Location and Landscape
Lanciego, in Basque Lantziego, is a municipality in the south of the province of Álava, in the comarca Laguardia-Rioja Alavesa, near the border with La Rioja. It lies at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria and has a municipal elevation of 542 metres; the average elevation of the town is given as about 545 metres. The landscape includes vineyards and olive groves.
Wine-Growing Area and Soils
Lanciego belongs to the wine-growing area Rioja Alavesa and to the production area of the DOCa Rioja. The climate is continental-Mediterranean. The vineyard soils are described as clayey-limestone; in the subsoil, sandstone-limestone rocks and some clayey earth alternate. The landscape is shaped by Miocene sandy and clayey sediments, which formed small hills, terraced slopes and table mountains through the action of former wild streams.
Vineyard Areas and Wines
In Lanciego, 1,123.04 hectares of vineyard area are recorded, of which 1,036.51 hectares are planted with red and 86.53 hectares with white grape varieties. Tempranillo is documented in individual vineyard records for the municipality, including a plot planted in 1920. Wines from Lanciego may be protected as DOCa Rioja; the protected designation includes red, white and rosé wines, as well as quality sparkling wines.
History and Wine-Growing Culture
Historically, Lanciego was a settlement dependent on Laguardia and was made an independent villa in 1630. The municipality has an early written mention dating from 1257. Wine-growing, olive oil and grain production shape the town’s history, with viticulture regarded as the most important culture. Lanciego forms part of the protected cultural landscape of wine and vineyards of Rioja Alavesa between the Sierra de Toloño in the north and the Ebro in the south.
