Wine bottles in bar reception at Marqués de Riscal Hotel Elciego Rioja, Spain 110857_Spain
The harvesting of wine in La Rioja has an ancient lineage with origins dating back to the Phoenicians and the Celtiberians. The earliest written evidence of the existence of the grape in La Rioja dates to 873, in the form of a document from the Public Notary of San Millán dealing with a donation to the San Andrés de Trepeana (Treviana) Monastery. Monks were the main practitioners of winemaking in La Rioja and great advocates of its virtues. In the thirteenth century, Gonzalo de Berceo, clergyman of the Suso Monastery in San Millán de la Cogolla and Spain's earliest known poet, mentions the wine in some of his works. In the year 1063, the first testimony of viticulture in La Rioja appears in the "Carta de población de Longares". The King of Navarra and Aragon gave the first legal recognition of Rioja wine in 1102. In 1560, harvesters from Longares chose a symbol to represent the quality of the wines. In 1635, the mayor of Logroño prohibited the passing of carts through streets near wine cellars, in case the vibrations caused a deterioration of the quality of the wine. Several years later, in 1650, the first document to protect the quality of Rioja wines was drawn up. In 1790, at the inaugural meeting of the Real Sociedad Económica de Cosecheros de La Rioja, many initiatives as to how to construct, fix, and maintain the roads for transportation of wine were discussed. The Society was established to promote the cultivation and commercialisation of Rioja wines and 52 Rioja localities participated. In 1852, Luciano Murrieta created the first fine wine of the Duque de la Victoria area, having learned the process in Bordeaux. In 1892, the Viticulture and Enology Station of Haro was founded for quality-control purposes. In 1902, a Royal Decree determining the origin of Rioja wines is promulgated. The Consejo Regulador was created in 1926 with the objective of limiting the zones of production, expanding the warranty of the wine and controlling the use of the name "Rioja".
Size: 3754px × 5616px
Location: Marques de Riscal, Elciego, Basque country ,Alava province Rioja Spain
Photo credit: © DV Oenology / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: bodega, bottles, de, denominacion, elciego, frank, ghery, hotel, marques, marqué, origin, rioja, riscal, spain, spanish, tempranillo, tourism, vineyard, wine, winery
