The García Viadero family began its winemaking vocation in La Rioja in 1980. Gregorio García Álvarez made his first bottle of Rincón de Navas with the exquisite and unique fruit of one of the oldest vineyards in Rioja. At present, Bodegas Valgrande is situated in the heart of Rioja Alta, in the village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, where a limited selection of Rincón de Navas Crianza and Rincón de Navas Reserva is aged with the careful use of oak, resulting in an exclusive, handmade Rioja which allows maximum expression from the Tempranillo grape.

Rioja Alta is the most westerly region in the state of La Rioja (Spain). It comprises the municipalities situated along the rivers Tirón, Oja and Najerill, that is to say Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Ezcaray, Nájera and Anguiano. The territories are bordered to the north by the right bank of the river Ebro, to the east by the Sierra de Moncalvillo and the Sierra de Cameron, to the south by the Sierra de Castejón and the Picos de Urbión, where the province of Soria begins, and to the west by the province of Burgos.

Rioja Alta covers the western half of the Denominación and Rioja Baja the eastern half. Rioja Alavesa is found to the north of Rioja Alta, between the river Ebro, which constitutes its southern border and the Sierra de Cantabra which protects it from the northerly winds.

Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa together possess a climate which combines Mediterranean and Atlantic influences, while in Rioja Baja the Mediterranean climate predominates and is warmer and drier. These differences are easily noticed in the landscape and vegetation, although in each zone there are a variety of microclimates related to such factors as the orientation of the sun and the greater or lesser exposure to the winds.

The soils are also relatively varied, with three types predominating: clay-limestone, clay-iron and alluvial. In Rioja Alavesa, with its rugged terrain, small sized vines are typical, situated on terraces of gentle slopes with clay-limestone soils. Rioja Baja is flatter and has larger vineyards and a greater quantity of alluvial soils. Rioja Alta combines characteristics of both these two zones, with soils of the three different types and a variety of microclimates. Some of it municipalities are situated to the north of the river Ebro alongside those of Alavesa.

Not all the soils in Rioja where vines are cultivated are the same. There are many different types of soil, but the most important are the three which we denominate: clay-limestone, clay-iron and alluvial.

On entering Rioja, following the course of the Ebro, by way of Conchas de Haro, we notice on the left side vineyards that grow on yellow ochre coloured soils, graduated in height from the Sierra de Cantabria down to the Ebro. This is Rioja Alavesa and the terrain is clay-limestone. Opposite, on the right side, low hills and valleys alternate, gentle and undulating. The valleys are formed by the rivers Oja, Najerilla, Iregua, Leza and Cidacos. On the plains stretching out from the river banks can be found vines. These are alluvial soils. The slopes which hem in these plains have strikingly red soils and are made up of clay-iron.

We could identify another ten types of soil, but they are of lesser importance from a viticultural perspective.

It is not only colour and relief, stepped, sloping or flat, which differentiates these soils, but also their interior structure: clay, sand, rock, stone etc.; in such a way that the development of the vine root structure, its growth and expansion, depend on these factors.

Let us imagine the paths taken by there roots. In clay-limestone soils, the yellow ochre type, once the tap root is planted, this begins to sprout roots that progressively spread in depth and breadth until, on reaching a depth of approximately one metre, there appears the first loose rocks and then, a little deeper, more compact rock. The roots easily penetrate between the loose rocks and then look for a fissure in the compact rock in order to pass through it to a greater depth. A root usually finds this fissure and as it grows within the gap gradually opens it up. The contact between the roots and the rock does not harm the plant.

In the brown soils, the clay-iron types, once the tap root has set, the development and penetration of the roots are slow, given that the earth is compact with a lot of clay. Nevertheless, it is practically impossible that they should encounter any rocks. If a root should meet a rock, it does cause a real barrier, as it is usually a very hard rock without any gaps.

