La Rioja Alta, Vina Alberdi, Rioja Reserva 2019

Katie here. Do you love Rioja like I do? Are you looking for a go-to Rioja for more routine occasions, something you can just pull out on a week night when it’s been a long day and you want to relax with some delicious wine?

I’ll share with you my personal favorite any-occasion Rioja:

La Rioja Alta, Viña Alberdi, Rioja Reserva

I just love that smell of Rioja, and it really jumps out at you with this wine. You won’t need to put your nose far in the glass to enjoy its aromas! To me, this smells of newly-laid mulch or freshly turned damp, rich earth. It smells like walking through damp woods on a warm day. To my dad, it smells like leather saddles, so maybe you can imagine riding through damp woods on a warm day. It’s full of really ripe red fruits, and for me, this comes across as ripe red plums and maybe some really ripe strawberries (not tart ones). It also smells of dill (the spice) and a little vanilla. This wine just makes you feel warm and cozy, and I love it. I don’t know why I don’t just keep a case at my house.

This is a Reserva, which means it has to have aged at least 3 years before being sold, at least one of those years in oak (typically American oak, which gives it that dill character).

Other Rioja aging classifications you will see are:

Crianza—aged at least 2 years, one in oak

(these tend to be more fruity)

Gran Reserva—aged at least 5 years, 2 in oak

There’s your Rioja wine education for the day!

This wine sells for $25 at Jacob Liquor. If you enjoy Rioja at all, give this one a try!