Joven at heart

The focus in Rioja is increasingly on terroir and individual, localised character in wines, as Rioja's talented next generation of winemakers begin to exert their influence

- NOAH CHICHESTER

I n Rioja, it's no crime to be joven (meaning young) - it's actually an advantage; and not just for the wines.

There's a current of youthful excitement running through the region, thanks to the latest new generation of winemakers who are more prepared than ever to take on the challenges of an uncertain future. As it celebrates its centenary this year, DOCa Rioja is reckoning with changing consumer tastes and declining red wine consumption around the world. Faced with a radical reconsideration of the region's place in the wine world, Rioja's young winemakers are injecting the appellation with a much-needed dose of energy, optimism and clarity. They're taking the reins of family wineries and setting their sights on a new idea of Rioja, while never rejecting the wisdom of the past.

For this new generation, it's clear that the way forward is turning to terroir. It's not an easy feat, by any means; the concept of place has never been the focus of the conversation here as it was in other regions. Instead, when we talk about Rioja it's usually about barrels, and in most wine textbooks any mention of regional terroir is limited to the three well-established sub-zones of Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Alta and Rioja Oriental. The Rioja regional consejo regulador has slowly ceded ground by allowing wines to be labelled as Vinos de Municipio, or now de Pueblo (single-village wines: see 'Rioja anew' feature, p40), and there's also a process to designate a vineyard as a Viñedo Singular (single-vineyard), governed by strict requirements on farming and yields.

More recently, winemakers have been given permission to add the name of the village where the vineyards are located to labels.

Making the right noises