🍷 Eguren Ugarte Brut Nature Blanco

Eguren Ugarte Brut Nature Blanco is a Rioja quality sparkling wine from the house Eguren Ugarte of Laguardia.

According to the house, the grapes come from the Rioja Alavesa subzone; the wine ages on its lees for 15 months; no dosage liqueur is added (Brut Nature, «0 dosage»); the alcohol is 11.5 %; it is best served at 5–8 °C.

Eguren Ugarte is a family winery in Laguardia (Rioja Alavesa); according to the house, the family has grown vines since 1870, and the present winery with 2,000 metres of caves was built in 1989 in Páganos.

Rioja is a qualified designation of origin (DOCa; in EU terms a PDO) in northern Spain along the Ebro; the name has been protected in the EU since 13 June 1986. The area covers municipalities of La Rioja, Álava and Navarre and is divided into Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental. Fourteen grape varieties are allowed, among them Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, Mazuelo, Maturana Tinta and Viura; yields may not exceed 6,500 kg/ha for red grapes and 9,000 kg/ha for white. Oak chips are banned, and only wine bottled at wineries registered with the Regulatory Board may carry the name Rioja.

Under the DOCa Rioja rules, quality sparkling wine is white or rosé and is made only by the traditional method: at least 15 consecutive months must pass between tirage and disgorgement in the same bottle, and the whole process, including labelling, must take place at one winery. The second fermentation may add no more than 1.5 % alcohol and the dosage liqueur no more than 0.5 %; acidification and decolouring are forbidden. No more than 62 litres may be obtained from 100 kg of grapes, and the finished wine has 10 to 13 % alcohol. The label must show «Método Tradicional» directly below the sugar term, and for the terms Reserva and Gran Añada the grapes must be picked by hand.

For sparkling wines the EU rules are the same in every country: the sugar term on the label is compulsory. Brut Nature means under 3 g of sugar per litre with no sugar added after the second fermentation, Extra Brut 0 to 6 g/l, Brut under 12 g/l, Extra Dry 12–17 g/l, Dry (Seco) 17–32 g/l, Demi-Sec (Semiseco) 32–50 g/l, and Doux (Dulce) over 50 g/l.

Under EU rules, a wine label must show the designation of origin, the actual alcoholic strength, allergens such as sulphites, and the name of the bottler. For Rioja, the word Rioja must stand out, with the words “Denominación de Origen Calificada”, the Regulatory Board seal, the brand name and the name of a registered winery just below it.

Why it matters to you. «Método Tradicional» on a sparkling Rioja means a second fermentation in the bottle and at least 15 months on the lees, and the sugar term tells you how dry the wine is. The WHO reminds: there is no safe level of alcohol.