1981 Rioja, Viña Bosconia Cosecha, López de Heredia Viña Tondonia

Rioja wine region covers around 54,000ha of vineyards spread over three zones, Rioja Alta in the west on the slopes of the Sierra Cantabria up to 800m, Rioja Alavesa to the east into the province of Álava in the Basque Country, and Rioja Oriental, further south, in the eastern section. While vines were first planted by the Phoenicians who travelled up to the Ebro River, vineyards were developed around Logroño in the early 2nd century under Roman rule. From the 15th century onwards, rioja wines became very popular with pilgrims travelling along the Way of Saint-James to Santiago de Compostela. Among red varietals, tempranillo reigns supreme, with garnacha (grenache) and to a lesser extent, mazuelo (local name for carignan) and graciano playing the supporting roles, and tradional white grape varieties are viura (aka macabeo), malvasiá and garnacha blanca .