All the medallists from The Rioja Masters 2025

Few winemaking regions have managed to balance listing heritage with the need to adapt to modern tastes quite as well as Rioja, reports Patrick Schmitt MW.

At a time when red wines have been suffering from declining demand, Rioja has stood as a beacon of resilience. Able to deliver instantly appealing and easily identifiable wines at keen prices to drinkers, it has survived a more widespread drift away from reds and towards whites and sparklings – something that has gradually occurred over the past decade.

But Rioja’s strength lies also in its ability to adapt. This is a large region with a traditional image, but one that’s changing in line with consumer expectations.

Among those developments have been cleaner and juicier reds at entry-point prices. In the mid-tier, or reserva level, change too has taken place, with fruit and oak in better balance, while at the high end with gran reservas, such styles, once deemed outdated, are growing in popularity with better quality. These wines are still mature, fresh and tannic, but also have pristine, ripe fruit at their core, at various stages of development.

Rioja’s rebellious side

Then there’s a funkier end of Rioja to excite. Be it tapping into the growing interest in specific sites – with Rioja’s vinedos singulares – or with more experimental and powerful wine styles, seen in vinos de autor, which are, in effect, Rioja’s answer to the winemaker’s urge to rebel. Breaking the rules of the classification, but still using the region’s native grapes, such expressions are bold, but don’t represent a complete departure from Rioja, unlike, say Super Tuscans in the land of Sangiovese, which tend to eschew Italian grapes for French ones.

Finally, but most noticeably, is the change taking place among Rioja’s whites. Fully aware that this colour category is on the rise worldwide, Rioja has put added emphasis on increasing and improving its blancos. And what’s so pleasing about the wines now being put on the market is that they are not a series of lookalikes. So they are not just more Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc made in an easy-drinking, fruity style. Rather, Rioja is embracing its staple grape Viura, and increasingly rare native varieties such as Tempranillo Blanco, to craft a new wave of wonderful whites.

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And, true to Rioja’s reputation and stylistic stance, they are barrel-influenced, often with American as well as French oak. The results are remarkable: citric freshness, some white peachy richness, allied to nutty, toasty interest, sometimes milk chocolate-like indulgence too. Alternatives to white Burgundy, you might think, but not copies. In short, the great blancos of Rioja are like no other whites made in the world, and delicious too.

A groundbreaking winner

Indeed, as a sign of such positive change, for the first time ever, our top wine of the competition, dubbed the Grand Master, was a white wine. It gained the highest average score of the tasting, even after a second round of sampling against the very best wines of the day. And that was because this wine, a varietal Viura called Hinia, made by Bodegas Martínez Lacuesta, was complete, even at a relatively young stage in its life. Fruit, oak and all its layers of flavour were in harmony and singing beautifully right now.

So, if you’re asked if there is a predominantly red wine-producing region that’s surviving the downturn in global wine sales right now – you can say, yes, it’s Rioja. And if you are asked why? You might want to offer this up as an answer: it’s a region that’s worked hard on improving quality without ditching its stylistic point of difference. It’s remained affordable despite increasing costs of production. And it has placed greater emphasis on fine wines without ignoring its entry-point offer. Finally, it has kept its focus on reds, but increased the quantity and quality of its whites to sate an emerging demand for fresher drinks.

In short, it has stuck to what it does well, but made sure it does it that little bit better, while adding an extra layer to its already broad offering. As a result, Rioja has remained relevant, as well as exciting.

Sparkling

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Red Still

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