Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

In the DOC: Celebrating Rioja at 100

Published: 06 March, 2026

“This is a very important moment for us, Rioja is my home, I was born here… but also here we have the honour for me to represent over 600 wineries and 13,000 growers,” said Raquel Pérez Cuevas (pictured, left) at DOCa Rioja’s closing gala to its 100-year celebratory 12 months. “A century is not just about looking back with pride, but thinking what has brought us here and from this learning to understand more about how to create our future.”

Rioja launches education programme for UK sommeliers

Published: 27 March, 2024

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.

Tim Atkin MW: The UK trade doesn’t take Rioja seriously enough

Published: 16 February, 2024

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.

Rioja 2018 given the thumbs up from the DOCa despite weather woes

Published: 17 April, 2019

The Rioja vintage for 2018 has been classified as ‘Good’ despite the uncertainty around the impact of unpredictable weather conditions on the region.

Risky business in Rioja

Published: 15 April, 2019

Rioja’s new single-vineyard classification signals the region’s desire to go after greater premium market share. The big question is, will it succeed?