The century's harvest: Rioja 2025 vintage is officially "Excellent"

• What will be remembered as “the vintage of the Centenary” obtains the rating of “Excellent” after the evaluation of 2,176 samples in a blind tasting
• The wines of this vintage stand out for their balance and structure, their great aromatic intensity and freshness, with well-integrated acidity and remarkable ageing potential
• The Control Board has also selected eight institutional wines to represent the QDO at corporate events throughout the year

Following the plenary session held this morning, the Control Board of the QDO Rioja rated the 2025 vintage as “Excellent”. This assessment was ratified by the Plenum after an exhaustive and rigorous process of analysis of a total of 2,176 samples.

With a tasting panel of 134 professionals, the vintage rating system in Rioja is one of the most rigorous in existence, in line with the high level of demand that the QDO applies to its certification processes. Each of the wine samples is tasted by 5 judges, which means issuing nearly 11,000 sensory ratings. The goal is to guarantee maximum authenticity for consumers and professionals.

During the plenary session, an assessment was also made of the 2025 harvest, which confirmed the sensations and first controls at the end of the campaign, predicting already a vintage of extraordinary quality, at the height of Rioja’s Centenary, which was being commemorated that year.

The Plenary Session noted that the 2025 harvest, characterized by a marked climatic singularity and a demanding sanitary context, was successfully managed by the sector, giving rise to a cycle of great interest in the wine industry.

The year was constrained by a higher-than-usual rainfall regime during the key phases of vegetative development, especially in spring and during the flowering period. These conditions favored significant downy mildew pressure, which forced growers to be extremely careful in the vineyard. Despite this, their accumulated experience and professionalism allowed them to adequately control the disease, although it had an impact on yields, which were at historically low levels in some areas.

After this more complex period, the cycle evolved towards a final phase of optimal ripening, accompanied by favorable weather conditions. This circumstance allowed a staggered, selective, and non-urgent harvest, facilitating the harvesting of the grapes at the optimum moment and in excellent health.

The report prepared by the Technical Services of the QDO Control Board points out that, in general terms, the 2025 campaign has been marked by initial adversity, but with a very positive resolution of the cycle, thanks to improved weather conditions in the final phase and to the high level of professionalism and technology in the Rioja wine sector.

In terms of color, this vintage of Rioja presents clean, fresh, aromatic, and floral white and rosé wines with appropriate acidity and very good structure in the mouth, consolidating the growing quality observed in recent years.

The reds are very balanced wines, more structured than in previous years and highly complex, with a great aromatic potential of red fruit and a wide variety of positive aromas. There are also high polyphenol values and color intensity, typical of exceptional vintages.

“This ‘Centenary’ vintage is a reflection of the Designation itself, as it is a balance between difficulty and know-how that once again demonstrates the sector’s ability to adapt to increasingly variable and unpredictable conditions,” explains Alejandra Rubio, technical director of the QDO Rioja’s Control Board. “We are dealing with wines with very noticeable positive qualities, highlighting among the young wines their great quality, freshness, and identity of Rioja’s territories and diversity, as well as their high aging potential“, concludes the director.

This qualification is the crowning touch to the Centenary year of the Qualified Designation of Origin Rioja.

Institutional Wines 2026

The Control Board also selected at today’s plenary session the eight wines that will represent the Designation at its institutional events throughout the year. In total, 158 wines from 59 DOCa wineries participated in the blind tasting carried out to select the institutional references. The tasting panel was formed by a mixed committee of experts from the sector.

The eight wines chosen are a sample of the great diversity of the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin and are presented with the Board’s corporate labels, specifically designed for each of the categories.

The result of the selection in each of the categories was as follows:

WHITE WINE GENEROUS 2025
Bodegas Valdemar, S.L. from Oyón (Álava)

WHITE WINE FERMENTED IN BARRICA 2025
Viñedos del Ternero, S.L. de Miranda de Ebro (Burgos)

GENEROUS ROSE WINE 2025
Bodegas y Viñedos llurce, S.A.T., Alfaro (La Rioja)

VINO TINTO GENÉRICO 2025
Bodegas Campoameno, S.A., Alfaro (La Rioja)

RED WINE CRIANZA 2023
José Basoco Basoco, Villabuena de Álava (Álava)

RED WINE RESERVA 2022
Bodegas Ramírez de la Piscina, S.L., San Vicente de la Sonsierra (La Rioja)

RED WINE GRAN RESERVA 2017
Bodegas Faustino, S.L., Oyón (Álava)

SPARKLING WINE RESERVA 2021
Viñedos de Aldeanueva, S. Coop., Aldeanueva de Ebro (La Rioja)