undermining Quality
However, CVNE’s export area manager, Carlos Delage, is inclined to agree with the Rioja Masters judges, highlighting what amounts to an erosion of quality because of increasing commercial pressures. He highlights gran reservas being sold for £8-£10, saying that he does not know how that is possible.
“The DO establishes the ageing period in barrel and bottle, but does not speak about price or quality grapes, and this is where producers take advantage of the work done over the years by historic wineries, which have been creating a value and demand for the reserva and gran reserva categories through using top-quality grapes and barrels.
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“These producers are producing low-quality wines, therefore this is contaminating the reserva and gran reserva categories and the hard work done over the years by the top historical producers in Rioja.”
David Gill MW, specialist sales and wine development at Manchester’s Kingsland Drinks, which distributes Barón de Ley, is also scathing about a lot of the ‘traditional’ gran reservas that are available in the market.
“Far too many are simply over-aged wines, developed to create maximum return on production,” he argues.
There are top-quality producers such like Barón de Ley, which set out to create its gran reserva from the ground up, investing in the right vineyards in the right regions, and working them to create premium fruit designed for long ageing, he says. “But – inevitably – they are the exception rather than the rule – that’s why they are the best in class. That hasn’t actually changed much.”
The economic crisis has been a factor in sliding quality, Delage continues, with the possibility that some bodegas retained younger stock they were unable to sell, only to reclassify it at a later date once it had attained the required age.
Minimum ageing
This is something seen lower down the spectrum, Cristina Forner, president of Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres, agrees. It is one reason volume exports of reserva that fulfil the minimum ageing requirement surpass those of crianza (28% vs 22%), she says, noting the average price for reserva exported in 2016 is below that of the reserva category shipped in 2008.
“Some operators use the same quality of grapes for all wines and find it more beneficial to age the wines for an extra year and sell more reservas, which have a higher average price per case than crianzas,” she says.
“We firmly believe that the quality and prestige of such wines is not determined by simply establishing minimum periods of ageing,” Forner says.
João Machete Pereira, export manager of Marqués de Murrieta argues that it is important to select different grapes for a crianza and a gran reserva. His brands include premium wine Marqués de Murrieta and Marqués de Murrieta Castillo Ygay, which benefit from its vineyards being divided into around 40 plots, with different areas set aside for different wines, thereby reflecting the importance of terroir and old vines.
“Rioja has an amazing ageing potential, but obviously producers need to prepare the wines to become a gran reserva, and that’s not happening with a lot of them,” he argues.
“If you don’t make the right selection, and you age a crianza, then your gran reservas will be disappointing.”
Machete Pereira suspects this move is largely driven by the pressure from shareholders to deliver revenue, meaning producers and large co-operatives aren’t able to plan in the long term. “To produce a gran reserva, you need time and you need to know it’ll be a gran reserva from the beginning so you can make the right selection at the estate, and in the winery. And this needs a continuous focus,” he argues.
This planning goes hand in hand in controlling production, and many producers argue that it is important to increase the number of grapes sourced from their own vineyards. CVNE has recently bought 70ha of vineyards in Rioja Alta and Alavesa, to boost the proportion of its estate-grown grapes.
Historic estates are also investing more heavily in new barrels, boosting cellar hygiene and fine-tuning the winery to ensure greater precision and quality.
As Forner argues, reputed bodegas and brands are obliged to invest in the best means of defending the highest possible standards of quality. “This obligation is vital, as is the selection of terroirs, the grapes, the appropriate vinification techniques to create wines that in the end defend Rioja’s reputation on the international scene.”
All three agree that producers need greater protection against the potential erosion of quality. “You should not be able to start a crianza and after a few months, reclassify the wine as a reserva or a gran reserva,”Machete Pereira says.
“I don’t know how it will happen but there is a quality perception in the market between a joven and gran reserva that should be considered within the appellation.
“I think we should have rules in which the wine could be a gran reserva and not just rules about ageing time.”
Better controls
CVNE’s marketing director, María Urrutia, goes further. “Rioja must have better controls – we already have very strict controls on the yield of the grapes, the production and on ageing, but maybe there aren’t strict enough controls on the quality of the grapes, which there have to be for a reserva or a gran reserva. Maybe if they keep an eye on establishing that quality, the prices will differentiate – it would be like establishing what a minimum price for a reserva or a gran reserva could be. But who could do that? I don’t know, because we are all individual wineries and producers with our own philosophies. Maybe the board of Rioja should be looking at this,” she concludes.
The region on the banks of the Ebro River has built its reputation partly on its ability to produce wines that can age. And, as Machete Pereira points out, “Young, fruit-driven modern wines can be made all over the world – but not a lot of them can age like Rioja can. It will be interesting to see how it will evolve.” db
