While Spain today is a complex mosaic of wine and virtually all its wine-producing areas offer high-quality products, there is no doubt that Rioja and Ribera del Duero are the two most famous and sought-after Spanish regions, true “number ones” that would be a worthy addition to any Christmas dinner table. We offer you a selection that runs from a few reasonably-priced reds to some of the most in-demand “Super Riojas” and “Super Riberas” of recent years.

Rioja
This has been Spain’s “fine wine” region par excellence ever since, at the end of the 19th century, it decided to adopt the production methods used in Bordeaux. At the end of the 20th century, it underwent a new revolution that has given us some modern, powerful and concentrated red wines which offer a vision of Rioja radically different from the one its traditionally complex, smooth and well-rounded wines (the result of a long time spent in barrel) have led us to grow accustomed to. In the meantime, many high-quality (and good-value) wines are also popping up that offer an excellent balance between fruit and wood. And they’re all Riojas: make up your own mind which one you want on your table this Christmas.

If you’re looking for good value for money
We offer some of the region’s biggest names, with wines ready to be drunk now.

• Artadi Viñas de Gaín 1999. The most affordable wine from Bodegas Artadi, one of the leading lights of the new generation of Riojas and a major contributor to the modernisation of the region. This is an excellent wine, full of character and a model of perfect balance - a red that never fails to please.

• Viña Salceda Reserva 1999. The winery belongs to the Chivite family, owners of the most important winery in Navarra and a real icon of the Spanish wine industry. Since they took over this firm, the quality of its wine has risen considerably and this Reserva is a model Rioja that combines the best of both worlds: the classic Rioja and its modern counterpart.

• Campillo Crianza 1999. A more classic offering, showing notes from the reduction process and time in barrel. Produced solely from Tempranillo grapes, it is rounded and smooth on the palate, with the light acidic touch of the Riojas we know and love that pleases and cleanses the palate.

If you love the classic Riojas
Three solid representatives of the classic Rioja that have skilfully evolved and adapted over time. And exceptional vintages: these are red wines that can be enjoyed now or even kept.

• Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva 1995. Produced by Marqués de Murrieta, a heavyweight name in the history of Rioja wine and the creators of the first “fine wine” in the region. Although it has “modernised” slightly, it remains true to its spirit and there can be no doubt that the winery is still one of the “greatest of the great”. This particular offering stands out for its great complexity, for the way it evolves on the palate and for how it combines well with a range of foods. This wine provides somewhere safe and comforting to come back to when you want a break from today’s powerful reds.

• Prado Enea Gran Reserva 1995. The most classic wine from Muga, another emblematic winery located in the famous Barrio de la Estación de Haro whose other wines are all becoming more modern. However, to the delight of aficionados, they still produce this red, which is fermented and aged in wood for 36 months. The result: a delicious and complex nose and a pleasant palate that is flavourful, well-balanced and aromatic.

• Barón de Ley Finca Monasterio 2001. In a way, this wine is a modern classic. The top-of-the-range wine from this group from Rioja takes its inspiration from the good old values that make for a traditional red: with slightly more body, it offers up a complex and spicy bouquet, and there is excellent balance between the fruit and the wood. This is a wine that would make a nice addition to any table.

If you want to go for a “Super Rioja”

• Amacio 2001. One of the latest offerings from the Eguren family, who are behind such award-winning wines from Rioja as San Vicente or Sierra Cantabria Colección Privada (as well as Numanthia in Toro), this is a meticulously selected wine, whose output is as low as its price is high, and which is named after the grandfather of this clan of wine producers who turn everything they touch into gold. Powerful, elegant and complex, this wine is pure velvet on the palate.

• Artadi Pagos Viejos 1997. One of Artadi’s greats, this wine pays real tribute to the personality of the old vines from which it comes. This is very much a red that is made in the vineyard, and one which offers a unique and especially expressive character.

• Remírez de Ganuza Reserva 2000. A wine from one of the region’s most iconoclastic winemakers, Fernando Remírez de Ganuza,
who tosses out the “tips” of the bunches (because they are less concentrated) in the process of coming up with this highly personal red, which often incites real passion among experts.

Ribera del Duero
The emergence of a new style of reds from this region, where the climate is more extreme than in Rioja (which whom it shares the Tempranillo grape), marked a before and after in the history of Spanish wine, triggering the modernisation process in Rioja as the region clearly felt under threat from the rise of Ribera reds. Today Ribera del Duero is home to some of the best wines in Spain.

Good value for money
While some of these names may be unfamiliar to the British wine consumer, they are nonetheless solid and dependable producers who have earned a reputation for offering good quality at reasonable prices – something which, it has to be said, it not very common in the region.

• Cillar de Silos Crianza 2002. A winery that is clearly on the up, especially with its last few vintages, they have some excellent vines and this can be seen in the wine that they produce: with all the character you’d expect from a Ribera, this is a wine you are sure to enjoy.

• Montebaco Reserva 2000. César Muñoz, producer of major wines in Castilla y León, is the winemaker at this consistent and dependable
winery which – although not particularly well-known, even in Spain – always seems to come up with wines that catch the eye of the experts. All the wines in its range offer excellent value.

A couple of “Super Riberas”
These are some of the most sought-after and in-demand wines in Spain. In our selection, pride of place goes to Vega Sicilia and Carmelo Rodero.

• Valbuena 5º Año 2000. This is the second wine from the mythical Vega Sicilia winery, but not far behind the Único (the winery’s top wine) when it comes to quality. An exceptional wine whether you decide to drink it now or keep it for a couple of years. There can be no denying that, over the last few years, the winery has been going through one of its most glorious periods, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Álvarez family, its owners since 1982.

• Carmelo Rodero Viñas de Valtarreña, 1998. What a find! This is a new wine from Bodegas Rodero, a firm set up in the early nineties as part of the wave of wine-growers who made the move into production and whose wines reflect the good work carried out on the vine. With a combination of these old vines and its 30 months spent in barrel, this Valtarreña marries the region’s classic Tinto Fino grape with Cabernet Sauvignon in a way that not only earns three Red Seals, but also provided us with one of the most pleasant surprises of our tasting sessions this year.

... And also:

A secret albariño
• Lusco 2004 White. With production limited to just 50,000 bottles, this wine is not well-known among British wine-drinkers but is lauded by Spanish experts and offers one of the finest expressions of what the Albariño grape is capable of. Particularly concentrated, powerful and fruity, this is a Rías Baixas with character that does away with the cliché that there are no great white wines in Spain.

A fantastic discovery
• An 2 2003. This wine comes from Majorca, the most visited of the Balearic Islands: a sunny paradise in which, believe it or not, there are also some vineyards! Indeed, we’d like to draw your attention to the exceptional originality of this particular wine that comes from the unique personality of the local varieties. Better than anyone, the Anima Negra winery has shown how it is possible to produce top-of-the-range reds from the Callet grape (in this case, ably accompanied by a bit of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha and Merlot). This is a red wine that manages to be both exotic and solid, and which certainly won’t leave you indifferent: for lovers of new tastes, with all the aromas of the Mediterranean landscape.