The Rioja Alavesa Festival competition, suspended for the second year due to the pandemic, is awarding prizes throughout the DOCa
2021 HARVEST
For the second consecutive year, the Rioja Alavesa Harvest Festival had to be suspended, but not the wine competition, the closest and most important in the DOCa Rioja, with awards spread throughout the wine-growing region. A total of 240 wines from the three regions of Rioja (Alta, Alavesa, and Oriental) were tasted. Bodegas El Coto (Oyón) and Hermanos Frías del Val (Villabuena), both with three awards, are the most awarded wineries. El Coto won the rosé category, all from the latest vintage, with Yursun Rosé from Bodegas César del Río in second place. The podium was completed by the rosé made from old Garnacha from Bodegas y Viñedos Ilurce (Alfaro), which also recently won the La Rioja Winegrowers’ Competition in the same category.
Among the oak-aged whites, Eguren Ugarte (Laguardia) took first place, followed by Muñarrate from Solabal (Ábalos) and Abel Estebas from Bodegas Oliver Villar Estebas in Cordovín. Viña El Flaco from Frías del Val was the best oak-aged white, followed by Amicis from Hermanos Pascual Miguel (Baños de Ebro) and Fernández de Piérola (Moreda).
In the red wine category, the best young wine went to Cueva de Lobos, from Javier San Pedro (Laguardia), ahead of Lagar de Santiago (Bodegas de Santiago, in Baños de Ebro) and the wine Hermanos Frías del Val. In the Crianza category, first prize went to José Basoco (Villabuena) for his Finca Barronte, followed by the Crianza from Frías del Val and the Heredad García de Olano (Páganos). Valsarte, from Solana de Ramírez (Ábalos), won the award for best Reserva, ahead of El Coto de Imaz Selección (Bodegas El Coto) and the Ramírez de la Piscina Selección from the winery of the same name in San Vicente. In the Gran Reserva red wine category, the best was the Covila 2015 (from the Lapuebla cooperative), followed by El Coto de Imaz 2014 and the Óscar Tobía 2014, from Bodegas Tobía (Cuzcurrita).
Florentino Martínez (Cordovín) with his red Maturana aged in Rioja oak won as Best Personal Wine, ahead of San Quiles, from Altún (Baños de Ebro) and Dominio de Berzal (also in Baños de Ebro).
