The Spanish Wine Interprofessional Organization (OIVE) shows the RIOJA DOCa to EUROPEAN journalists

On November 20 and 24, journalists specializing in the winemaking sector from Poland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Ireland visited the Rioja DOCa, the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin, led by the Spanish Wine Interprofessional Organization (OIVE). This trip provided an in-depth look at the countless qualities that make Rioja extraordinary and a region renowned internationally for making quality wines.

The journalists visited different wineries in the Rioja DOCa, spread across the region’s three sub-areas: Barón de Ley and Marqués de Reinosa in Rioja Oriental (Eastern Rioja); LAN and Vivanco in Rioja Alta (Western Rioja); and Faustino, Marqués de Riscal, and Cosme Palacio in Rioja Alavesa. The trip started with a visit to the DOCa Regulatory Council, where its director, José Luis Lapuente, explained to the journalists the variety and richness of Riojan wines and the different categories included within the designation. This was followed by an interesting guided tasting that included the different styles of wine made in Rioja.

This was the last guided tour scheduled for this year by the Spanish and Portuguese wine interprofessional organizations (OIVE and ViniPortugal) as part of the European plan A Shared Passion. Both organizations work to disseminate the two countries’ passion for wine and their geographical indications.

The guided tours began last year with a trip to the winemaking regions of Madrid and Toledo and continued this year with tours of the Castilla-La Mancha, Andalusia, Aragón, Castilla y León, and Galicia Designations of Origin, and finally, this tour of Rioja.