Rioja shipments to the UK reached a record high of 22.9 million litres last year, a growth of 19% on 2005.
Exports have jumped almost 300% from 9.7 million litres in 2000 in the UK, an extraordinary achievement considering the problems Rioja had with foreign markets that year.
Sue Glasgow, UK spokesperson for the region, said: ‘Rioja has reinvented itself with wines that are more fruit-driven, better winemakers who travel, and vast amounts of money spent on flash new wineries. They don’t just put liquid in a barrel and leave it for ages. They think about whether to use French oak, American oak, or a combination, and are adopting new grapes like Graciano for single-variety wines.’
First printed in Harpers Magazine 08.03.07