Rocky mountains wreathed in storm clouds loom over gnarled, grape-laden vines. Medieval hamlets perched on hills and the edifices of wineries – some quite rustic, others glossy and modern – dot the vine-covered landscape. I’m taking all this in, surrounded by vines planted nearly a century ago, on a hillside vineyard in Rioja Alavesa, the smallest of Rioja’s subregions. I’ve come here with the Old Vine Conference to explore the region’s wealth...
Rioja Alavesa's old-vine wealth
Friday 31 May 2024
• 4 min read
The quest to save the varietal diversity of this high-elevation region, and the pay-off in its wines. Above, old vines in the Las Beatis vineyard in Rioja Alavesa.
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