Morrisons The Best Marqués de los RÃos Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2015 (£15, Morrisons)
Rioja is by far Spain’s most significant wine region and its global celebrity still largely rests on the traditional style with which it has become synonymous: softly mellow, mature, savoury red wines that taste of coconut, vanilla and tobacco, with a texture as reassuringly soft as a favourite armchair. That style is at its most pronounced in the gran reserva category, where the wines spend a minimum of five years in barrel and bottle before release. The best own-label gran reservas are among the best value wines around, with producers such as CVNE (which makes Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference 2018; £16), Barón de Ley (Tesco Finest Viña del Cura 2018; £15) and Hacienda López de Haro (Morrisons), the names behind my current three top picks in the supermarkets.
Viña Ecay Organic Crianza, Rioja, Spain 2021 (£14 or £13 for a mixed case of 6, Majestic)
Much as I love the style, and think it’s among the very best things to have with Sunday roasts or Christmas dinner, there’s always been more to rioja than the oaky and old. Winemakers in the region have become increasingly preoccupied with their vineyards, which is a change in perception in a place that has sometimes put the élevage (a French term that roughly translates to ‘raising’ but which basically covers the winemaking process from after the grapes are received in the cellar) ahead of the ingredients (the grapes). Viña Ecay Crianza is a good example of where contemporary Rioja is at: a wine that aims to express its origins, a single vineyard with 50-year-old vines in the cooler uplands of the Rioja Alta zone that is succulent and vibrant with dark berry fruitiness.
Bodegas Aldonia 100, Rioja, Spain 2021 (£21.50, Tanners)
Rioja’s winemakers have been celebrating a significant birthday this year: it’s now 100 years since the region became Spain’s first DO (Designation of Origin) – a protected proof of origin status that has unquestionably helped rioja become the globally recognised name it is today. And however much they may sometimes chafe against the slow decision-making of the DO, there’s no doubt that Rioja in 2025 is as diverse a winemaking region as it’s ever been. Among the most exciting developments are a greater spread of grape varieties (such as the garnacha used to make the super-slinky, strawberry-scented Aldonia 100) taking their place alongside the dominant tempranillo, and the rise of its whites (such as the exquisite Conde de Valdemar Rioja Blanco Finca Alto Cantabria 2023, £31.75, NY Wines).