Wherever I ate in San Sebastián, the red wine of choice was a stately Rioja. Here's a brief guide to Rioja reds, Spain's best-known wines and the ones most readily available in the United States.
THE GRAPES Primarily Tempranillo, blended with Mazuelo, Graciano and Garnacha varieties, which flourish in the area's chalky soil.
CHARACTER Mellow, sometimes musty, without the tannins that you expect to find in such complex reds. Unlike other reds, which are often released within a year or two of the vintage, Riojas make their debut as dowager beauties. (Those that are not aged tend to be undistinguished wines that are consumed domestically.)
AGE There are three types of aged Riojas: crianzas, reservas and grandes reservas. Both crianzas and reservas must be aged in oak casks for at least one year. Crianzas cannot be released until they are three years old; reservas must be four years old. Grandes reservas, usually made only in the best years, are aged in oak for a minimum of two years and released no sooner than three years after that. If you go to your wine shop, you'll find some freshly released reservas and grandes reservas from as far back as 1982.
PICKS Here are the Rioja reds that I enjoyed most in San Sebastián. If the wine is sold at shops in the United States, I've given the price. If not, I've recommended a comparable bottle that you can get here.
MY FAVORITES: The silken 1985 MARQUES DE MURRIETA YGAY GRAN RESERVA (about $32). A close second: the fully matured 1985 LA RIOJA ALTA VINA ARDANZA, said to be the best wine ever from La Rioja Alta. Unfortunately, the latter is just about sold out, replaced by the more accessible but less interesting 1987 (about $22).
SEVENTIES CLASSIC: The 1970 MARQUES DE CACERES RESERVA (no longer available at retail, though you might find it on a wine list). Not every Rioja lasts for 26 years, but 1970 was an extraordinary vintage. To taste an example, get the recently released 1970 BODEGAS MONTECILLO GRAN RESERVA (about $35). It's a terrific value. (A less venerable drink, the 1985 MARQUES DE CACERES GRAN RESERVA, about $26, is a good example of the bottlings from Marqués de Cáceres.)
OTHER TOP CHOICES: The 1988 MARQUES DE RISCAL BARON DE CHIREL (about $37); the 1987 BODEGAS MUGA PRADO ENEA (about $45), the standard-bearer from Bodegas Muga; the 1989 CUNE CONTINO RESERVA (about $16), a single-vineyard wine and a great bargain; and the harder to find 1987 CUNE Imperial Gran Reserva (about $33).
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