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Do you often find yourself hurrying into the supermarket to pick up a perfect wine without spending your life savings on a bottle? It’s really quite easy. Firstly, you just need to take a good look at our tips. Remember that bottles with flashy stickers saying that they’ve won prizes have those labels for a reason!

Supermarkets sometimes want to draw attention to an award-winning wine or one with a great score in a wine guide, which could be a quality guarantee. You’ll often see this marketing technique at airport duty-free sections, where they want to draw attention to award-winning wines from the country or region you’re in so that you take one of the best choices back with you, along with the best flavours of the place you’ve visited.

So, if you’re not in a hurry and can take your time picking out a wine at a specialist wine store, you’re at an advantage: you can get professional advice to help you find a top-quality wine at the right price. Buying a wine at a specialist wine store isn’t always more expensive. In general, these businesses have to respect the price suggested by the winery.

If you do decide to buy a wine from a specialist store, be daring and try new flavours. If you’re into red wine, we’re not going to tell you to change your ways, but maybe you could try other wines such as Rioja whites or semi-sweets. Within the same price range, sometimes lighter wines have more surprises in store for you.

Another option for buying good wine at a decent price is to switch to the wineries’ online stores, or even multi-brand wine stores. This will also have better prices, since they save a lot more costs than physical shops do. What’s more, they often have special discounts if you purchase in bulk, for example if you buy cases of wine, or they will give you free delivery.

If you’re concerned that bottles might be damaged in transit, don’t worry. They’re completely reliable, and will take care of any logistic issue that might occur, even though they’re not particularly common.  

Additionally, buying wine online through the wineries’ own websites has additional advantages: you can always be sure of the origin, traceability and handling of the wines, ensuring that they are always at the right temperature and don’t go off.

Here in Spain, we’re lucky enough to have good wines priced between €6 and €20. In other European countries, the prices may be considerably higher because they have to import the products. However, since we’re close to such a wide range of wineries, we can always find top-quality produce at competitive prices to suit any budget.

While there are products that reach prices of over €100, you can enjoy a superior wine without paying over €30. But, as we said, there are amazing and tasty wines that you can get your hand on for under €10. In fact, we’re not the only ones to say it. A few studies have proved it. Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire in England found that there are wines available for under €8 that have the same effect on the palate as other wines that could be up to six times more expensive.

Make yourself the perfect guest by giving the host a good bottle of wine without breaking the bank. You really can find a good wine at a fair prices, with a range of ideas from young wines to aged wines and even reserve wines. Our Coto de Imaz Reserva and our Coto de Imaz Selección Viñedos Reserva made with tempranillo grapes are versatile and easy to pair but, most importantly, they’re delicious and reasonably priced. When it comes to choosing, trust your palate over what people have told you.

Making dinner is always a great plan. If you love cooking, this is the choice for you.

Make a meal to surprise your nearest and dearest, and choose the perfect wine to go with it. That’s where we can help:

• For finger foods, for example, including cheese: white wines like El Coto Blanco are best with younger cheeses, and aged cheeses pair best with Crianza reds like El Coto Crianza.
• If you’re going in for seafood, we recommend a barrel-fermented 875 m Chardonnay.
• For red meat, Coto de Imaz Reserva or Coto de Imaz Gran Reserva would go amazingly, enhancing its flavour.

Even though you could surprise them with a Valentine’s dinner, another idea would be to make cooking the meal together the main event. You can enjoy a nice evening of cooking and wine – it’s always great fun. Bear in mind that the best thing to do is to plan what you’re cooking and have all the ingredients and wine ready.

If you’re going to do it with your other half, this will be a romantic night that you’ll never forget. Pour out a good glass of wine and enjoy the process. A romantic dinner will also help to strengthen the bond you have with the person you love. Raise a glass on Valentine’s Day in the best company!

This idea is definitely a great twist on the classic way of celebrating Valentine’s Day: a wine tasting is a fun option that will breathe some flavour into your special moment.

