All the medallists from the Rioja Masters 2023

Rioja’s persistent popularity is built on a number of factors, including style, pricing, adaptability and quality, as Patrick Schmitt MW reports.

While there are plenty of up-and-coming parts of the Spanish wine scene, the fact that Rioja has such enduring popularity says much about its stylistic positioning, pricing and willingness to adapt. Rioja sells well because it tastes good, it’s relatively inexpensive and it has evolved with the times. Indeed, it has succeeded where other once mainstream European wine regions have struggled – for example, large red wine-producing areas such as Bordeaux or Chianti, which have suffered long-term declines.

So what’s behind this success? Or rather, what did we learn from our annual health check on the region – the tough blind tasting competition that is The Rioja Masters? Well, with Rioja securing some of the highest numbers of Gold and Master medals of any competition we’ve run this year, we can confidently say that it is on song. Or, in the words of fellow judge and Global Masters Chair Jonathan Pedley MW: “Standards are being maintained in Rioja and it can continue to bask in the glory of being Spain’s preeminent premium wine region.”

But such a high qualitative base doesn’t mean there’s stylistic uniformity. Indeed, a strong part of Rioja’s durability stems from its ability to offer such assortment. The consumer can dip into the affordable, the refreshing, the aged, the classic and the modern, as well as Rioja’s rulebreaking, rebellious side too – with its catch-all, unregulated Vinos de Autor category home to some of the area’s most delicious reds and whites. As Pedley says: “The sheer diversity of producers and styles shows that the ongoing success is not the result of a handful of cult producers, but rather is widely spread across Rioja – this gives the wine industry its strength and resilience.”

So, to begin, there’s a good mix within the whites, be it the clean, zesty and sometimes gently toasty types, or the oldschool examples, with their combination of oxidative notes, coconut and high-acid fruit. The addition of native Tempranillo Blanco to this offer makes it all the more inimitable and exciting.

Within the rosés too, there’s much to choose from, with both delicate and fruitier types on the market today, along with pale examples to compete with Provence – at least in terms of appearance. Today’s red joven category encompasses many different characters of Rioja – and a broader spread of prices too. It’s great for diversity but, warns Pedley, “does illustrate how the traditional legal hierarchy within Rioja is becoming less relevant and in future may end up confusing consumers, rather than helping them”.

Crianzas can be a source of interest and high quality today, as well as good value, although we did taste some high-priced offerings within this normally relatively affordable classification.

Moving up to reserva, some great wines were tasted, with Rioja’s rich but refreshing red fruit successfully married to the toasty flavours and dry tannins from barriques. But, as with crianza, we noted that the top-end expressions, while a joy to drink, are now expensive. Pedley says: “The Rioja industry has ‘premiumised’ in recent decades, meaning that, whilst quality can be very high, there are few bargains to be had.”

By contrast, Pedley says gran reserva can offer “excellent value for money”, adding: “In particular, very few of the world’s top wine regions release beautifully mature red wines like gran reserva Rioja onto the market at similar prices to their en primeur/futures offerings.”

Finally, vinos de autor yielded some of the highest scores. This category can be home to reds from the region’s oldest vines and greatest sites, but used to craft wines with concentration, and not the aged flavours found in traditional Riojas that conform to the rules of established classifications. The best of these weren’t too extracted, but still far removed from the leather and dried fruit characters of a traditional gran reserva. Nevertheless, the top rule-breaking Riojas were pricy.

This raft of new, more ambitiously priced and produced reds can come as something of a shock. But if you compare them not to Rioja, but to the world of great red wines, they aren’t especially expensive. At the moment, they just lack the cachet of a branded SuperTuscan or Napa Cabernet. But, with more time, and recognition from competitions such as this, Rioja will start to gain in status. In other words, top-end drinkers will realise this part of Spain is home to more than vinous supermarket stalwarts – it is also a source of serious and collectible wines.

White Joven

White Reserva

White Gran Reserva

White Vinos de Autor

Rosé Joven

Red Joven

Red Crianza

Red Reserva

Red Gran Reserva

Red Vinos de Autor

Red Organic

About the competition

With high-quality judges and a unique sampling process, The Rioja Masters provides a chance for your wines to star. The 2023 competition was judged on 21 September at Bar Camino in King’s Cross, London, employing experienced judges. The top wines were awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze medals according to their result, and those expressions that stood out as being outstanding received the ultimate accolade – the title of Rioja Master.

This report features the medal winners only. Please visit the Global Masters website for more information or, to enter future competitions – giving you the chance to feature online and in print – please call: +44 (0) 20 7803 2420, or email Sophie Raichura at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com

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