Rioja fights back to glory

European winemakers, from French chateaux to Italian fattoria to Spanish bodegas, labour under a continent-wide system of wine laws.

They ensure that only wine from a designated area can be given the name of the area, such as Rioja, Chianti, Chablis or Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

These rules guard the authenticity of the wine and the livelihoods of those in the designated area.

The specific areas were determined because they produced good wines. Growers wanted to ...