You could say that this experience will be your “gift” to the other people because you will already know the wines, but we promise you can also learn loads when you start tasting.

What do you need for a home wine tasting?

• At least 3 different bottles of wine to taste
• One glass per person.
• Labels to cover the wine information and not leave anything visible.
• A mask so the colour of the wine doesn’t give them any clues
• Some snacks to go with the tasting
• Plenty of enthusiasm to start tasting!

We promise that this Valentine’s Day won’t be a forgettable one for your friends or that special person if you’re spending it with your partner. Get the ball rolling, don’t let any time go to waste in planning the day. Here’s a series of tips on how to get everything organised.

Wine and music make for a pairing that will arouse your senses, and it could be one those special Valentine’s Day plans that will make your evening extra special.

Picking the right music will definitely help you unwind, eat, drink and enjoy each other’s company. If you love wine and your friends or loved ones do too, there’s nothing better than surprising them on the 14th of February with a glass of our El Coto Crianza and a great playlist of hits by your favourite band. If you’re going to spend it alone or with your partner, you could even throw a relaxing bubble bath into the mix.

The Rioja Designation of Origin was created on the 6th of June 1925. This was thanks to the winegrowers in the Rioja region who want to ensure that their wines were top-quality and exclusive. Further down the line, in 1991, it was the first region to be made a Qualified Designation of Origin. 

Having the latter designation means that we have to comply with a set of stricter requirements in quantitative, qualitative and control terms. The Regulatory Council is in charge of overseeing, auditing and monitoring the wine production process in La Rioja, from the vines to the market. 

Spain is a bountiful land! Wine was already around in La Rioja over two thousand years ago, which we know from the archaeological remains of winepresses and wineries that date back to Roman times. These days, Rioja wines are on sale in 120 countries and El Coto has the leading winery in Spain.

RIOJA ALTA 

It has three types of soil: lime-rich clay, iron-rich clay and loose clay. It runs from the north-eastern part of La Rioja up to the Iregua river. The area is made up of 76 municipalities with a primarily Atlantic climate. What’s more, it’s known for the quality of its vineyards and the huge amount of options for tourism around them.    

RIOJA ALAVESA 

This covers 11,500 hectares in the south of the Province of Álava. Its soil is lime-rich clay, and the vineyards are grown on terraces and small plots. The cultural and architectural heritage in its mediaeval towns is surrounded by a never-ending sea of vineyards. It is made up of 18 municipalities including Laguardia, Elciego and Oyón. 

RIOJA ORIENTAL OR RIOJA BAJA

Due to the influence of the Mediterranean, this region is warmer and dryer. As such, the soil is mainly loose clay and lime-rich clay. This is the eastern-most part of La Rioja and the south of Navarre. It has a surface area of 18,000 hectares. The northern winds gently rock the vines here, helping them to produce very mature grapes. 

We have 820 hectares of vineyards, split across all of the sub-regions in the Rioja designation, and we now sell our wines in over 70 countries. This started over half a century ago – 1970 specifically – and since then, we’ve stayed true to our wine-making philosophy, which sees the vineyard and the main source of quality. 

That’s precisely why we’ve been trying to have as many vineyards as possible from the outset, in order to ensure the quality of our wines year after year. Our wines have won a space in our customers’ hearts because they’re perfect for everyday consumption and for celebrating special moments. 

Some of our main vineyards are Carbonera, the vineyard with the highest altitude in La Rioja, which makes it ideal for growing white grapes to create wines such as Coto de Imaz Reserva Blanco, a white wine that goes great with red meat, and Finca Los Almendros, thought to be the largest vineyard in the Designation, covering 450 hectares. 

Our wineries have the widest range of Rioja wines. We are guided by our philosophy when it comes to red wine, meaning we respect the classic style of barrel ageing, which is what made La Rioja world famous. We know that being one of the leading wine producers in the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin involves commitment and responsibility, two values that we try to uphold every day. 

