For those searching for the top Spanish red wines, many will begin and end their journey in fabled Rioja. While the region stands among the world’s great wine locations, Spain has far more to offer red-wine lovers, whether it’s a noble, age-worthy example from Ribera del Duero, a powerful, full-bodied expression from Priorat in Catalonia, or a fruit-driven red from Galicia, made with the underrated yet excellent Mencía grape..
Look across Spain and you’ll find an impressive breadth of styles, from subtle, fruit-led reds through to more structured, tannic expressions built for cellar ageing. Tempranillo, the main red grape grown in Rioja, is also found elsewhere in the country under a number of regional synonyms, including Cencibel, Tinta de Nava, Tinta Roriz, Aragónés and Tinta del País.
This year, the top-performing wines came from Cariñena and Ribera del Duero. A 100% Tempranillo from Bodegas Paniza impressed judges with its ‘captivating aroma of blueberry, blackberry, and subtle notes of coffee and chocolate’. Meanwhile, fellow silver medal winner Cueva del Raposo 2020 from Durón was awarded 94 points, with judges highlighting a ‘palate rich with blackberry, frangipane, and thyme’.
Other top wines this year included Bodegas Príncipe de Viana’s 1423 Vendimia Seleccionada Reserva 2020, praised for its ‘plush palate of forest fruit supported by ripe, rounded tannins and vibrant acidity’. Pagos del Rey’s 409 2022 also performed strongly, alongside Bodegas Cruz de Alba’s Finca Los Hoyales 2018, which secured 92 points from the judges.
Alll wines were judged blind by an experienced panel, including Alex Davies, head of product at Virgin Wines, Christian Streatfield, buying manager at Ocado, and Harriet Kininmonth, a buyer for The Wine Society.
Spain’s appeal to red-wine drinkers extends well beyond Rioja, with a breadth of regional styles now firmly established. Below, we highlight the best Spanish red wines from outside the region, as selected by this year’s IWSC judges.
HOW DO WE JUDGE THESE WINES?
We run a tightly structured, rigorous wine tasting process. That means that each wine sample is pre-poured into numbered glasses and assessed blindly by the judges. Most importantly, our IWSC wine judges are experts in their field, who work across all sectors of the wine industry. For evidence, see our full list of judges.
HOW DO WE SCORE THESE WINES?
Only the best wines sampled receive a Gold or Silver award. For example, to win Gold, wines have to score between 95 and 100 points. Meanwhile, Silver wines range from 90 to 94 points. Click here to read more on our scoring system.
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12 award-winning Spanish red wines from outside Rioja from the IWSC 2025
