Spanish red wines for Christmas: no expense spared
Spain is responsible for some of the world's best red wines. With Christmas in mind, Decanter's experts have chosen their picks of 2022.
Below, we have listed the best Spanish wines as rated by our experts – all achieving a mighty 96 points or above. Perfect Iberian pours for the festive season.
Which red Spanish wine to pick
If you’re unsure which wine to pick, then think about what you and your guests enjoy and what food you will be eating.
The elegant red fruits and spice of Rioja are perfect with lamb, while the darker fruited, muscular wines of Ribera del Duero work well with beef, and the meaty, mineral tones of Priorat are a good match for furred game.
Tempranillo-based Rioja is a great alternative to Burgundian Pinot Noir or Tuscan Sangiovese, with all three sharing bright acidity and vibrant, complex red fruit characters.
Ribera de Duero, meanwhile, is a great Bordeaux alternative, as its dark fruits and muscular tannins echo the style of classed-growth Medocs.
Priorat is unique in its bloody, meaty, stony character, however alternatives could include South African Syrah grown on granite soils, and even some Valpolicella Ripassos or Amarones.
The best Spanish red wines for Christmas – no expense spared
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Dominio de Pingus, Pingus, Ribera del Duero, Spain, 2010
I tried this wine first at the time of release and it shocked me. Classic Pingus, oaky and muscular, was transformed into a jewel of...
2010
Dominio de Pingus
Casa Castillo, Pie Franco, Jumilla, Spain, 2020
Pie Franco means ‘on its own roots’ – part of Jumilla’s old vine heritage. This 2020 is surely the best yet – though José María...
2020
Casa Castillo
Vega Sicilia, Único, Ribera del Duero, Spain, 2004
<p>Sumptuously aromatic with baskets of berries. Arrives in the mouth as promised on the nose. For enjoying already with its plump fruit, layered with sweet...
2004
Vega Sicilia
CVNE, Real de Asua, Rioja, Spain, 2001
2001 is a great vintage.' says Maria Larrea, chief winemaker at the CVNE group, 'but it needs time.' Twenty years on, and the wine proves...
2001
CVNE
Mas Doix, 1902 Centenary Carignan, Priorat, Spain, 2017
From one of the earliest and lowest yielding vintages. Opens with the classic cedar aromas. In the mouth it arrives plump and full, then the...
2017
Mas Doix
Bodegas Valduero, 12 Años, Ribera del Duero, Spain, 2001
A top wine from the Gumiel area, made only in exceptional vintages, with grapes grown in three distinctive plots of mature vines. It is released...
2001
Bodegas Valduero
Alejandro Fernandez, Tinto Pesquera Janus, Ribera del Duero, Spain, 1986
One of the most gloriously deceptive wines in the region. Made in the old-fashioned Spanish style, with long ageing in American oak barriques, from release...
1986
Alejandro Fernandez
Bodegas Ysios, Finca Las Naves Viñedo Singular, Rioja, Alavesa, Rioja, Spain, 2018
96
This small (1.1ha) vineyard is a regional treasure, planted with pre-phylloxera vines before 1902, on clay-sandy soils. The production is tiny, just 1,200 bottles, and the wine is aged for 16 months in a mix of 500-litre and traditional (225-litre) used French oak barriques. Tempranillo is the main grape, but there are also Garnacha, Graciano and Viura vines growing together, and the whole block is picked and fermented together to provide a true expression of this special site. Intensely aromatic, this has a gorgeous perfume of black plum, mulberry, red and black cherry, plus violet, some oak spice, and a twist of black pepper. In the mouth there's a distinct minerality and an almost menthol freshness, with firm black fruits. Power and concentration, but fresh and harmonious too. A long life ahead.
2018
Bodegas YsiosRioja
Bodegas Hermanos Pérez Pascuas, Pérez Pascuas Gran Selección, Ribera del Duero, Spain, 2012
Baroque style, built on perfectly ripe fruit. Complex, with leather and spice, dried fruit and floral aromas, a touch of earthiness, with evidence of long...
2012
Bodegas Hermanos Pérez Pascuas
El Escocés Volante, El Cismático Garnacha Old Vines, Aragón, Spain, 2019
Norrel Robertson MW’s study of the craggy bush vines becomes annually more exacting. This comes from four separate Garnacha plots, planted between 1937 and 1953,...
2019
El Escocés Volante
Marqués de Riscal, Tapias de Marqués de Riscal, Rioja, Northern Spain, Spain, 2019
The very first release of this wine which is a plot selection of 2.85ha from a 15ha vineyard dating back to 1968 in Elciego. Richly...
2019
Marqués de RiscalRioja
Muga, Aro, Rioja, Spain, 2015
The Muga family express several aspects of the Station Quarter's wines. Notably there's the Prado Enea Gran Reserva. Aro is all on its own, a...
2015
Muga
Raúl Pérez, El Pecado, Ribeira Sacra, Spain, 2018
El Pecado is made from centenarian grapes from the very small Capeliños vineyard in Ribeira Sacra. The vineyard is on a slope at some 350...
2018
Raúl Pérez
Roda, Roda I Reserva, Rioja, Northern Spain, Spain, 2004
The 2004 Roda I shows that the wine's elegance only improves with age. Aromas of savoury herbs, white pepper, tobacco, and earth give way to...
2004
RodaRioja
Torres, Perpetual, Priorat, Catalonia, Spain, 2017
Complex and intense nose with plenty of aromas of dark fruit, dark cherry, blackberry, cassis, violets, dark chocolate and sweet spices. The palate is intense...
2017
TorresPriorat
