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Rioja Alavesa (Basque:Arabako Errioxa), officiallyCuadrilla de Laguardia-Rioja Alavesa, in Spanish, andBiasteri-Arabako Errioxako kuadrilla, in Basque, is one of sevencomarcas that make up the province ofÁlava,Spain. It covers an area of 315.83 km² with a population of 11,360 people (2010). The capital lies atLaguardia. It is part of anotable wine growing region.
The Rioja Alavesa's northern boundary is formed by theSierra de Cantabria andSierra de Toloño, mountain ranges that separate it from the rest of Álava. To the south, its geographical limit is marked by the Ebro River, its border with the neighboringautonomous community of La Rioja.
TheSonsierra of La Rioja includes the municipalities of Ábalos andSan Vicente de la Sonsierra, located north of the Ebro River. Although geographically part of the river's left bank, these municipalities form a wedge of land technically belonging to the autonomous community of La Rioja. It thus divides the Rioja Alavesa in two: in the western part, the municipality ofLabastida, and the remaining Rioja Alavesa municipalities to the east, withLaguardia andOion as its main towns. The border with Navarre to the east is not based on clearly defined geographical features like the aforementioned boundaries. The rivers within the area are all tributaries of the Ebro.
In 2023 researchers examined the remains of 338 individuals from a mass grave in a cave, dated to the late neolithic. They concluded many of those buried in the shallow grave showed signs of violent, unhealed injuries, the result of the first large-scale warfare in Europe.[1]
There are some dolmens and other archaeological remnants of the Middle-Late Bronze Age La Hoya people. The Romans established themselves in the area due to its climate and mountainous landscape. During the Middle Ages, this region belonged to the Kingdom of Navarre, theSonsierra, which was eventually occupied and annexed to theCrown of Castile in 1463 as a result of Castile's intervention in theKingdom of Navarre.
The local economy is based primarily on viticulture and the production of Rioja wines, forming part of theRiojadenominación de origen. The region possesses 11,500 hectares of vineyards.
La Rioja DOCa (Denominación de Origen Calificada, akin to AVA in US wine-growing regions) is separated into three subregions, Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. Despite having a very similar climate as the Rioja Alta region, the Rioja Alavesa produces wines with a fullerbody and higher acidity.[2] Vineyards in the area have a low vine density with large spacing between rows. This is due to the relatively poor conditions of the soil with the vines needing more distance from each other and less competition for the nutrients in the surrounding soil.[3] On the slopes of theSierra de Toloño, parts of the Rioja Alavesa may benefit from the cooler temperatures found at these higher altitudes.
From most to least populous, the 15 municipalities of the region are:
42°33′11″N2°36′12″W / 42.55306°N 2.60333°W /42.55306; -2.60333
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