The types of wine we produce work perfectly for any occasion: they’re ideal for serving at an important event or for pairing with your favourite meal. Wines such as El Coto Crianza and El Coto de Imaz Reserva go perfectly with beef and lamb. 

The latter is one of our iconic wines, made exclusively with Tempranillo grapes. Before it goes on sale, we age it for 18 months in the barred and at least another 18 months in the bottle to get it just right.

There’s a good reason why this idea is in the number one spot. We want you to enjoy a good film, one we know you’re going to love: A Good Year directed by Ridley Scott. The film is about a successful English trader who goes back to the vineyard where he spent his childhood summers, and it makes us think about what really matters in life. It’s an inspirational romantic comedy about how loving and working the earth and wine help to change the fates of the main characters.

For a moment like this, we recommend a our high-flying 875 M wine, a young wine that’s both fresh and intense, with strong hits of red fruit, cocoa and mocha, which is just perfect for a relaxing and slow-paced evening when you can enjoy every last sip.

If you’re looking for a winter idea for spending time with friends, how about an evening of games and wine? There are thousands upon thousands of thrilling card games and board games for spending a lovely evening in great company. Pick the one you like best and pair it with a smooth and enjoyable wine such as a rosé!

For a moment like this, we recommend our El Coto Rosado. A fresh, refreshing and playful wine. This rosé is made with grenache noir and tempranillo grapes, making it the perfect match for nibbles. What’s more, we’ve also got the new 2021 vintage. So, while you’re having a grand old time with your friends, this wine will definitely be the best thing to go with your evening. We would recommend enjoying this wine at temperatures between 7 and 8 ºC.

Pump some flavour and colour into your relationship with a romantic date at home and some good wine!

Winter has the perfect temperatures for pampering your other half. Prepare a meal that your partner will love, such as a pork sirloin with a forest fruits sauce. To go with this dish, we recommend our Coto de Imaz Gran Reserva, a mature and elegant wine that goes perfectly with a romantic candle-lit evening. Remember: the right temperature for serving is between 16 and 18 ºC.

If you love reading, here’s an idea that’s just perfect for you: the graphic novel The Initiates by Étienne Davodeau and a bottle of El Coto Semidulce, of which we now have the new 2021 vintage. What’s more, it’s available on our online store again, after being sold out for a few months. Everyone just loves this wine.

The novel is a must for all wine lovers. It will really awaken your passion for the world of vineyards. The main characters are a comic book author who doesn’t know anything about wine, and a vintner who has never read a comic in his life. Both characters come to understand each other in a way that will teach your really interesting things about wine. What’s more, it has a pleasant and leisurely pace, which will really help you relax on your sofa.

 El Coto Semidulce is a white chardonnay that will make the experience all the more enjoyable. Its aromas of pineapple and citrus fruits make it the perfect pairing for nibbles such as cheese and fruits.

Wine can also be the star ingredient in one of your favourite dishes. Red wine gives food a special colour, and they’re perfect if you want to make a tomato sauce to go with red meat.

In terms of white wine, it gives the some gastronomic creations a specific sour flare. You can use it to season cream sauces, white meat, fish and seafood.

When it comes to making your choice, you need a good quality wine, but that doesn’t mean it has to be expensive. 

What’s more, you can enjoy your wine while you cook. Pour yourself a glass of El Coto Crianza while you whip up dinner and pop on some music to go with it! We know you’ll have a great time of it, and you might start loving cookery if it’s not really your thing. 

What is it about cheese that we just love? If you’re one of those people who can’t resist a good cheese board, this article is for you. You’ll find out the best matches for pairing any kind of wine and cheese. 

Take your wine tasting moment to the next level with our pairing tips. And take notes!

Historically, the pairing of wine and cheese has always gone down well. There are actually many sayings in Spanish that talk about these two products. For example, one goes “con queso, pan y vino, mejor se hace el camino”, which means “with cheese bread and wine, the going will be fine”. 

