Plump and juicy, it's a fresher style of Rioja here that focuses on fruit instead of oak, with bright cherry, earth, and a touch of sweet spice notes.

With just shy of twenty hectares of vineyards that are rented, farmed or owned outright in Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja, Rioja Alavesa and Arlanza, and splitting his time between his own wines and those of Bodegas Lacus, Olivier Riviere is a Frenchmen from Cognac, lured to Spain in 2004. Rayos Uva is Olivier’s version of a Bourgogne Rouge sourced from fruit grown in the sandy, gravelly and alluvial soils of Rioja Baja. The blend is dependent on the vintage but usually includes Tempranillo, Garnacha and Graciano – percentages change each year to create a brightly fruity version of Rioja unmarked by oak.