Volcanic Wine Awards | 25th anniversary events | The Jancis Robinson Story

Great value from Spain, unfortunately

Monday 22 August 2016
Image

The general reputation of Spanish wines is that they are great value, though this does not make me feel at all proud, especially after a recent conversation with Professor Fernando Martinez de Toda, PhD in viticulture and top researcher in the Vine and Wine Science Institute in La Rioja (ICVV).

Fernando told me of his concerns and gave me some particularly pertinent numbers about the low price per kilo paid for grapes in Spain. It is obvious that if wines are inexpensive, then the raw material must be too.

According to Fernando (pictured below), an adequate break-even point for prices...

Become a member to continue reading
Member
$135
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 289,022 wine reviews & 15,885 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors
  • Access 289,022 wine reviews & 15,885 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 289,022 wine reviews & 15,885 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade
  • Access 289,022 wine reviews & 15,885 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Tasting articles

Benoit and Emilie of Etienne Sauzet
Tasting articles The last of our alphabetically organised tasting articles: reviews of wines tasted by Matthew in the Côte d’Or and by...
Simon Rollin
Tasting articles The penultimate of 12 alphabetically organised tasting articles: reviews of wines tasted by Matthew in the Côte d’Or and by...
Shaggy (Sylvain Pataille) and his dog Scoubidou
Tasting articles The 10th of 12 alphabetically organised tasting articles: reviews of wines tasted by Matthew in the Côte d’Or and by...
Olivier Merlin
Tasting articles The ninth of 12 alphabetically organised tasting articles: reviews of wines tasted by Matthew in the Côte d’Or and by...

More from JancisRobinson.com

Stéphane, José and Vanessa Ferreira of Quinta do Pôpa
Wines of the week If there’s one country that excels at value-priced wines, it would have to be Portugal. This is yet another wine...
Iceland snowy scene
Inside information For this month’s adventures Ben heads north to Denmark, Sweden and Norway. We’d arrived in a country whose Nordic angles...
Kim Chalmers
Free for all Kim Chalmers of Chalmers Wine and Chalmers Nursery in Victoria is no stranger to JancisRobinson.com. She was an important influence...
London Shell Co trio
Nick on restaurants A winning combination in North London beguiles Nick, who seems to have amused the trio behind it. Above, left to...
J&B Burgundy tasting at the IOD in Jan 2026
Free for all What to make of this exceptional vintage after London’s Burgundy Week? Small, undoubtedly. And not exactly perfectly formed. A version...
SA fires by David Gass and Wine News in 5 logo
Wine news in 5 Also: the WHO calls for raised alcohol taxes; more tariff drama; Champagne sales decline, and protests continue at Moët Hennessy...
The Marrone family, parents and three daughters
Wines of the week An incredibly refreshing Nebbiolo from a sustainably-minded family that sells for as little as €17.50, $24.94, £22.50. - - -...
Aerial view of various Asian ingredients
Inside information Part five of an eight-part series on how to pair wine with Asian flavours, adapted from Richard’s book. Click here...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.