Editing Rioja DOCa (section)

==History==
[[File:Entrena (La Rioja).jpg|right|thumb|La RIoja DOCa vineyards with the village of [[Entrena]] in the middleground]]
{{See also|History of Rioja wine}}

* The harvesting of wine in La Rioja has an ancient lineage with origins dating back to the [[Phoenicians (wine)|Phoenicians]] and the [[Celtiberians]].
* The earliest written evidence of the existence of the grape in La Rioja dates to 873, in the form of a document from the Public Notary of [[San Millán de la Cogolla|San Millán]] dealing with a donation to the San Andrés de Trepeana ([[Treviana]]) Monastery. As was the case in many Mediterranean lands in mediaeval times, monks were the main practitioners of winemaking in La Rioja and great advocates of its virtues.
* Vineyards occupied the usual part of rural landscapes in medieval Rioja during the High Middle Ages (10th–13th century)
* In the year 1063, the first documented report of viticulture in La Rioja appears in the "Carta de población de Longares" (Letter to the Settlers of Longares).
* The King of [[Navarra]] and [[Aragon]] gave the first legal recognition of Rioja wine in 1102
* There are proofs of Rioja wine export towards other regions as early as the late 13th century, which testifies the beginnings of a commercial production.
* In the thirteenth century, [[Gonzalo de Berceo]], clergyman of the Suso Monastery in [[San Millán de la Cogolla]] (La Rioja) and Spain's earliest known poet, mentions the wine in some of his works.
* From the 15th century on, the Rioja Alta specialized in wine growing.
* In 1560, harvesters from Longares chose a symbol to represent the quality of the wines. 
* In 1635, the mayor of Logroño prohibited the passing of carts through streets near wine cellars, in case the vibrations caused a deterioration of the quality of the wine.
* In 1650, the first document to protect the quality of Rioja wines was drawn up.
* In 1790, at the inaugural meeting of the Real Sociedad Económica de Cosecheros de La Rioja (Royal Economic Society of Rioja Winegrowers), many initiatives as to how to construct, fix, and maintain the roads and other forms of access for transportation of wine were discussed. The Society was established to promote the cultivation and commercialisation of Rioja wines and 52 Rioja localities participated.
* In 1852, [[Luciano Murrieta]] ([[:es:Luciano Murrieta|es]]) created the first fine wine of the Duque de la Victoria area, having learned the process in [[Bordeaux]].
* In 1892, the Viticulture and Enology Station of Haro was founded for quality-control purposes.
* In 1902, a Royal Decree determining the ''origin'' of Rioja wines is promulgated. 
* The ''Consejo Regulador'' (Regulating Council) was created in 1926 with the objective of limiting the zones of production, expanding the warranty of the wine and controlling the use of the name "Rioja".
* This Council became legally structured in 1945 and was finally inaugurated in 1953. 
* In 1970, the Regulations for ''[[denominación de origen]]'' were approved as well as Regulations for the Regulating Council. 
* In 1991, the prestigious ''"Calificada"'' (Qualified) nomination was awarded to La Rioja, making it Spain's first ''[[denominación de origen calificada]]'' (DOCa).
* In 2008, the Regulating Council for the La Rioja Denomination of Origin created a new logo to go on all bottles of wine produced under this designation.  From now on bottles of wine from the La Rioja Qualified Denomination of Origin will no longer bear the familiar logo. In an attempt to appeal to younger wine-lovers, the long-standing logo will now be replaced with a brighter, more modern logo with cleaner lines. The aim is to reflect the new, modern aspects of wine-growing in La Rioja without detracting from the traditional wines. In theory, the new logo represents a Tempranillo vine symbolising "heritage, creativity and dynamism".
* In 2017, the DOCa Rioja, in this process of continuous improvement, enriched its current offer by regularizing and incorporating new indications (Singular Vineyards, Zone Wines, Municipality Wines, Quality Sparkling White and Sparkling Wines) with the traditional aging ones.
* In 2018, Rioja launched its new global brand message, 'Saber quién eres', where tradition, diversity and origin become protagonist attributes.