Spain

Spain occupies most of the Iberian peninsula and is the third largest country in Europe, extending from the Pyrenees that form the frontier with France in the north to the strait of Gibraltar just 15 km/9 miles from Africa to the south. Spain is a diverse country with distinct regional and cultural differences.

The country’s regional diversity is reflected in its wines: from the unique purity of Galician whites and Catalonia’s delicate sparkling wines to the delicious, earthy reds of Rioja and Priorat. The home of Tempranillo, Grenache, Xarello and beyond, Spain’s wine scene is ever-thriving.

Today, the best young winemakers are blending historic tradition with modern techniques in the hope of achieving that wonderful mix of freshness and longevity. Nowhere is this more evident that in the region of La Rioja, Spain’s major table wine-producing region. Look out for producers using French instead of traditional American oak, opting for single-site, high-altitude vineyards, and ageing the wines less in barrel and bottle before releasing.

Cava and Corpinnat too are seeing more Pinot Noir used to complement the earthy traditional grape varieties.

  • Bodegas Y Viñedos Pujanza

    Carlos San Pedro, owner and technical director of Bodegas y Viñedos Pujanza, is also the fourth generation of a family of vine-growers, wine-makers and wine merchants of Laguardia. Pujanza is his more personal project. A dream which was born during his childhood was materialised in 1998, when Carlos decided to produce his first own wine, his first Pujanza.

    The winery is situated at the foot of Sierra de Cantabria in Rioja Alavesa, surrounded by some of most characteristic vineyards, in an area of rather high altitude – in fact, the Pujanza grows grapes at some of the highest altitudes in the entire Rioja region.

    Consistently rated in the top tier of Rioja producers, with frequent favourable mentions by Jancis Robinson, Decanter Magazine, Tim Atkin and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. In fact in 2022, the Añadas Frias White Rioja 2019 was the top-scoring white Rioja in the Decanter Panel tasting. And the 2019 Norte was one of Decanter magazine’s wines of the year.

    *TOP-TIER PRODUCER

    *V. HIGHLY RATED WINES IN DECANTER; eROBERT PARKER; TIM ATKIN

  • Viader

    This small winery is one of the most impressive of the Cava producers in the region today. As of April 2025, the sparkling wines are elevated to thee Corpinnat classification - one of only 14 producers to be accepted into this high-quality classification.

    Eduard Viader first bottled Cava in 2009 when he was 21. Eduard is from San Sadurni, and comes from what he describes as a typical family from that town: for 150 years his family has run a pharmacy. He got his first job picking grapes when he was 14, and then went on to study agronomic engineering. In 2019 they bought four hectares of vines and a ruined masia (country house) which is now their winery. The building had been abandoned for 50 years and they are still in the process of restoring it.

    Viticulture is organic, and has been certified since 2017.

    All production is done by hand, and takes place in the same cellar.

    “sustainability is a philosophy of life that guides every decision at the winery. We use clean, renewable energy, with solar panels generating all the electricity we need.

    We collect and store rainwater from the winery’s roof for irrigation.

    We get around in electric vehicles. We use lightweight glass bottles to reduce our carbon footprint and have eliminated all plastic seals from our production. And we will continue.”

    *YOUNG GUN WINEMAKER (CONSIDERED A RISING STAR OF THE REGION)

    *CERTIFIED ORGANIC VINEYARDS

    *LONGER AGEING ON LEES TO GIVE AUTO-LYTIC COMPLEXITY TO THE WINES

  • Clos Figueras

    Clos Figueras is located in Gratallops, within the Priorat Qualified Designation of Origin.

    Clos Figueras has a spectacular vineyard, with the classic llicorella soil, just to the north of the famed town of Gratallops overlooking the Montsant river valley. The property was purchased in October 1997 by Charlotte and Christopher Cannan on the recommendation of Réné Barbier, owner of the famous Clos Mogador estate and founder of the “new wave” movement in Priorat during the late 1980’s. Alvaro Palacios was involved inte wine-making and vineyard management at the outset.

    Clos Figueras owns an original estate of old Garnacha and Cariñena vineyards. In addition, other varieties such as Syrah, Cabernet and Viognier have been planted.

    *CERTIFIED ORGANIC AND BIO-DYNAMIC

    *ICON WINERY

  • Via Barrosa by Viña Costeira

    Back in 1968, a group of visionary and rebellious individuals dared to think differently from the usual approach in wineries at that time, prioritizing the revival of Galicia’s historic grape varieties: Loureira, Godello, Albariño, Treixadura, among others.

    Thus, Viña Costeira was born, now a benchmark winery in the Galician wine scene, with continuous growth that has made it a solid brand rooted in both tradition and innovation.

    The Via Barrosa wines are sustainably produced and are clean, delicious and classic examples their grape varieties, showing a wonderful coastal, saline streak on the palate.