La Rioja

La Rioja is in the Ebro River Valley and its 7 small tributaries create the valleys of Rioja. In ancient times, the tributaries were more like rivers, but as the climate has changed, these rivers have become small streams that in some cases nearly dry up by harvest. The Rioja wine region has the same name as one of the administrative regions in Spain (La Rioja) but the wine region as such does not coincide 100% geographically with it. The denomination of origin Rioja spreads along 54.000 hectares around three different Communities (La Rioja, Basque Country, and Navarre). Other than Tempranillo and Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) are also used in red Rioja wines. A few wineries, notably Marqués de Riscal, use small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon. White grapes are much less widely planted.