7 Excellent Red Wines From Rioja to Buy Right Now
Cuentavinas, Bodegas Ontañón, Palacios Remondo
Rioja is both a style of wine and a wine region known to the most discerning wine drinkers and collectors, and for years, we have touted the excellent quality-to-price ratio that Rioja wines bring to the market. Even casual wine drinkers order a glass of wine by simply saying “Rioja,” without actually knowing that most of the grapes grown here are Tempranillo, which accounts for almost 90 percent of all red grapes grown in the region. A typical Rioja blend is 85 percent Tempranillo, 10 percent Graciano, and 5 percent Mazuelo, but Maturana Tinta and Garnacha (Grenache) are widely grown as well. Tempranillo brings essential flavors of cassis, black raspberry, and plum along with ageability, while Graciano adds aroma and structure, and Mazuelo rounds things out with juicy fruit flavors with a hint of spice.
We have been covering Spain for almost three decades, and we’re starting to see more bottlings of single varietal Maturana, Graciano, Mazuelo, and especially Garnacha. While red wine is responsible for the bulk of Rioja’s reputation since its official regional designation a century ago, white and sparkling wines from the area are now making themselves known in the domestic and global markets as well. (Wines from Rioja account for around 25 percent of all the wine imported into the U.S. market from Spain.) It’s important to note that 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Rioja D.O. or Denomination of Origin. For the purposes of this article, we concentrated on the single-variety reds and red blends, and tasted dozens to find these seven standouts. Enjoy.
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Contino 2020 Viña Del Olivo
Image Credit: Contino Founded in 1973, Viñedos del Contino’s original intent was to establish what it calls the “chateau” concept in Rioja and make wines exclusively from its 153 acres of estate vines. Having stayed true to that concept, Contino produces some of Rioja’s most sought-after bottles. Contino Viña del Olivo 2020 is drinking perfectly right now, with five years of ageing since harvest. Comprised of 80 percent Tempranillo, 15 percent Graciano, and 5 percent Mazuelo, it has aromas of toasted brioche, red raspberry, black cherry, and cassis with soft, rounded tannins and flavors of black raspberry, black plum, and crushed violet petals.
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Villota 2022 Viña Gena Viñedo Singular Alava
Image Credit: Villota Named in honor of Mrs. Genara Villota, Viña Gena is Villota’s first officially classified Viñedo Singular wine, of which only 3,650 standard bottles and 182 magnums were made. This 100 percent Tempranillo is made from grapes grown on 105-year-old vines, then aged in French oak for 18 months. It has a brilliant garnet color in the glass and aromas of violet, rose, cassis, pinecone, and red cherry. On the mid palate is great heft and flavors of cherry pie, blackberry, and crushed violet candies all wrapped in elegant, rounded tannins.
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Palacios Remondo 2021 Rioja La Propiedad Viñas Viejas
Image Credit: Palacios Remondo Established in 1947 by Don Jose Palacios Remondo, Bodegas Palacios Remondo is currently headed by fifth-generation winemaker and viticulturist Alvaro Palacios. Grapes for this amazing wine come from three different vineyards, including Las Mulgas, Corral Serrano Viejo, and Valviejo, grown at altitudes of 1,300 to 2,100 feet and subject to a Mediterranean climate with Atlantic influence. A blend of 90 percent Garnacha and 10 percent other traditional varieties, it has aromas of dark cherry, saddle leather, black raspberry, and cassis with velvety tannins and flavors of red cherry, black plum, and brown baking spices. Alvaro recommends allowing his wine to age for at least five years after bottling, so although it is drinking beautifully now, you may want to hold on to this one for a few more years.
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Cuentaviñas 2021 CDVIN Garnacha
Image Credit: Cuentavinas Made from 100 percent Garnacha grapes from the Tejares Vineyard in the Zona Alta del Valle de Najerilla and fermented in small French oak barrels, then transferred to large (500-liter) French oak barrels to age for 14 months, Cuentaviñas CDVIN truly exemplifies its exposure to cooling Atlantic breezes with its bright, fresh fruit flavors. It has delightful aromas of red and black fruits followed by a full-on palate attack of mouthwatering flavors of black raspberry, cassis, red plum, and black cherry.
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Bodegas Muga 2016 Prado Enea Gran Reserva
Image Credit: Bodegas Muga Founded in Haro’s historic Barrio de la Estacion by Issac Muga and Aurora Caño in 1932, Bodegas Muga continues to combine fine winemaking with excellent enotourism and hospitality. It’s one of the few places you can ride an electric bike through the vineyards or soar high above the vines in a hot air balloon. Prada Enea has been one of our favorite wines made by the family for more than 20 years, and the 2016 is no exception. A blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano, it has aromas of clove, cinnamon, black raspberry, and vanilla with soft, silky, smooth tannins and flavors of black currant, black plum, and brown baking spices.
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Viñedos Y Bodegas Sierra Cantabria 2022 El Bosque
Image Credit: Sierra Cantabria This 100 percent Tempranillo wine is made with grapes sourced from El Bosque in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. The vineyard has 3,660 acres of vines planted in high-density style in soils of gravel, sandy loam, clay, and limestone. The harvest date was September 28, 2022, and all grapes were picked by hand, then fermented using indigenous yeast and macerated for 19 days on the skins. The wine was then transferred to new French oak barrels and aged for 18 months before bottling. It has aromas of pine needles, black currant, and black plum with rounded tannins and flavors of black raspberry, cherry, and plum with a hint of brown baking spices in the finish.
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Ontañon Familia 2019 Queirón Mi Lugar Vino De Quel
Image Credit: Bodegas Ontañón Queirón Mi Lugar from the village of Quel is a very personal project of the founders of Ontañón, and we were lucky enough to visit the recently built winery a few years ago with members of the Perez Cuevas family. Mi Lugar translates to “my place,” and seeks to express the authenticity of wines from the small village of Quel with wines made from grapes grown at over 2,000 feet. The 2019 is drinking just perfectly right now and has aromas of plums, cherries, figs, and mocha with soft, rounded tannins and flavors of truffles, dried Mediterranean herbs, blueberry, and black currant.
