The energy, experience and resources of a new generation of winemakers, combined with Spain’s diverse grape varieties, landscapes and old vines, have lifted the country’s wines to a new level of quality. That’s why we looked beyond just high ratings to find a rare balance of value, availability and quality for this year’s Top 100 Wines of Spain. And by “quality,” we also mean authenticity, character and that indecipherable emotional response a truly exceptional wine can deliver. We call it the “Wow” factor. 

Senior Editor Zekun Shuai and I spent two weeks on the road in Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Bierzo, Galicia, and Aragon earlier this year and visited leading producers across each region. In total, we tasted about 3,500 Spanish wines, both in Spain and in our Hong Kong office. This list represents our top 100 selections. 

When most people think of Spanish wine, Rioja and Ribera del Duero are top of mind, but it’s Rioja and Jerez that comprise the backbone of the country’s  winemaking culture and legacy. Ribera del Duero is comparatively young – it was granted D.O. (denomination of origin) status in 1982 – although over the last three decades it has grown into one of Spain’s largest and most established appellations. 

But over the same period of time, Spain has also witnessed the emergence and maturation of scattered new appellations. In places once outside the commercial spotlight – parts of Galicia like Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras, Monterrei, as well as the Canary Islands, Manchuela, Valencia – small family holdings and remote, old-vine sites have grown into recognized regions with distinct identities. A younger generation with a fresh perspective but plenty of experience has taken charge of forgotten vineyards and landscapes, transforming what began as exciting novelties into a consolidated facet of Spain’s contemporary wine identity.  

One surprising Spain wine region that is now experiencing a renaissance  is Jerez, which is best known  for its production of fortified wine, or sherry. A crucial moment came in 2008, when in collaboration with Portugal’s Dirk van der Niepoort, Equipo Navazos revived the historic practice of bottling unfortified white wines after briefly aging then under flor in sherry casks. Since then, local winemakers and growers have refined the approach into site-specific whites that explore the region’s rich vineyard mosaic – work now crystallizing into a classification to be called Vinos de Albariza, as Willy Perez, the co-owner and winemaker for M. Antonio De la Riva, explained by phone.

“Jerez is really living a beautiful revolutionary moment – going back to the vineyard, to the land, and being less interventionist, if you can say that, and looking for less alcohol in the wines,” he explained.

This brings us to our Spanish Wine of the Year: the M. Anto. De la Riva Jerez Macharnudo San Cayetano Vino de Pasto 2024. The name has a fascinating history. Manuel Antonio de la Riva arrived in Jerez from northern Spain in the 1920s and bought a modest winery with 53 hectares in Macharnudo – what many consider to be, for lack of a better term, Jerez’s grand cru. In 1970, the estate was sold to the Domecq family, becoming part of a larger brand.

Then, in 2017, Perez and Ramiro Ibañez – two of Jerez’s most dynamic wine figures – acquired the M. Anto. de la Riva brand and began reviving it. “What drew us to the brand was the cellar notebook that Manuel Antonio left” Perez explained. “It was detailed and intimately linked to the vineyard and viticulture.” Following those writings and early philosophies, they brought the project back to life. 

San Cayetano is a three-hectare block on the Macharnudo vineyard's southwestern slope, planted on white, limestone-rich albariza de barajuelas. These soils impart the wine’s distinctive sapidity and salinity, making it irresistible. As Perez notes, the region’s soils have been classified for quality since 1776, and the highest category is precisely this barajuelas type. 

The wine is gently pressed then split between stainless steel tanks and old, 600-liter American oak sherry casks, aging 12 months in each vessel. In the sherry casks, a thin veil of flor (yeast) develops, protecting the wine from oxidation and subtly concentrating it. At bottling, the two components are blended. Proportions vary each year, depending on how each cask evolves. In 2024, the final cuvee was 85 percent tank and 15 percent cask. “It’s already very sharp and tensile, so it does not need much barrel," Perez noted.

The palate shows layered, almost architectural salinity and an expansive, sapid finish. At a price of $75 and with roughly 6,000 bottles produced, this is a defining wine of Jerez’s new-wave generation.

