Change is in the air in Rioja. Not just among those who are questioning the regulatory body’s rules. You will meet an encouraging new generation of Rioja producers starting their own bodegas. In making my choices, I was asked to focus on crianza gran reserva and non-Tempranillo red wines, but it is worth pointing out that Rioja also has some exceptional whites. Hopefully some of these star white wines will make their presence felt at the 2016 Decanter World Wine Awards. In Rioja, all but a handful of the DOCa’s finest wines are comparatively inexpensive.There are oceans of cheap supermarket Rioja (I saw reservas on sale for £5.49 over Christmas), which suppress the prices of the good stuff, at least for now. You don’t need to spend much more to trade up from something that’s simple, fruity and oaky to something that is complex, balanced and ageworthy. How much longer will this continue? Rioja, not before time, is seriously debating allowing producers to use the names of individual villages and vineyards on their labels – ludicrously, such a thing is forbidden at the moment.

If that happens, I think the best terroir-focused Riojas will start to attract the attention of wine collectors and investors. And we all know what happens then… The full list of 50 top Riojas from Sarah Jane Evans MW and Tim Atkin MW was publsihed in the March issue of Decanter. Subscribe to Decanter here. Always one of Rioja’s – indeed, Spain’s – best wines, this is from a 2.4ha vineyard in Laguardia, planted in 1945. It’s a superdense, richly textured wine with massive concentration, but it’s not forced or over-ripe. Intensely aromatic, with notes of liquorice and wild herbs, it beguiles your tastebuds with… The grapes for Aurus come from vines that are at least 60 years old, picked as late as 11 November in 2010. It’s a very cool, north-facing site and that’s reflected in the wine. Thick, dense and backward with a bloody note from ferrous red soils, some chalky acidity, serious,… ‘You can’t spit this,’ Benjamín Romeo told me when I tasted it from barrel.

It wasn’t the finished blend, but after a gap in production in 2013, Contador is back with a swagger. Rosemary, violets and dense plum and blackberry fruit, ripe tannins and a fresh flourish. name for wine expert at restaurant It’s a real surprise just how suddenly these terrifically aged wines have become so fashionable. top 5 red wine brands in indiaThis gran reserva is magisterial: a combination of power and lean elegance. top 10 red wine brands in indiaForest-floor aromas, delicate and supple in the mouth and very long. And look at the alcohol! An 18ha parcel close to the Sierra de Cantabria is the source of the Tempranillo here. Rich, concentrated, aromatic yet also refreshing, it’s a ripe mountain wine, showing flavours of orange peel, mulberry, Asian spices, vanilla and tobacco.

The tannins are ultra-fine, the finish very long. Grown on a 0.5ha parcel at 700m, this remarkable Garnacha, made from 60-year-old vines, is in short supply, but it’s worth tracking down one of the 400 bottles. Dense yet full of vigour, freshness and life, it’s spicy, refreshing and well balanced, with subtle oak and flavours of wild herbs,… Grown at the upper limits (600m-630m) for Tempranillo, this single vineyard of 25ha is situated just below the town of Laguardia on bony soils. It’s a very chalky, mineral wine that combines power with acidity. Complex, spicy and refreshing, with skilfully handled new oak and great ageing potential. Even Abel Mendoza, one of Rioja’s best viticulturists, finds Graciano tricky to grow and vinify. This is certainly not short of gutsy tannins, with plum and blackcurrant fruit, plenty of oak and depth, and tangy, palate-cleansing acidity. Another wine to tuck away. The chalkiest of the Miguel family’s three single-vineyard sites, K4 is located at 660m in Avalos.

