{"id":1125,"date":"2024-06-19T07:12:23","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T05:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/murielwinesvineyard.com\/muriel-wines-en-rioja-alavesa\/"},"modified":"2025-03-06T07:16:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T06:16:14","slug":"muriel-wines-in-rioja-alavesa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/murielwinesvineyard.com\/en\/muriel-wines-in-rioja-alavesa\/","title":{"rendered":"MURIEL WINES IN RIOJA ALAVESA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t\t\t\"mapa-Geografia-riojaALAVESA_color-MURIEL_Wines-mod001\"\n\t

RIOJA ALAVESA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

FOHEN EFFECT<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

MURIEL WINES CONTROLLED VINEYARDS <\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

ELCIEGO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\tMURIEL WINES IN RIOJA ALAVESA\n\t<\/h3>\n\t

VERIQUETE<\/a> \u00b7 EL GALLO<\/a> \u00b7 GARCIMORACHO<\/a>\u00a0\u00b7 ASSA<\/a> \u00b7 RE\u00d1ANA<\/a> \u00b7 RIHONDILLO<\/a> \u00b7 HOYO DEL PINTOR<\/a><\/p>\n\t

In general terms, the grape production area nestles in a valley bounded by two large mountain ranges, the Sierra de Cantabria and the Sistema Ib\u00e9rico, forming a space with great geographical diversity:<\/p>\n

Rioja Alavesa: nestling in the foothills of Sierra de Cantabria with its lowest parts bordering the River Ebro. The vines are planted in small vineyards on terraces and hillsides.<\/p>\n\t

Rioja Alavesa is one of the main subregions of the Rioja PDO.<\/b> It is situated in the northwest of the Rioja area in the province of Alava. Its physical geography could be defined as sloping terrain that ascends from its lowest point on the banks of the River Ebro (400 metres), climbing quickly, in just 10 km, to the 1400 metres altitude of the Sierra de Cantabr\u00eda. This is why it has such rugged geography<\/b>, made up of the numerous hills, terraces and mountains that characterize its landscape.<\/p>\n

The vineyards extend from the banks of the Ebro (350 metres above sea level)<\/b> to the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabr\u00eda (650 metres)<\/b>. Due to the steepness of the terrain, the vines are planted on small fields on terraces <\/b>and banks <\/b>with an average size of no more than half a hectare, a very distinctive feature of this area. The greater the variability in the vineyards, the greater the variability and diversity in the grapes and wines obtained from them. <\/b><\/p>\n

It has a temperate<\/b> Mediterranean climate with both Atlantic and Continental influences.<\/b><\/p>\n

Its proximity to the mountains means that there are notable Atlantic influences<\/b>. The presence of the mountains is crucial in that they act as a barrier to the wind and rain from the Atlantic. The mountains are an integral part of this area without which it would not be what it is.<\/p>\n

The soils of the Rioja Alavesa were formed on top of sediments from the Tertiary Era<\/b> made up of limestones, marls and sandstones. The most important original soil in this area is known as “Tierra Parda Caliza”, a poor, yellowish-brown soil that is strongly calcareous and more or less stony. 90% of the Rioja Alavesa has this kind of soil, the only exception being the alluvial soils on the banks of the Ebro. In short, these are soils that leave a very specific mark on the wines produced.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\"R.ALAV-Muriel-blanco\"\n

\n\t\tMURIEL BLANCO\n\t<\/h3>\n\t

This wine stands out due to the structure and expression of the Viura grapes, together with the sweet touch of the White Tempranillo. Added to this is the sticky sweetness and the body provided by blending with aged wine.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\"R.ALAV-Muriel-CRIANZA\"\n

\n\t\tMURIEL CRIANZA RIOJA ALAVESA\n\t<\/h3>\n\t

Aromatic freshness, concentration and finesse on the palate are the characteristic features of a wine that expresses the essence of Rioja Alavesa<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload sheet\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\"R.ALAV-Muriel-RESERVA\"\n

\n\t\tMURIEL RESERVA VINO DE ELCIEGO\n\t<\/h3>\n\t

The complexity resulting from the fusion of all the types of soil in Elciego and their different contributions makes this wine appear well-structured and expressive.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload sheet\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

\n\t\tFOEHN EFFECT\n\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\"mapa-Clima-tooltip-ATLANTICA-MURIEL_Wines\"\n\t

It takes its name from a wind on the north side of the Alps and occurs when a mass of air is forced upwards when it encounters a mountain.<\/b><\/p>\n

This makes it cool down and causes the water vapour it contains to condense, so producing precipitation on the ascendant side. When later it descends on the other side of the mountain, the air mass has lost its moisture. The dry air drops quickly, increasing the atmospheric pressure and therefore the temperature.<\/b> In this way, the moisture and rain on the windward side become clear skies and heat on the leeward.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\"parcelas-ENG-ilust-R.AL-efecto_foehm_montana-MOD03-\"\n\t

This effect is easy to observe in the Rioja Alavesa and the northern areas of La Rioja Alta.<\/b> These areas are bounded by the Sierra de Cantabria, a geographic barrier that produces this effect, which is a determining factor in the microclimate. It is important to realize that if this effect did not exist, the vines would not develop properly as the humidity and temperature conditions would be very different from those prevailing today. <\/b><\/p>\n

\n\t\tELCIEGO\n\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\"parcelas-ilust_ENG-R.AL-elciego-mod01\"\n\t

Elciego is one of the areas of Rioja Alavesa and of Rioja with the greatest density of vineyards.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given its geographic situation and the variability of its terroirs, it could be considered a mini-Rioja Alavesa in that it has all the different soils and aspects<\/b> found in the subregion as a whole.<\/p>\n

Due to this variability, Elciego wines are typically very elegant, complex and balanced. They are regarded as wines with great aging potential.<\/b><\/p>\n

Tempranillo is the dominant grape variety in Elciego and the oldest vineyards have Viura vines mixed with Tempranillo. Elciego could be viewed as one of the “golden miles” of Tempranillo in La Rioja.<\/b><\/p>\n

One factor that makes the Elciego area special is the high variability and diversity of its grape production areas. These include all the different kinds of terroir to be found in Rioja Alavesa:<\/p>\n