Why this wine matters
More than a famous label.
The wine comes from elevated vineyards above Samaniego, where altitude and calcareous soils shape a lighter, more vertical style.
Artuke · Rioja Alavesa
Paso Las Mañas
Rioja · high altitude · Tempranillo · floral · red fruit · fresh
Paso Las Mañas is a high-altitude Rioja Alavesa Tempranillo with far more freshness and site definition than the broad Crianza/Reserva categories suggest.
Country
Spain
Region
Rioja Alavesa
Appellation
Rioja DOCa
Grapes
Tempranillo
Style
Red
Realistic spend
£25–£32
Budget band: £20–£35
Best moments
birthdayanniversarydinner partygifttasting night
A high-altitude Rioja for anniversaries, tasting nights and wine-curious gifts.
How it is made
The decisions behind the style.
Artuke favours indigenous fermentation and restrained oak to keep the vineyard character ahead of sweet wood.
What does it taste like?
The shape of the wine.
Red cherry and wild berries meet flowers, herbs and chalky mineral notes, with fine tannin and vivid acidity.
Body3/5
Acidity5/5
Tannin4/5
Sweetness0/5
Oak influence1/5
Freshness5/5
Aroma5/5
Serve it well
Serve around 15–17°C.
If this wine were human…
The quiet authority
If Paso Las Mañas were human, it would be composed, self-contained and not remotely interested in shouting across the table.
nimblesharp-mindedstrong-willedunfussy
Does any of this sound suspiciously familiar?
Composed, self-contained and not remotely interested in shouting across the table. You are generous with people you like and pleasingly unmoved by people who insist on being impressed.
At dinner, you are happy to share the bottle, but you definitely noticed who poured themselves the heroic measure. Secretly, you are slightly competitive about having found the good place before everyone else.
In short: composed, self-contained and not remotely interested in shouting across the table. rioja energy, translated into a person.
Purely for fun — this is the wine’s fictional personality, not a psychological reading of yours.
What to eat with it
And the cheese?
No dead ends.
Start with this wine and move straight into cheese, or build a whole tasting around it.
Keep exploring
There are 365 more wines where this came from.
Research sources
This profile is researched against producer or similarly authoritative material. Vintage-specific details are kept separate from the permanent wine identity.