A Food Blogger’s Night at a Rioja Wine Dinner in Dallas

Food blogger Katie-Rose Watson of The Rose Table pulled up a chair at Catch Dallas for a Rioja wine dinner, and came away a convert. Over a seafood-driven tasting menu, nine wines from three producers – Bodegas Proelio & Nivarius, Bodegas Faustino and La Rioja Alta S.A. – were poured alongside courses built to match them, and Watson called the result “absolutely delicious.”

The evening doubled as a quick education in why Rioja punches so far above its weight. Watson notes that winemaking in the region stretches back more than two millennia, long before the appellation system that defines it today, across a growing region she pegs at over 163,000 acres of vineyard.

“They’ve been making wine in the Rioja region of Spain for over two thousand years – since before the Romans!”
– The Rose Table, September 24, 2026

That history showed up in the glass in very different ways over the course of the night. A 2025 Tempranillo Blanco opened the tasting with high acidity, a lasting finish and notes of toasty melon and ripe kiwi – Watson’s “best of both worlds.” Faustino I Gran Reserva brought fruit and spice alongside crispy shrimp, while La Rioja Alta’s Gran Reserva 904 went smoky and herby next to, of all things, a cinnamon donut. Her favorite bite of the night, the Miso Glazed Sea Bass, rounded out a menu that also included an Ahi Tuna Pizza and a Vegetable King Roll.

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The lineup at Catch Dallas

CATCH	A seafood menu built for wine Rioja Wines hosted the dinner at Catch Dallas, pairing nine wines across a seafood-forward tasting menu – a format that let each pour show a different side of the region.
PROELIO	Bodegas Proelio & Nivarius Opened the evening, including the 2025 Tempranillo Blanco that Watson singled out for its acidity and finish.
FAUSTINO	Bodegas Faustino Poured Faustino I Gran Reserva alongside crispy shrimp – fruity and spicy, with a long finish.
ALTA	La Rioja Alta S.A. Closed with Gran Reserva 904, a smoky, herby pour that Watson paired – memorably – with a cinnamon donut.

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Standout pours from the night

BLANCO	2025 Tempranillo Blanco High acidity, a lasting finish, and notes of toasty melon and ripe kiwi – “the best of both worlds.”
GR I	Faustino I Gran Reserva Fruity and spicy with a long finish, paired with crispy shrimp.
904	Gran Reserva 904 Smoky and herby, paired with a cinnamon donut – an unexpected match that worked.
BASS	Miso Glazed Sea Bass Watson’s favorite bite of the night, part of a menu that also included Ahi Tuna Pizza and a Vegetable King Roll.

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A good wine dinner does double duty: it’s a fun night out, and it’s a crash course in why a region earns its reputation. Nine pours, three producers and one very good cinnamon donut later, it’s easy to see why Watson left Catch Dallas a fan.

Didn’t make it to this one? Start with the wines. Use our Wine Locator to find Rioja near you – because two thousand years of winemaking is worth tasting for yourself.

Read the full The Rose Table article →

This article originally appeared on The Rose Table, September 24, 2026.
Written by Katie-Rose Watson. All editorial content is the author’s own.