Marqués de Riscal
Marqués de Riscal is one of Rioja's oldest and best-known wineries, in the village of Elciego. You may know the Rioja Reserva with the gold mesh around the bottle, and perhaps the hotel with the wave-shaped roof designed by architect Frank Gehry. The winery also makes fresh white wine in Rueda. Here you can read who Marqués de Riscal is, which wines it produces and what to eat with them.
Marqués de Riscal and the regions behind it
Marqués de Riscal makes wine in two well-known Spanish regions. We have a dedicated page about the regions and grapes.
Verdejo
Fresh, fruity and slightly spicy. The grape behind Riscal's white wines from Rueda.
About Verdejo →A historic winery with a modern face
Marqués de Riscal was founded in 1858 by Guillermo Hurtado de Amézaga in Elciego, in Rioja Alavesa, the northern part of Rioja. He lived in Bordeaux for a time and brought French ideas about winemaking and aging in wooden barrels back to Rioja. This makes Marqués de Riscal one of the region's oldest wineries.
The winery's classic wines are the red Rioja Reserva and Gran Reserva, made mainly from Tempranillo and aged for a long time in oak barrels. You can recognize the bottles by the gold mesh around them. Next to the old cellars stands a hotel with a wave-shaped roof in pink, gold and silver, designed by Frank Gehry, the architect of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
Marqués de Riscal also makes white wine in Rueda, farther south. According to the winery, it brought Sauvignon Blanc to Rueda in 1974 and played a major role in the rise of the region's fresh Verdejo. It also produces special red wines such as Barón de Chirel, made only in good years from very old vines.
In brief
From fresh verdejo to Gran Reserva
Gall & Gall sells ten wines from Marqués de Riscal. First the whites from Rueda, followed by the reds from Rioja, from the Reserva to the premium wine Barón de Chirel.
Sauvignon Blanc
Bursting with freshness and tropical fruit. Made in Rueda, where the house introduced this grape variety.
Rueda Verdejo
Fresh and fruity, bursting with tropical fruit. The classic white wine from Rueda.
Finca Montico
A fruity white wine with pear, peach, herbs and a hint of fennel.
Limousin Reserva
Verdejo aged in oak barrels. Complex and elegant, with yellow fruit, almond and a hint of vanilla.
Rioja Reserva
The classic and entry-level wine from the house. Aged for a long time in oak, with red fruit, vanilla and spices. Also available as a magnum and in gift packaging.
Finca Torrea
Soft and smooth, with dark berries, vibrant fruit and fresh herbs.
Gran Reserva 150 Aniversario
Three years in American oak and then another three years in the bottle. From thirty-year-old vines. Elegant, complex and smooth.
Barón de Chirel
From vines 80 to 110 years old, made only in the best years. Concentrated and complex.
Reserva Magnum
The Rioja Reserva in a double-sized bottle, in gift packaging. Wine in a magnum matures more slowly and looks festive on the table.
Crianza, reserva or gran reserva: on our Rioja page, you can read about the difference and how long the wine matures.
Classic red, fresh white
Fresh and fruity
Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo are fresh, with tropical fruit, citrus and some spice. Limousin Reserva is fuller, with yellow fruit, almond and vanilla from the oak.
Red fruit and vanilla
Reserva has red and black fruit, vanilla and spices from extended oak aging. Elegant and not too heavy.
Complex and smooth
Gran Reserva is smooth and refined, with black fruit and a long finish. Barón de Chirel is more concentrated and powerful.
Average flavor profile of Marqués de Riscal. The white wines score higher on freshness and lower on power, while Barón de Chirel scores higher on power.
How to serve Marqués de Riscal
White from Rueda well chilled, Rioja just below room temperature. A Gran Reserva or Barón de Chirel should first be given some air.
White at 8 to 10 degrees
Serve Sauvignon Blanc, Verdejo and Finca Montico at 8 to 10 degrees. Limousin Reserva can be served slightly warmer, around 11 to 12 degrees, so you can taste the oak and almond.
More about wine temperature →Red at 16 to 18 degrees
Serve Rioja Reserva and Finca Torrea at around 16 to 17 degrees. Gran Reserva and Barón de Chirel can be served closer to 18 degrees. If the bottle is in a warm room, put it in the refrigerator for about fifteen minutes.
More about wine temperature →Decanting
A young Barón de Chirel opens up when you pour it into a decanter an hour before the meal. An older Gran Reserva may have sediment: stand the bottle upright for a day and pour it carefully.
Decanters →Marqués de Riscal at the table
Rioja goes with lamb, stews and Spanish hams. The white wines from Rueda pair with fish and tapas.
Tapas and fish
With prawns, squid, grilled fish, salads and goat cheese. Also delicious as an aperitif.
Creamy white
With poultry, fish in cream sauce, risotto or a piece of mature cheese. The oak gives the wine enough body.
Lamb and pork
With lamb chops, pork roulade, spicy chicken or chorizo. A classic with Spanish ham and Manchego.
Festive
With leg of lamb, game, entrecôte or aged cheese. A beautiful wine for Christmas or a special dinner.
The right glass for Marqués de Riscal
Pour Rioja into a spacious red wine glass, and Gran Reserva or Barón de Chirel into a tall, large bowl. For the white wines from Rueda, use a smaller wine glass.
Everything you still wanted to know about Marqués de Riscal
Is your question not listed? Read more about Rioja or get in touch.
Everything about Rioja →What is Marqués de Riscal?
What kind of wine is Marqués de Riscal Reserva?
How much alcohol is in Marqués de Riscal?
What is the difference between reserva and gran reserva?
Who designed the Marqués de Riscal hotel?
Which glass do you use for Marqués de Riscal?
Buy Marqués de Riscal
Want the bottle at home right away? Order Marqués de Riscal online from Gall & Gall. Gall & Gall has 9, 2 of which are on sale.
Marqués de Riscal Sauvignon Blanc
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