It’s suitably fresh and perfumed, with lovely finesse and balance and a mineral note underpinning crunchy red fruit flavours and filigree tannins. After the 2010, this is the finest release yet from this no-expense-spared operation. Super-aromatic and dense, it’s a very ambitious wine aimed at the top end of the market. Made for the long haul, with a core of black fruits, bright acidity, stylish oak and ripe, integrated tannins.Best Spanish Wines | Top Wines from Spain In this section we will talk about the great wines from Spain. We will cover everything from the most expensive and popular wines, to the mid-priced wines, which are what have put Spain on the front stage, to the value wines, which offer amazing quality and taste for pennies to the dollar. There are thousands of wines being produced today in Spain, and most are being exported all over the world. Spain has a bottle for every wine drinker, whether you are looking for a special wine to celebrate a special occasion or for an every day, easy drinker at a reasonable price, and when it comes to prices, Spain is the overall best value you can find at the highest quality available in today's wine market.

All the wines we will be talking about are widely available to purchase, whether you shop online or visit your local wine store. Please browse through our sections below to learn about the best wines in the country and begin your journey into the wines from Spain. With all the 2011 Spanish wines coming into the market right now, you should be preparing yourself for some of the worlds best values to show up. Most wines have already received great scores from Wine Spectator, Robert Parker, and International Wine Cellar. One of the biggest problems with Spanish wine is that they sell out quickly, and most people by them by the case. There are many great wine shops to buy these wines, but they usually sell out... Region of the Month Do wine critic scores influence the wines you buy? Map of Spain Wine Regions Somehow, Spain seems to fly under the radar compared to its next door neighbor, France. Spain is actually the third largest wine producer in the world and has the most land dedicated to vineyards–over a million acres.

Spanish wines range from great values to highly prestigious wines, such as Alvaro Palacios’ L’Ermita and Vega Silicia’s Unico. Why Love Spanish Wine? First, its an incredible value. Second, it pairs really well with Mexican food. Spain is a very diverse country so it helps to get a lay of the land. This map of the wine regions of Spain helps to put into context the various kinds of wines that grow throughout the country. Spain Regional Wine Map Available ➜ There are over 60 different regional DOs producing everything from light and zesty Albariño to inky black Monastrell. The best way to start understanding the area is to break it into 7 distinct climates. Galicia, very unlike the rest of Spain, is where lush green valleys are plentiful and the common cuisine includes lots of fresh fish. Albariño is the champion grape of the sub-region called Rias Baixas (RYE-us BYE-shus), which skirts the coast. The area specializes in zesty white wines and a few aromatic red wines made with Mencía (MEN-thi-yah).

The coast is a very diverse macro-region that contains the sub-regions of Valencia, Catalonia and Murcia. Catalonia is known for Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) and a highly acclaimed red wine sub-zone, Priorat. Valencia and Murcia are warmer growing regions that produce a bulk of value wines from deep red Monastrell to aromatic white Malvasia and the widely planted Airén. The sub regions of La Rioja and Navarra are found in the Ebro River Valley. Here, Tempranillo is king and long-standing bodegas such as Lopez de Heredia and Marques de Murrieta make age-worthy wines. Navarra is known mostly for rosado (rosé) wine made with the grape Garnacha (aka Grenache). The region also produces oak-aged white wines of Viura (Macabeo). In Basque country, zesty white wines called Txakoli (“CHALK-olli” ) are common. The Duero River is the same river as the Douro in Portugal. This region is notable for the minerally white wine, Verdejo, of Rueda and the bold red wines of Toro, Ribera del Duero and Leon.

The wine grape of this region is Tempranillo and in Toro it’s called Tinta de Toro, where it is considered to be a slight mutation of the Tempranillo grape. Ribera del Duero is home to one of the most famous wineries in Spain: Vega Sicilia. The central plateau or Meseta Central is the inner plateau of Spain which is home to the capital city, Madrid. The area has an average elevation of 2,300-2,600 feet and is dry and sunny. Because of its climate characteristics, vines are spaced very far apart and close to the ground. Some of the best value red wines of Spain can be found here made of Garnacha, Tempranillo and even the rare, Petit Verdot. Andalucía is a very hot and dry region famous for Sherry. Stark white albariza soil makes Palomino Vineyards in Cádiz look like a moonscape. The even hotter, Montilla-Moriles produces fortified dessert wines that are called “PX“. An aged PX, such as Bodegas Toro Abala, have similar nutty-date flavors like Tawny Port. The Islands (includes The Canary Islands)