Vineyards and winemaking
VA! is made from estate-grown Tempranillo in Rioja Oriental, where warm Mediterranean-influenced days bring ripe fruit and cooler nights help retain freshness. The vineyards form part of Real Agrado's holdings between Alfaro and Aldeanueva de Ebro, allowing control from vine to bottle.
The 2023 fruit was fermented in stainless steel without oak ageing, deliberately setting aside Rioja's familiar barrel-led profile. Made in a limited run of around 7,500 bottles, it is shaped for vivid fruit, supple texture and an energetic, contemporary character.
Tasting notes
Appearance
Vibrant purple-red, youthful and bright.
Nose
Crushed raspberry, blackberry and red cherry are joined by liquorice, violet and a faint creamy note.
Palate
Juicy and rounded, with generous red and black fruit carried by fresh acidity and smooth, pliant tannins. With no oak to interrupt the fruit, the finish is direct, savoury and lively. A light chill brings extra definition.
Food pairing
Serve lightly cool with chorizo and butter-bean stew, lamb koftas, charred mackerel, harissa-roasted cauliflower or a picnic of cured meats and young cheeses. Its fruit also handles mildly spicy dishes particularly well.
Background story
Real Agrado describes VA! as its enfant terrible: a playful Rioja intended to challenge assumptions about what the region should taste like. The punctuation, modern label and unoaked winemaking all support that deliberately irreverent identity.
The wine sits within an estate whose roots date to vineyard planting in 1974 and its own winery in 2005. Since 2018 Real Agrado has belonged to Grupo El Gaitero, while continuing to work solely with fruit from its own vineyards.