There’s also another saying that goes “que no te la den con queso”, [don’t let them give it to you with cheese] which means “don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes”. In the olden days, some wine sellers put out low-quality wines and, to cover it up, they served it with plates of cheese, so that the smell and flavour of the cheese would cover up that of the wine, making it appear better quality. Interesting, right?

The fact of the matter is, despite all its fame, the pairing of wine and cheese is truly exquisite, and even more so when you do it right and have top-quality products, such as Rioja wine. In this practical guide, we’ll give you some tips on the best pairings. 

In all good pairings, harmony is fundamental. As such, since we’re using two products with intense flavours, the golden rule is to make sure that the strength of the cheese and wine are balanced. How do we do this?

Since there are so many cheeses in the world, the best thing to take into consideration is whether the cheese has been ripened and for how long. This is an easy and practical way to correctly pair any wine and cheese. As such, we can put the cheeses on a scale:

Of course, this kind of cheese is one of the easiest to pair with any products, since they are not very intense. 

This product (either goat’s, sheep’s or cow’s milk cheese) is smooth both in terms of flavour and aromas. As such, the best pairing would be a white wine. What is your favourite variety of white grape?

In this respect, we recommend using a fail-safe classic. A wine with moderate acidity and fruity aromas of green apple and pear, such as El Coto Blanco. This is a coupage of Viura, Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc. What do you think?

Since these are delicate flavours, you could also add a bit of jam or quince jelly to give your tasting a few sweet notes. They go great with all soft cheeses!

In general, semi-soft cheeses go well with white wines, just like soft cheeses. However, we could also start playing around with red wines. But, it’s always better to go with young wines in this case. 

When we talk about cheeses with a certain level of ripeness, such as hard cheeses, the best idea is to go for aged wines to match the intense flavour. But watch out! When it comes to goat’s cheese or blue cheese, the best idea is to go for young red wines to balance out the strength of flavour, making sure that the combination of cheese and wine is not too garish. 

In terms of references, El Coto Crianza is one of the sure-fire bets for hard cheeses. It’s a monovarietal wine (Tempranillo) aged for at least 12 months in an American oak barrel and at least 6 months in the bottle. It has a fresh and fruity aroma, with notes of vanilla and scorched oak, with a lingering silkiness in the mouth.

For semi-soft and hard cheeses, we also recommend adding pieces of fruit such as grapes, apples and figs. You’ll love the mix!

Now you know what the best pairings are for each kind of cheese, you must be raring to try them all, right? What about making the most of the moment to hold a real cheese and wine tasting? You could have some friends of relatives over and have a different and really original evening. 

Try and get a mix of around 5 different cheeses with different levels of intensity to play around with the flavour. Follow our instructions and get a few bottles of El Coto de Rioja wine ready to go with the cheese. 

To make this gourmet moment extra special, presentation also plays and important role. So, you should try and balance out the table or the space where you’re going to have the tasting. 

If you don’t want to use a traditional plate, you could arrange the cheeses on a wooden board or a slate. Arrange each cheese into individual portions by variety. Normally, a couple of portions per person is enough. Remember this is a tasting! 

Depending on the size of the board, you could add some jam or quince jelly. Oh! Don’t forget to have some bread on hand to cleanse the palate between different flavours. Go for simple decoration and let your cheeses and wines take centre stage. It’ll go down a treat!

Do you want to learn how to pair wines? Don’t forget to take a look at our compilation of special articles on pairing and you’ll find out about all the best combinations in the world of wine. Here are some suggestions: 

After nine fascinating episodes of WineClass, we’re ending this set of mini lessons with the last flavour to be discovered in the world of wine: umami. Have you ever heard of this flavour?

Let’s look into the enigma of the fifth flavour! Hit play and enjoy the last episode of WineClass.

To understand what umami is, we firstly need to know where it comes from. Do you know where this term comes from? It’s Japanese.

