The majority of UK restaurant goers are familiar with the concept of tapas but how many of them would forego their traditional glass of Rioja for a glass of Verdejo or even cava?

   For some time now, the drinks trade has been aware of the diversity and quality of wines produced in regions such as Rueda and Ribera del Duero, but this message doesn’t appear to have filtered down to consumers, many of whom still associate the country with Rioja.

   Although Spain’s regional wines have yet to generate significant sales in the multiple grocers, this will hopefully change now that the likes of Tesco are giving the category more shelf space.

In fact, the supermarket landscape is looking positive for Spain. Although discounting activity continues to drive volume growth, it is less prevalent than it once was with UK consumers showing signs of wanting to climb the quality hierarchy. Encouragingly for both Spain (and the wine industry in general), customers are putting their hands in their pockets and spending more than ever on Spanish wine, with own-label finally making way for branded wines.