Rioja – back to the future?

What is happening in Rioja today? It seems as though more and more wineries are looking backwards at established traditions and the style of yesteryear. The days of excess seem to be (almost) over. Excess of ripeness. Excess of alcohol. Excess of extraction. Excess of oak. Today we are realising that wines need to be more drinkable. Those bodybuilder wines are impressive, but they are not so drinkable. But hold on – we had very drinkable wines before! In fact, if Rioja wines were not drinkable, having been aged for a long time and nurtured by the wineries until they...