Lovers of Spanish wine must be excited about Wine Enthusiast's recent announcement naming Rioja "wine region of the Year." A feature article on each of the winners from ten different categories will appear in the December 15th "Special Awards" issue, appearing on newsstands November 14th. The Wine Star Award recipients will be honored at a gala dinner and awards ceremony at the New York Public Library on Monday January 28, 2008, with net proceeds from the dinner to benefit the Culinary Institute of America.

From the press release:

"In Spain, we consider Wine Enthusiast a leading wine media outlet for the U.S. market, and we are very honored that the publication has selected us for this year's wine region award," said Ricardo Aguiriano San Vicente, the director of marketing and communication for the Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja. "We would like to thank our U.S. importers, distributors and retailers for their part in Rioja's success and their ongoing support in bringing Rioja to U.S. consumers-it is with their collaboration that we have been able to achieve this recognition in the wine community."

I don't know too much about Rioja wines, so if you want to learn more, I suggest the following sites:

My Wine Education - Rioja Tasting
Dr. Vino - Rijoa in a Nutshell: Bodegas Muga, Prado Enea to Aro via the Torre
Blame it on Rioja
So Bon Vivant: Rioja is the New Black
Catavino - Rioja-Nouveau?

If you have any other suggestions for Rioja resources, please add them to the comments!