Sommelier Journal

PAGES (42-49) May 2009

Rioja: Still the Benchmark for Spanish Wine Doug Krenik, MS, CWE Doug Krenik is the European wine specialist for Southern Wine and Spirits in Denver. Over the past 20 years, he has been associated with almost every aspect of the wine business: importing his own wines, working for local distributors in both sales and education, and directing the wine program of the prestigious Flagstaff House Restaurant in Boulder, Colo. He earned the Master Sommelier diploma in February 2006, and is also a Certified Wine Educator. He currently lives in Colorado with his wife, Chris, and enjoys cooking, writing, cycling, and playing guitar.

No other region in Spain embodies both the history and the essence of the country’s wine the way Rioja does. As early as 1560, Rioja producers recognized the importance of the area, banning the inclusion of grapes from outside the region and marking their brand on the goat skins in which the wine was transported to guarantee its authenticity. Ribera del Duero may have its Vega Sicilia, Toro its new investors, and Priorat its power and premium pricing, but Rioja still stands as the quintessenti...