Primer

Deep violet wine with a strong fruit aroma and a refreshing, fruity and light taste in the mouth. It is recommended to serve this wine slightly chilled between 10 ºC and 12 ºC.

It is recommended to drink these wines the following year after they are made, during the spring and summer where they retain all their glory. They are not wines that should be aged.

These are red wines which are made primarily in Rioja Alavesa. They are the most popular wines and the type of wine that the locals most look forward to being released. They are also the most representative of Rioja Alavesa, also known as carbonic maceration wines which are mainly produced with Tempranillo grapes with a small percentage of Viura.

Primer wines or “first release young wines” are produced by growers in the region following the carbonic maceration method which is traditional in Beaujolais and Rioja Alavesa.

This special method is gradually gaining popularity in other regions.

Many growers in Rioja Alavesa tread the grapes to press them, keeping this traditional method alive generation to generation.

There are numerous events in Rioja Alavesa set up to launch the first wine of the harvest. Growers compete for recognition and to sell the first bottles of the new vintage.

CARBONIC MACERATION