In alluvial soils, those found in the flat plains on the margins of the rivers, the tap root spreads its root in depth and breadth finding a loose earth and small, rounded boulders.  However, at about half a metre, it encounters a white crust, obviously limestone, which cannot be penetrated by the root due to its hardness, the lack of any cracks and because it releases a substance, active lime, which tends to dry out the roots. For this reason, the roots do not extend to a great depth and are vulnerable to droughts and also flooding.

The use of tractors has helped to establish plantations by breaking up this crust and enabling the root to penetrate to an indefinite depth, encountering sometimes rock and gravel, alternating with loose sand.

It can be asked which soils are best for the quality of the wine. There isn’t a simple answer, but it is believed that the optimum soils are the clay-limestone types that occupy practically all of Rioja Alavesa and from Logroño the areas of Fonzaleche, Sajazarra, Villalba, Briñas, Haro, Briones, Ollauri, Rodezno, Cenicero, Fuenmayor, San Vicente, Abalos, San Asensio y Uruñuela.

However, there are other soils where vines can be found that also produce very high quality wines, such as those, among many, of Trigo, Cuzcurrita, Huércanos, Cordovín, Badarán, Ausejo, Tudelilla, Aldeanueva y San Adrián.

The soil type is very important, but is linked intimately to another factor, the climate: 

The Sierra Cantabra protects the vineyards of Rioja Alta and Alavesa from the cold wind of the north.

Climactically speaking, we can describe Rioja as “the arrowhead of Mediterranean brightness within the Cantabrian mist”. It is an area of very southern brightness in the heart of our peninsular, but at the same time it has another singular characteristic, which comes from the Basque zone, the region of Cantabria with the smallest mountains. It receives the ocean winds much more easily than in other parts of the interior, where they are intercepted by the Picos de Europa or the Pyrenees.

A vineyard that receives the winds from the Atlantic ocean can expect to receive a breath of real quality, given than other regions that receive them include Jerez, Oporto, Bordeaux etc. In this sense, the typical vineyard of Rioja enjoys a happy combination of Atlantic and Mediterranean climates

Within Rioja itself the graduations of climate are very diverse and the simple observation of other crops gives us an idea. From Haro to Alfaro, for example, the limits are reached for the cultivation of vines, almonds, olives and peaches. The precise data are:

Viticulture brings together this data in the “bioclimatic index”, which takes into account active temperature, those higher than 10ºc, days of sunlight and of rain, everything that effects the 190 days from bud break to harvest. With this system, the “bioclimatic index” for Rioja Alta comes close to a five, a little higher,  but without reaching the six for Rioja Alavesa and the close to nine of Rioja Baja. We have to bear in mind that the optimum values for fine wines are between four and six. Inferior values are apt for light wines of regular quality.

The most obvious way in which climate affects the wines is in their alcohol content. The more warmth and light there is, the more sugar is contained in the grape and therefore the more alcoholic is the wine.

But a fine wine like that of Rioja cannot be judged by its alcohol content, but rather by its colour, its taste and its aromas, which, to a degree go counter to the alcohol content. For this reason, the fine wines bottled in Rioja normally have an alcohol content of between twelve and thirteen and a half degrees.

With regard to climate, we have referred to the positioning and situation of the vines, but there also exists the climate of annual variations, which means that in some years, in good vineyards, the grape harvest can be very good, while in others in can be deficient in quantity or quality.

We are not referring to frost or the cold temperatures of winter, but to the temperatures of below 4ºc that affect the vines in spring or autumn. These cold temperatures stop the growth of the vine and thus lead to green harvests of low quality. When these cold spells of less than 4ºc occur persistently in May or June, one has to expect a harvest of low quality.

Excessive rain can lead to the risk of a disease attacking the vine, such as mildew or mould on the grape clusters. The wine that is then produced is of poor quality.

It is important to understand that wine in Rioja is the product of certain, specific climactic conditions and therefore, for the Riojan winemaker, there is a constant risk of a deficient harvest. It may be that every year the wine of Rioja is of a certain quality, but it is only some years that the climate permits an extraordinary or excellent quality appropriate for making a Reserva wine or, in other words, a wine suitable for ageing over many years.