By Dave McIntyre
Wednesday, April 21, 2010; E05

Rioja is classic Spanish wine, steeped in tradition and an Old World elegance that offers class and flair.

Or is it?

Just as Spanish cuisine has become avant-garde, so the country's newer wine regions such as Priorat and Ribera del Duero have stolen the limelight from Rioja. New, modern expressions of traditional Spanish grapes continue to emerge from these regions, from simple co-op wines that rank among the world's best values to rare, densely concentrated monsters zealously sought by collectors. One could be forgiven for dismissing Rioja as old hat rather than Old World.

Rioja has not stood still, however. In recent years, many wineries have explored new expressions of Rioja, especially in red wine, that give a modern accent to the region's traditional elegance. Unfortunately, like many such developments in the wine world, these differences are not always clearly marked on the label.

The Rioja wine region in north-central Spain stretches along the Ebro River and has three subregions. Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa benefit most from shelter given by the Cantabrian mountains, which protect the region from Atlantic storms from the north. Rioja Alta is known for bigger, riper wines, while Rioja Alavesa, nestled closer to the mountains, produces wines with firm acidity and structure. Rioja Baja, on the southern end, has a more Mediterranean climate and flatter terrain. It is Rioja's workhorse, producing wines of greater volume but lesser distinction. Quite often, red wines from all three subregions are blended together.

Rioja's main red grape is tempranillo, classically Spanish. Traditional red Rioja also will blend in some graciano and mazuelo (known as carignan in France).

Rioja's appellation laws, called Denominacion de Origen Calificada (DOC), delineate three levels of red Rioja. Crianza wines have been aged for 12 to 18 months in oak barrels and at least an additional year in bottle before release. Reserva means the wine has been in barrel for 18 to 24 months, then in bottle for one to two years. Gran Reservas have been aged for 24 to 36 months in barrel and at least 36 months in bottle.

These are meant to be guarantees of quality, but they are more indicators of style and the types of flavors you can expect from the wine. Reservas and Gran Reservas tend to be dominated by flavors such as sandalwood and clove.

The modern style of Rioja rejects the crianza system, arguing that the winemaker rather than the government should decide when a wine is ready for market. These wines are labeled simply as Rioja, which officially indicates the most basic wine of the region, less than crianza. Just as French vin de table now often indicates a cutting-edge wine rather than table plonk, simple Riojas may be something new and innovative. They typically use less oak, following a growing market preference for wine that tastes like fruit, and often they are 100 percent tempranillo. Because this is a new style, we don't really know how well they will age.

One fine example of new Rioja is Letras, from Bodegas Exeo, which debuted with the 2005 vintage. (The 2006 is now available.) Letras hails from Rioja Alavesa and displays the acidity and structure of that region. Although the wine does see oak, aging in wood lends body and backbone more than flavor. That allows the vibrant fruit of tempranillo, with its cherry and earthy qualities, to shine. Its price ($45) puts it in the Gran Reserva range, but this wine is all about fruit rather than wood.

Contrast that with the Edicion Limitada 2005 from Bodegas LAN, a major Rioja producer of good-quality wines across the spectrum. The Edicion Limitada is all about oak, but not in the traditional Rioja style. Rather, this wine mimics Bordeaux with its smoky, toasty flavors and its richness that puts oak at the forefront with massive, ripe fruit in a close supporting role.

Both wines are delicious, and the LAN may be more widely available and easier to find than the Letras, which is sold primarily to restaurants. These are two expressions of today's Rioja, each a contrast with the classic style.

McIntyre can be reached at food@washpost.com.