Just read a fascinating post by my friend Tom Perry on his Inside Rioja blog.

He shares some news coming from Bodegas Lopez de Heredia and some historical research they are doing on Rioja and their winery.

Just one of the fascinating facts concerns why the Spanish call their Red wine, “Tinto” (as opposed to Rojo).

Did you ever wonder why red wine in Spanish is called tinto (tinted) instead of rouge (red) as in French or negre (black) as in Catalán? According to María José, most red wines in Rioja in the 19th century were whites that were ‘tinted’ with red wine to pay lower taxes! While some reds were produced and exported to Bordeaux, according to historical records, most Rioja was white and shipped to Alsace.

This is not the first time I discover that something I “knew” about the history of Rioja was wrong. This is a very interesting story that demands more research. Keep an eye on Tom’s site, and I’ll do the same.

In the interim, anyone want to get “tinted”?

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