Launching for the first time this summer, Rioja Wine UK has opened applications for its Rioja Somm’er School, an educational programme based in Logroño aimed exclusively at UK-based sommeliers and on-trade buyers.
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The Spanish government has announced its intention to enforce a 35-hour working week, to align itself with the rest of Europe and reduce restaurant opening hours.
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Sogrape, Portugal’s largest wine company, has increased its Iberian presence with the acquisition of Viña Mayor in Ribera del Duero’s ‘Golden Mile’.
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Rarely does a trade tasting generate this level of excitement, but, Tim Atkin MW’s Best of Rioja trade and consumer tasting was teeming with life in Westminster this week. By Atkin’s admission, never has such a collection of wines been assembled in the UK from Spain’s flagship region.
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Following initial estimates from the European Commission in October 2023, Food and Wines from Spain (FWS) has revealed the country’s 2023 production to be 34m hl, around 14% less than in 2022.
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It should have been a moment of celebration, a chance to hymn the qualities of a special place. José Luis Pérez-Linares’ documentary, Rioja: La Tierra de Mil Vinos, will be premiered at the Valladolid film festival later this month. No doubt the movie will talk about Rioja’s diversity, about the thousand wines of its title, but it will also prompt deeper questions about the way Spain’s marquee wine region is run – and its future viability.
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To lift the perception of Spain’s more premium and off-beat offerings, the country’s top wines need to be more visible on the high-end buying circuit.
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Now in its third year, Rioja Wine Month is returning this November with a festive twist, to encourage consumers to keep the region in mind when gifting in the run-up to Christmas.
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A selection of age-worthy styles from recent to older decades were on full show at this recent event – a new, unbeatable showing of the region’s best wines.
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A selection of age-worthy styles from recent to older decades were on full show at the recent Rioja Residency – a new, unbeatable showing of the region’s best wines.
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Rioja DOCa global marketing & communications director Inigo Tapiador talks through the upcoming Rioja Residency on 21 June.
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Abbie Bennington delves into the exciting and diverse white Riojas emerging from the Spanish region and why Rioja shouldn’t simply mean red.
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Going under a host of names, Spain’s champion variety arguably deserves a more global reputation. Andrew Catchpole reports.
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Rioja group CVNE has acquired Bodegas La Val in Rías Baixas, taking the number of wineries in its portfolio to eight.
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Over 900 wines from over 280 Spanish bodegas will be available to taste at the Wines from Spain Annual Tasting in London on 28 February. Alongside Spain’s best-known indigenous grapes, like Tempranillo or Verdejo, a plethora of lesser-known varietals will also come to the fore, bringing together classic and newer DOs alike.
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Renowned critic and Harpers columnist Tim Atkin MW has launched the 2023 edition of his Rioja Report.
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The growth of Rioja’s white wines is paying dividends for the region in the export market, finally making good on a promise that the DO is able to diversify its portfolio abroad. However, things are looking a little less rosy globally in 2022, with uncertainty in various key markets leading exports to take a tumble.
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In 2024, Ramón Bilbao will celebrate its centenary, 100 years of fine winemaking that has firmly established it as one of the leading producers in Spain and one of the world’s most admired wine brands. However, since the start of the current millennium Ramón Bilbao has become famous for more than just great winemaking. Under head winemaker Rodolfo Bastida, who assumed the reins in 1999, and the ownership of the Zamora Group, the Haro-based producer has been at the forefront of innovation in Rioja Alta and beyond. While pursuing excellence, it has cast aside many of the conventions that led many people to brand Rioja as boring and predictable.
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Modern and traditional are surprisingly slippery terms in Rioja and should be handled with caution. Techniques, ideas and debates that are considered contemporary turn out to have strong historical precedents. Reading Ludger Mees’ new book The History of Rioja Wine (Routledge), I was struck by how often the present echoes the past. As early as 1771 – long before Rioja became a famous wine region – people were grumbling about excessive yields and low prices, the very subjects that still exercise commentators, growers and producers today.
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100km of Diversity offers the chance to connect with over forty producers, winemakers and importers, many of whom will be travelling to London from Rioja to share the unique stories behind their wines. Visitors will be able to try the latest Viñedo Singulares, the finest Espumoso de Rioja, barrel-aged whites, elegant rosados, classic Gran Reservas and everything in between. There will also be the chance to discover wines not yet available in the UK.
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