Cosecheros of Rioja Tasting

A brand-new tasting for the UK – Cosecheros of Rioja – an initiative driven by Tim Atkin MW in association with Richard Bigg of Bar Rioja and Carte Blanche Wines.

We are excited to bring these wines to the everyone’s attention by way of a relaxed and reviving tasting fuelled by terroir, tradition and tapas from the Bar Rioja kitchen.

Turning what most people think of Rioja on its head on its head, Cosechero wines are brimming with youthful purity and vibrant freshness, sharing some similarities with the more famous Beaujolais Nouveau.

“The Cosechero tradition is a vital part of the history of Rioja, just as important in its way as the development of the Barrio de la Estación (Station Quarter) in the second half of the 19th century in Haro.

“These are artisanal wines in the main, often foot-trodden and always made with carbonic maceration. They are packed with fruit; new oak is very rare indeed. Tempranillo is the main grape, but other varieties, some of them white, are used too. The resulting wines are made to be drunk young in the main – it’s tempting to call them Rioja Nouveau - but they age surprisingly well too.

“We think this tradition is worth celebrating and preserving. They provide a link with Rioja’s past but are also an exciting facet of its present.

For us, this is what #therealrioja is all about.” Tim Atkin MW.

Host or Publisher Tim Atkin MW, Bar Rioja & Carte Blanche