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Rioja rates its 2021 harvest as “very good” and commits to strategic sustainability initiatives

Between December 2021 and February 2022 over 5000 samples were collected from the fermentation tanks of the wineries. These were then subjected to physical and chemical analysis and subsequent tasting by a panel of 120 professionals.

During the plenary session, Pablo Franco, the director of the board’s supervisory body, gave an assessment in which he praised the excellence and complexity of the harvest, during which “the favourable weather conditions undoubtedly conditioned the ripening and led to an end of cycle that can only be described as brilliant; the extension of the harvest period facilitated a phenolic ripening without acceleration and selective harvesting”.

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Franco also highlighted 2021 as being “synonymous with structure, colour and, of course, the complexity of Rioja itself”.

In the words of Fernando Ezquerro, the president of the Control Board, “the results obtained in the 2021 vintage highlight the excellent work carried out by the vine-growers and winery owners of the Designation and extol the uniqueness, the diversity and the highest standards and requirements that determine the distinctive character of Rioja in the market”.

As part of the session, the Consejo also made further sustainability commitments. Led by winery owner Alvaro Palacios, the president of Landscapes and Vineyards of Spain, in partnership with the Consejo, strategic initiatives were set out to achieve healthy and sustainable growth in the industry. This new movement aims to preserve the wine and landscape-related heritage of the Designation and combat the uncontrolled growth of power generation projects and energy transport infrastructures in the industry.

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• DOCa Rioja