Umami means “pleasant flavour”, and the word is made up of two concepts: umai, which means “delicious”, and mi, which is Japanese for “flavour”.

Until some time ago, there were only four recognised basic flavours in the world: sweet, salty, sour and bitter. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 21st century (1908) when a Japanese scientist called Kikunae Ikeda discovered what we now know as the “fifth flavour”.

Ikeda worked out that a specific amino acid, monosodium glutamate, produced a flavour sensation that couldn’t be pigeon-holed into one of the other four flavours. That’s why he decided to give this sensation its own name: umami.

But how can we detect this new flavour? And what about in wine? Let’s look at some of its features.

Even if the way to understand and detect this flavour is somewhat abstract, these are some of its specific features.

Umami is that feeling that brings together sweet and salty notes and leaves a lingering tasty flavour in the whole mouth. In fact, strangely enough, umami is not really a flavour, but rather a flavour enhancer. That’s why it’s so difficult to describe.

To work out if your wine is umami or if you’re eating an umami-rich food, you need to turn to your taste buds. There are also specific receptors for this flavour!

What part of the tongue do you think umami stimulates? Right in the centre.

The classic foods in this group are ones with a great aftertaste, rich in monosodium glutamate. For example, the most characteristic one (which is also emblematic of East Asian cuisine, is soy sauce.

If you want to train your palate, the trick we would suggest is dripping a few drops of soy sauce onto the centre of your tongue. It’s that simple! You’ll easily be able to sense the intense taste as it spreads across your mouth.

Some other umami-rich foods in Spanish cuisine are: tomatoes, asparagus, meat, anchovies and even Iberian ham! Parmesan cheese is also rich in umami.

The term umami is coming up more often in the world of wines, and it’s not unusual to see it in the tasting notes of some products. But can wines actually be umami? Yes, they can. We’ll tell you which ones.

In general terms, wines with a greater amount of the fifth flavour are ones that have been aged for longer. As such, we can find umami in red and white wines and rosés, as long as they have been aged for long enough.

Remember, when we talk about ageing, we could mean barrel ageing or lees ageing.

Some of the best examples of this are El Coto Crianza for barrel ageing, and Coto de Imaz Reserva Blanco for lees ageing. Have you tried them yet? You can find them on our El Coto de Rioja online store right below.

Is WineClass over? Never! You can watch the episodes of WineClass as much as you want on the El Coto de Rioja YouTube channel. All of the episodes are there in full.

Here at El Coto de Rioja, we want wine tasting to be a sensory experience for you. Would you like to find all the different nuances in your favourite drink? Follow WineClass! 

Today, in episode nine, we’re looking into one of the most characteristic flavours of wine: bitterness. Where does this flavour come from and how do we perceive it? Make sure you’re paying attention! Hit Play! 

Thanks to our taste buds, we can perceive a wide range of flavours in all kinds of food and drink. With practice, we can hone our skills and make our palates much more precise. But did you know that we can’t detect bitterness straight after birth? 

Humans don’t start out life tasting bitterness, but over time, we learn to recognise it and appreciate it. It’s probably one of the more complex flavours, since it can easily be disagreeable if we’re not used to it or when it comes in high doses.  

Some examples of this flavour are coffee, pure chocolate, olives and even some citrus fruits. But how does this flavour end up in wine. Let’s take a look. 

When we taste a wine, specifically a red wine, it can sometimes leave our mouths feeling dry. What do you think causes this bitterness in wine? The main cause is in the grapes themselves. 

The seeds, the stalks and the pomace have high concentrations of substances known as tannins. Depending on their maturity and how these elements have been prepared, tannins can make a wine smoother (well-rounded tannins) or astringent, which is what causes a certain roughness.

The younger the tannin, the longer the bitterness will linger in the mouth. In other words, the wine will be more astringent. Otherwise, if we are drinking a Reserva or Gran Reserva wine, the tannins will be more mature due to ageing, and will make the wine smoother and more complex.  

