After various years of debate, QDO Rioja has finally endorsed the white grape varieties Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, together with other white varieties (Verdejo, Torrontés, Tempranillo Blanco and Maturana Blanca) and red varieties (Maturana Tinta and Maturana Parda).

This measure corresponds, on the one hand, to the petition made by winemakers to increase endorsed white strains in order to add wealth and diversity to the region’s wines without losing the Riojan character. The only white varieties endorsed up until now were Viura, Malvasía de Rioja and Garnacha Blanca.

The decision from the Spanish Ministry for Environment, Marine and Rural Affairs (MARM) (at the request of the Rioja Wine Interprofessional body), was warmly welcomed by wine producers, as it allows them to enhance the quality of Riojan whites, bestowing them with a fresher, more fruity character. However, some limitations do exist as to how the new varieties can be employed: single-varietal wines are prohibited as is using the strains as the principle grape in coupage wines. As a result, only a maximum of 2,000 hectares of the recently endorsed varieties can be planted.

And on the other hand, the authorisation of the, up until now, very scarce Maturana Tinta and Maturana Parda varieties recuperates some of the most typical Riojan grapes and opens doors to a new type of wine for the region. There are many wine producers who see great potential in these, until recently, forgotten strains.

In any event, we will still have to wait a few years before the new plantations generate quality grapes and to see wines made from the newly endorsed varieties on the market.