Each sample will be analyzed in the laboratory of one of the three oenological stations located in Haro (La Rioja), Laguardia (Álava) and Olite (Navarra). It will also be valued by a committee composed of three tasters, part of the tasting external panel available to the Rioja Control Board, which belong to more than one hundred experts team . Last year, 3,800 samples were covered and 244.74 million liters of which obtained the official rating of "very good" were rated . The requirements to pass the qualifying exam have risen in recent years, by adding more strict parameters, with the objective of Rioja continues to hold in the markets as a benchmark of quality wines . The initial review of the recently concluded vintage is "optimistic" about the quality of the 255 million liters obtained from the elaboration of grapes due to the "professionalism" of winemakers who know well its vineyards and have performed a selective harvest . The total area of ​​productive vineyard for the 2013 harvest was 61,835 hectares, of which 58,021 are from red varieties and that they have obtained a production of 342.4 million kilos, and 3,814 hectares are white whose production was 25.8 million. The total covered production finally reaches 362.69 million in kilos, since 5.53 have been disqualified for excess returns . Source : http://www.finanzas.com