Our No. 2 Spanish wine is also a white. The Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Capellanía 2020 is a viura sourced from the estate’s highest vineyard – a six-hectare parcel at 445 meters’ elevation on a clay-limestone mesa. According to winemaker Maria Vargas, viura truly excels in such a terroir, and in this case it produced a  a textural, seductive white, which was aged 20 months in Allier French oak and a further 15 months in concrete.

It's a compelling example of what a white Rioja can be, and it averages $85 in price, with 35,000 bottles made. There are three other white wines among our Top 10, with two from Galicia. The first, the Forjas del Salnés Rías Baixas Finca Genoveva 2023 (No. 4), is from a 200-year-old inland vineyard in Meaño and aged in large oak casks. It comes from a singular, isolated site in Rias Baixas co-planted with caíño and the rare white ratiño – a vineyard with real magic.

The other Galician white in the Top 10, the Rafael Palacios Godello Valdeorras As Sortes 2023 (No. 7), is a pristine, benchmark expression of pure godello. The Rafael Palacios winery’s rarer Sorte O Soro and Sorte Antiga are limited, exceptionally farmed bottlings that illuminate this estates’ approach and represent the lineage from which As Sortes draws its quality.

At No. 8 is another white from Rioja, the López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia Blanco 2014. Predominantly viura with around 10 percent malvasía riojana, it comes from an old head-trained vineyard near Haro. The wine spends six years in seasoned American oak, and the tactful, savory oxidative character imparted by the extended oak aging is captivating and beautifully integrated. It’s considered a classic white by Rioja aficionados.

Red wines, of course, still dominate this list with 65 entries, led  by the No. 3 Yjar Rioja 2021. Sold through La Place de Bordeaux, the Yjar 2021 is from an exceptional year that was marked by a brief, cold winter, a warm, dry summer, and a mild, rainy September – or, in the words of the masterful Telmo Rodriguez, who made it,  “Perfect conditions for grape ripening.”

Yjar is drawn from 3.8 hectares of historic, head-pruned vines at the foothills of the Sierra de Toloño, rooted in loamy soils rich in calcium carbonate. It stands as a respectful nod to Rioja’s foundational wines. The 2021 version is a refined expression of its site, articulate and elegant, defined by exceptional tannin quality. The wine is destemmed and fermented in open oak vats, then aged for 30 months in a mix of casks and barrels of various sizes.

Another standout red is the No. 5 Raúl Pérez Mencía Bierzo Ultreia de Valtuille 2023, from one of Spain’s most influential winemakers. Sourced from a selection of 100-year-old, head-trained parcels in Villegas – widely regarded as one of the finest sites in Valtuille de Abajo and Bierzo – this is a gripping mencia full of nerve as well as charm. Often overlooked amid Perez’s prolific portfolio, the Ultreia de Valtuille remains a key expression of the region and of Perez’s style. About 5,000 bottles are produced, and at a price of around $70 it offers compelling value for its quality and singularity.

At No. 6, the Vega Sicilia Ribera del Duero Valbuena 5º 2021  is one of the finest recent expressions of this iconic wine. The fresh 2021 vintage shows both structure and finesse, with remarkable precision and detail – a true benchmark for Valbuena. And our No. 9 Spanish wine, the Bodegas Castro Ventosa Bierzo Cepas Centenarias 2023, is a charming yet profound expression from Bierzo, made from ancient, head-trained vines on the Mata los Pardos site.

Finally, at No. 10 is the José Gil Rioja Paraje La Canoca 2023, which comes from three high-altitude vineyards in San Vicente de la Sonsierra in Rioja and is aged for around 10 to 12 months in 500-liter barrels. A small proportion of viura is included in the blend,  and it has a tightly knit, nervy edge that balances the fruit. The 2023 version is more taut than the riper and fruitier 2022 vintage. With a total production of just 3,570 bottles, it stands as a fine and abundant expression of one of Rioja’s most distinctive growing areas.

There are 90 other Spanish wines to review in the tasting notes below, and they all show the irrepressible energy of the country. It’s an exciting mix representing large and small producers, well-known appellations and more remote origins. Over the past three decades, Spain has become one of the world’s most dynamic wine cultures – delivering character, creativity and, above all, drinkable, sensibly made wines. Take your pick from the list below and let a little Spanish wine bliss into your life.

– Jacobo García Andrade, Senior Editor, with Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated over the last 12 months by the JamesSuckling.com tasting team. You can sort the wines below by vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.