Reigning Spain is better than ever.

(From Off Licence News)

Fantastic", "excellent" and "an easy sell" are the kind of reactions you get when you talk to independents and buyers in the multiple off-trade about Rioja. The region's wines, it seems, are still enjoying good growth even at higher price points, and the UK consumer's love affair with them goes on. Nevertheless, the generic spend for the region is up 35% this year to support the biggest UK campaign to date. In March the campaign kicked off with the unveiling of a more contemporary logo and two main aims : to attract a younger consumer and to achieve a greater understanding of the styles of wines on offer - the different age classifications for reds, from young wines through to gran reserva, and the whites and rosAs from the region as well. Move over curry, here come tapas The campaign includes two new features. The Tapas Fantasticas food festival is a two-day celebration of Spanish food, wine sampling, music and entertainment which takes place in the increasingly trendy Brick Lane in London's East End on June 28-29. (There's even talk of recreating the tapas trail of Calle Laurel, a popular attraction for visitors to LogroAo, Rioja's main town.) Secondly, the Talk Rioja ad campaign will focus on the sociability of Rioja and breaks in September. Both projects aim to present Rioja's wines without the formality with which they are often associated , says Wines from Rioja.

The body has also selected around 80 wines from a blind tasting which took place in London in January to support the campaign, especially for work with the press. The wines, including four rosAs and five whites, will be used for "press drops", seminars and events such as wine and food pairing demonstrations. The wines are divided into four categories: modern, traditional, boutique and commercial. Within the trade, Wines from Rioja will take a group of 20 independent wine merchants to the region in June for bodega visits, tastings and a seminar. "The aim of the trip is to update them on all things Rioja and reassure them there are plenty of Rioja wines on the market crafted particularly for the independent sector that differ greatly from those destined for the multiple grocers," a spokeswoman said.

Ricardo Aguiriano, of Rioja's consejo regulador, added: "The UK is the main export market for Rioja and a key region for the ongoing international success of our wines. Although Rioja sales are already strong in the UK it would be remiss of us to abandon our efforts to stay at the top, especially in the light of increasing competition from New World brands. We have increased our budget in the UK to continue to attract younger consumers with modern styles of wine." New potential From the buyer's point of view, Rioja offers plenty of opportunity for further development.

At Sainsbury's, wine buyer Julian Dyer says Rioja represents more than 50% of sales of Spanish wines and the region is driving overall buoyant growth for the category, which is up by 30%. He believes there is "some understanding of the quality levels from crianza to gran reserva", and that the classifications encourage customers to trade up. He adds: "There is a small understanding of other styles but little customer need for them." Dyer does not currently see a significant role for Rioja's whites and rosAs at Sainsbury's, and there is just one listed of each. He says: "Rioja's speciality is ...