5.30 Rioja at Rivera Restaurant
Wednesday, May 30th, 2012
Welcome starts at 730 – Sit down for dinner at 8pm
This Multi Courses Experience is a culmination of LearnaboutWine, Rivera Restaurant and The Rioja Wine Region- all dietary needs will be met – please let us know in advance if you have special needs.
Dinner is $100.00 per person plus tax and tip – taken at the restaurant.
Please call the restaurant for a reservation for this event (213) 749-1460
Dinner will feature over 10 RIOJA wines presented by RIOJA WINES
Wine educator and Rioja expert Monica Marin and IAN BLACKBURN of LearnAboutWine
BLANCOS – ROSADOS – JOVEN – CRIANZAS – RESERVAS and GRAND RESERVAS
PARTICIPATING BRANDS
VINA Herminia
BV Noe
Ontanon
Puerta Vieja
Bodegas Riojanas
Telmo Rodriguez
DeoBriga
Bodegas LAN
ARTADI
Bodegas RIOJANAS
John Rivera Sedlar
John Rivera Sedlar wrote the book on Modern Southwest Cuisine and is a pioneer and inspirational figure in the Latin food world. Sedlar grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and also spent three years in the Spanish cities of Sevilla and Zaragoza. In his early 20s, Sedlar gained acclaim as a chef in the South Bay region of Southern California. He then apprenticed himself to legendary French chef Jean Bertranou of L’Ermitage in Los Angeles, where he mastered classic techniques while evolving his own approach to cooking. Sedlar’s awards and recognitions include selection among the Top Ten Chefs in America and the First Annual Culinary Arts Hall of Fame Awards, and a place on Food and Wine Magazine’s Honor Roll of American Chefs. In 2011 Chef Sedlar was named Chef of the Year by Esquire Magazine and in 2012 Sedlar was nominated as Best Chef- Pacific for the James Beard Foundation.
About Rioja Wines
Wine regions
The three principal regions of La Rioja are Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja with each area producing its own unique expression of Rioja wine. Most of the territory subjected to the Rioja Protected designation of origin is in the La Rioja region, even though their limits do not coincide exactly. There is a narrow strip in the left bank of the Ebro river lying in the southernmost part of Álava included in the La Rioja wine region, whereas the south-southwestern part of the La Rioja region is not a part of this Protected designation of origin.
Limits of the Rioja D.O.C.
Rioja Alta
Located on the western edge of the region and at higher elevations than the other areas, the Rioja Alta is known more for its “old world” style of wine. A higher elevation equates to a shorter growing season, which in turn produces unripe fruit flavors and a wine that is lighter on the palate.
Rioja Alavesa
Despite sharing a similar climate as the Alta region, the Rioja Alavesa produces wines with a fuller body and higher acidity. Vineyards in the area have a low vine density with large spacing between rows. This is due to the relatively poor conditions of the soil with the vines needing more distance from each other and less competition for the nutrients in the surrounding soil.
Rioja Baja
Unlike the more continental climate of the Alta and Alavesa, the Rioja Baja is strongly influenced by a Mediterranean climate which makes this area the warmest and driest of the Rioja. In the summer months, drought can be a significant viticultural hazard, though since the late 1990s irrigation has been permitted. Temperatures in the summer typically reach 35 °C (95 °F). A number of the vineyards are actually located in nearby Navarra and the wine produced from those grapes belongs to the Rioja appellation. Unlike the typically pale colour Rioja wine, Baja wines are very deeply coloured and can be highly alcoholic with some wines at 18% alcohol by volume. The wines typically do not have much acidity or aroma and are generally used as blending components with wines from other parts of the Rioja.
Viticulture and Grapes
Rioja wines are normally a blend of various grape varieties, and can be either red (tinto), white (blanco) or rosé (rosado). La Rioja has a total of 57,000 hectares cultivated, yielding 250 million litres of wine annually, of which 85% is red. The harvest time for most Rioja vineyards is September–October with the northern Rioja Alta having the latest harvest in late October. The soil here is clay based with a high concentration of chalk and iron. There is also significant concentration of limestone, sandstone and alluvial silt.
The “old vines” of the Alavesa regions can produce very concentrated grapes but in low yields.
Among the Tintos, the best-known and most widely-used variety is Tempranillo. Other grapes used include Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, and Mazuelo. A typical blend will consist of approximately 60% Tempranillo and up to 20% Garnacha, with much smaller proportions of Mazuelo and Graciano. Each grape adds a unique component to the wine with Tempranillo contributing the main flavors and aging potential to the wine; Garnacha adding body and alcohol; Mazuelo adding seasoning flavors and Graciano adding additional aromas. Some estates, Marques de Riscal most notably, have received special dispensation to include Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, due to historical inclusion of that grape in their wine that predates the formation of the Consejo Regulador.
With Rioja Blanco, Viura is the prominent grape (also known as Macabeo) and is normally blended with some Malvasía and Garnacha Blanca. In the white wines the Viura contributes mild fruitness, acidity and some aroma to the blend with Garnacha Blanca adding body and Malvasía adding aroma. Rosados are mostly derived from Garnacha grapes. The “international varieties” of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot have gained some attention and use through experimental plantings by some bodegas but their use has created wines distinctly different from the typical Rioja.
Some of the most sought after grapes come from the limestone/sandstone based “old vine” vineyards in the Alavesa and Alta regions. The 40 year plus old vines are prized due to their low yields and more concentrated flavors. A unique DO regulation stipulates that the cost of the grapes used to make Rioja must exceed by at least 200% the national average of wine grapes used in all Spanish wines.
Classification
Rioja red wines are classified into four categories. The first, simply labeled Rioja, is the youngest, spending less than a year in an oak aging barrel. A crianza is wine aged for at least two years, at least one of which was in oak. Rioja Reserva is aged for at least three years, of which at least one year is in oak. Finally, Rioja Gran Reserva wines have been aged at least two years in oak and three years in bottle. Reserva and Gran Reserva wines are not necessarily produced each year. Also produced are wines in a semi-crianza style, those that have had a couple of months oak influence but not enough to be called a full crianza. The designation of crianza, Reserva etc. might not always appear on the front label but may appear on a neck or back label in the form of a stamp designation known as Consejo.
The event was featured in Gayot:
To read online: Click here
“May 30 Join Rioja expert and wine educator Monica Marina and Ian Blackburn of Learn About Wine for a multi-course Rioja wine dinner at Rivera on May 30. The evening begins with a welcome at 7:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 8 p.m. Dinner is $100 per person, plus tax and tip. Rivera, Met Lofts, 1050 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90015, 213-749-1460. “