You’re probably wondering… Are only red wines bitter? Not quite. However, they do tend to have more tannins in them.  

All varieties of grape (both red and white) have tannins, to a greater or lesser extent. Afterwards, when making the final products, is when we look for the perfect balance in each wine. 

So, is there any method for knowing how to drink a bitter wine? For example, if we drink a wine that needs to develop too early, this astringency will not be pleasant, and we can tell that the wine needs to rest for longer. However, storing a bottle for too long can be counter-productive since it can end up going off.  

Our recommendation for enjoying any kind of wine (whether sweet, sour or bitter) is always to store it at home in the right way, checking the vintage to know when to drink it and serving it at the right temperature.  

In WineClass, we always offer a simple time to train your palate in each lesson.  

The first thing to know about bitterness is where you perceive it on the tongue. In this case, bitterness stimulates the taste buds towards the back of the tongue, near your uvula and throat.  

Next, look for a clear reference point for this flavour in other foods, as we mentioned before. When you try them, you might not notice it as firsts. But, after a few seconds, you’ll start to notice that dry feeling.  

When you bring this exercise to a wine tasting, play around with contrasts and try wines at different stages in the ageing process, such as a Rioja Crianza (we use El Coto Crianza) and a Reserve wine (such as our Coto de Imaz Reserva).  

Do you remember the blindfold we recommended for guessing the aromas in wine? Time to bring it back out to focus your senses on flavour. Can you feel it? It’s a matter of practice. 

Here at El Coto de Rioja, we love myth-busting, especially when people say that knowing your wines is a complicated business. It’s really not, we promise. WineClass is a clear example that wine lessons can be easy and fun.

Today, in episode eight, we’ll let you in on all you need to know about saltiness in wines. It’s one of the more complex flavours. Learn how to detect it and take your “wine moments” to the next level. Hit Play!

As you know, there are five recognised flavours in wine, and we perceive each of them on different parts of the tongue thanks to how the tastebuds work.

As we mentioned, sweetness is detected on the tip of the tongue. When it comes to saltiness, it is a close area that picks up on saltiness, specifically the two sides of the tongue.

But what makes a wine salty? Let’s take a look.

When we talk about the saltiness of a wine, we mainly mean the concentration of mineral salts in it. But where do they come from? From the vineyard.

Vineyards are planted in different soils that have a range of natural components (known as soluble salts). These are spread out across the layers of soil and are subsequently absorbed by the roots of the vine. As such, the concentration of these salts is what causes saltiness in wine.

Some of the most common components are phosphates, sulphates, potassium and sodium. What do these bring to the wine? Mainly complexity and a flavour boost.

Calculations show that a wine can have between 2-4 grams of salts per litre. This is a fairly low concentration and, as such, it makes it particularly difficult to detect them in a wine tasting. So, don’t worry if you don’t notice it at first. It’s all about practice.

The range of concentration of mineral salts are limited in the regulations depending on the component.

As we mentioned, this concentration varies depending both on the soil type and the type of wine we are drinking. So, what are the saltiest wines and which are the sweetest?

Wines with a greater level of saltiness come from places near to the coast. In other words, one from vineyards near the sea. For example, some these are albariño, fino and manzanilla. In fact, the saltiest wine in Spain is manzanilla from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz. Have you ever tried it?

To recognise this flavour in wine (whether its red, white, rosé or sparkling wines), we recommend using foods or elements that are fairly close to what we want to taste. And what could be saltier than salt itself?

The best trick for learning how saltiness stimulates our taste buds is to make a simulation of salt water. To do this, just get a glass of water and add a handful of salt.

When you swish it around your mouth, you’ll clearly notice which part of the tongue is activated and, slowly but surely, you be able to recognise this feeling from wine. Be patient and remember that this flavour is quite complicated to detect. With practice, you’ll get it!