(Wine-Searcher) - Winemakers stand up in defense of traditional, blended wines, while fashions shift towards single-vineyard cuvées.

The wines of Rioja are the result of centuries of knowledge of blending, and it is a grievous mistake to think "a single vineyard should be better than a wine from several unique vineyards"

That was the message from a three-day celebration of a tiny corner of Rioja – the Barrio de la Estación in the town of Haro on the Rio Ebro. Within its precincts some of the most renowned wineries in Spain stand literally shoulder to shoulder.

The Cata del Barrio de la Estación de Haro, an event which draws some 4500 professionals and consumers to the barrio, started with a masterclass hosted by consultant Pedro Ballesteros MW, who laid down the gauntlet immediately.

"It's sad when they criticize Rioja for its classification based on minimum aging times," he said. "It's a concept very much in fashion to look at the difference between terroir and blend. But you will never get a good blend if you don't know your terroir intimately."

His panel – the winemakers and owners of Viña Tondonia, Bodegas Roda, Viña Pomal, La Rioja Alta, Muga, CVNE and Gómez Cruzado – united behind him as they steered a 200-strong audience of journalists and critics through the mysteries of blending.