Rioja Alavesa (), officially Cuadrilla de Laguardia-Rioja Alavesa, in Spanish, and Biasteri-Arabako Errioxako kuadrilla, in Basque, is one of seven ''

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...

s'' that make up the province of

Álava Álava () or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, heir of the ancient Basque señoríos#Lords of Álava, Lordship ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It covers an area of 315.83 km² with a population of 11,360 people (2010). The capital lies at Laguardia. It is part of a notable wine growing region.

Geography

The Rioja Alavesa's northern boundary is formed by the Sierra de Cantabria and Sierra 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 neighboring autonomous community of La Rioja. The Sonsierra of La Rioja includes the municipalities of Ábalos and San 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 of Labastida, and the remaining Rioja Alavesa municipalities to the east, with Laguardia and Oion 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.

History

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. 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, the Sonsierra, which was eventually occupied and annexed to the

Crown of Castile The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingd ...

in 1463 as a result of Castile's intervention in the

Kingdom of Navarre The Kingdom of Navarre ( ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, with its northernmost areas originally reaching the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay), between present-day Spain and France. The me ...

Wine Region

The local economy is based primarily on viticulture and the production of Rioja wines, forming part of the Rioja

denominación de origen In Spain and Latin America, the (; )In other languages of Spain: * Catalan: (). * (). * (). is part of a regulatory geographical indication system used primarily for foodstuffs such as cheeses, condiments, honey, and meats, among others. ...

. 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 fuller

body Body may refer to: In science * Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space * Body (biology), the physical material of an organism * Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anim ...

and higher acidity.T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 312–314 Dorling Kindersley 2005 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.J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 580–581 Oxford University Press 2006 On the slopes of the Sierra de Toloño, parts of the Rioja Alavesa may benefit from the cooler temperatures found at these higher altitudes.

List of Towns

From most to least populous, the 15 municipalities of the region are: * Oyón-Oion * Laguardia * Labastida * Elciego * Lapuebla de Labarca * Lanciego/Lantziego * Elvillar/Bilar * Samaniego * Villabuena de Álava/Eskuernaga * Baños de Ebro/Mañueta * Yécora/Iekora * Leza * Moreda de Álava * Navaridas * Kripan

References

Comarcas of Álava {{Basque-geo-stub