RiojaValley Information

An exclusive gourmet network to promote Rioja's Products, Brands and Wines, creating and pairing experiences worldwide abroad. Rioja Valley is a Viticultural Area located mainly in La Rioja but also in parts of Basque Country and Navarre, Spain. Rioja Valley is considered one of the premier wine regions in the world. The harvesting of wine in La Rioja has an ancient lineage with origins dating back to the Phoenicians and the Celtiberians. The earliest written evidence of the existence of the grape in La Rioja dates to 873, in the form of a document from the Public Notary of San Millán dealing with a donation to the San Andrés de Trepeana (Treviana) Monastery. In the year 1063, the first testimony of viticulture in La Rioja appears in the "Carta de población de Longares" (Letter to the Settlers of Longares). The King of Navarra and Aragon gave the first legal recognition of Rioja wine in 1102. In 1560, harvesters from Longares chose a symbol to represent the quality of the wines.