GERMAN supermarket chain Aldi has announced a major expansion plan for Spain in 2024, with its distribution centre in Sagunto (Valencia province) set to open next month and a another one on the cards for the north.
World's Most Admired Wine Brand is Spanish – and three of the top 10 are, too
15/04/2021
A VARIETY from Spain is officially the World's Most Admired Wine Brand, according to the annual survey of the same name carried out by and among the most prestigious professionals on earth.
Oenologists, sommeliers, international traders, wine critics and writers are among the panel which compiles the ranking each year, with every one of them choosing and giving points to six different types based upon quality, authenticity and brand image.
Often, in world wine lists, Spain is near the top and usually makes the cut somewhere in the list, but as its wines suffer from being sorely underrated and barely understood by the general public, typically lose the number one slot to brands from France, Italy, Australia and South Africa.
But with the World's Most Admired Wine Brands survey, Spain has consistently hogged the top spot and is very present elsewhere in the standings.
Three Spanish wines are in the top 10, and eight are in the top 50.
The 'pandemic year' has been hard on wine producers – exports have not suffered, particularly to countries which produce little or no wine of their own, and a slight increase has been seen in purchases by the individual consumer, but neither has been enough to make up for long months of restrictions on bar and restaurant operations; even when open all hours, as most were in Spain throughout last summer, social distancing necessarily meant that customer numbers were fewer, and this period was preceded and followed by complete closures in many regions.
Combined with a global sale fall of 17.3%, last year was, ironically, a great year for production, with record amounts of wine being bottled – over 4.58 billion litres.
This glut and low demand means prices are likely to fall over the coming year and, if the pandemic remains under control and customer-facing trade returns to normal, it is hoped wine producers may see a reversal in the 2020 trend with demand beginning to spike.
Finding its way into the World's Most Admired Wine Brands ranking, and, in fact, topping it, may well serve to trigger this process – or, at least, Spain's wine merchants and makers are hoping so.
Which are the best-loved Spanish wine brands on earth?
A firm with a strong market presence nationwide and also in Chile and Argentina, the Catalunya-based Família Torres has topped the ranking in previous years, so doing so this time around, although something to celebrate for the brand, was nothing new.
Hailing from the province of Valladolid, Castilla y León – one of Spain's biggest wine-making regions – the iconic Vega Sicilia is the third-most admired brand on earth.
A household name in the northern region of La Rioja and well-known on a national scale, CVNE comes eighth.
Between Família Torres and Vega Sicilia, the second-most admired wine brand on the planet is from Argentina, Catena, whilst numbers four to seven inclusive are Henschke (Australia), Concha yToro (Chile), Penfolds (Australia) and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (France).
Completing the top 10 behind CVNE are Antinori (Italy) and Château Musar (Lebanon).
In terms of countries, France leads the field with 12 brands among the most-admired – the only nation which beats Spain.
Spain's eight brands are ahead of Italy (six), Chile (five), and Australia, the USA and New Zealand (four each).
South Africa and Portugal each have two, and Lebanon and Hungary – the latter with Royal Tokaji – appear just once.
None of the brands in the top 25 but which did not make the top 10 are Spanish – a list topped and tailed by France, which has seven, and which includes one each from Australia, Portugal, Chile and the USA, plus two from Italy and two from New Zealand – nor the top 30 but below the top 10.
From 26 to 30 inclusive are two Chilean wines and one each from Italy, New Zealand and the USA, with Spain not reappearing until number 32, after France's Château Margaux at number 31.
Campo Viejo, another trademark La Rioja brand, is 32nd; Bodegas Abadal, from the province of Barcelona, 37th; Ramón Bilbao (which is based in La Rioja, not in the Bilbao area, as this refers to the merchant's name) comes in 43rd; the cava-producing firm Raventós Cordoníu – which is, in fact, a national company made up of 16 wine merchants' nationwide in Aragón, Catalunya, La Rioja and Castilla y León and does not, therefore, represent a sole wine region, but owns more square metres of vineyard than any other firm in Europe – came in 47th, and closing the list at number 50 is La Rioja Alta.
Being 'most-admired brands' does not necessarily make a wine producer's wares unaffordable to the masses – whilst Família Torres has varieties on sale for up to €60, it has plenty of others that retail for around €5 or €6.
That said, Vega Sicilia wines are vintage and collectible, often fetching very high bids on eBay and other auction sites – they can start from several hundred euros and, if vintage enough or a limited edition, over €1,200; this 'mainstream' version in the photograph is sold by Carrefour via its website, and currently costs €315.
To this end, Vega Sicilia wines are often thought of as an investment rather than a mere beverage; if drunk at all, they will tend to be served up in top restaurants with prices to reflect their global fame, and which always ensure a hefty return for the original buyer.
Back to reality and purely pouring yourself a glass of something you will enjoy without sinking your savings into it, CVNE wines can be found easily for just over €6, with even a vintage not much over €10, and only fetching prices of between €25 and €1,000 where they are one-off, prize-winning, very vintage indeed, or limited editions.
Related Topics
A VARIETY from Spain is officially the World's Most Admired Wine Brand, according to the annual survey of the same name carried out by and among the most prestigious professionals on earth.
Oenologists, sommeliers, international traders, wine critics and writers are among the panel which compiles the ranking each year, with every one of them choosing and giving points to six different types based upon quality, authenticity and brand image.
Often, in world wine lists, Spain is near the top and usually makes the cut somewhere in the list, but as its wines suffer from being sorely underrated and barely understood by the general public, typically lose the number one slot to brands from France, Italy, Australia and South Africa.
But with the World's Most Admired Wine Brands survey, Spain has consistently hogged the top spot and is very present elsewhere in the standings.
Three Spanish wines are in the top 10, and eight are in the top 50.
The 'pandemic year' has been hard on wine producers – exports have not suffered, particularly to countries which produce little or no wine of their own, and a slight increase has been seen in purchases by the individual consumer, but neither has been enough to make up for long months of restrictions on bar and restaurant operations; even when open all hours, as most were in Spain throughout last summer, social distancing necessarily meant that customer numbers were fewer, and this period was preceded and followed by complete closures in many regions.
Combined with a global sale fall of 17.3%, last year was, ironically, a great year for production, with record amounts of wine being bottled – over 4.58 billion litres.
This glut and low demand means prices are likely to fall over the coming year and, if the pandemic remains under control and customer-facing trade returns to normal, it is hoped wine producers may see a reversal in the 2020 trend with demand beginning to spike.
Finding its way into the World's Most Admired Wine Brands ranking, and, in fact, topping it, may well serve to trigger this process – or, at least, Spain's wine merchants and makers are hoping so.
Which are the best-loved Spanish wine brands on earth?
A firm with a strong market presence nationwide and also in Chile and Argentina, the Catalunya-based Família Torres has topped the ranking in previous years, so doing so this time around, although something to celebrate for the brand, was nothing new.
Hailing from the province of Valladolid, Castilla y León – one of Spain's biggest wine-making regions – the iconic Vega Sicilia is the third-most admired brand on earth.
A household name in the northern region of La Rioja and well-known on a national scale, CVNE comes eighth.
Between Família Torres and Vega Sicilia, the second-most admired wine brand on the planet is from Argentina, Catena, whilst numbers four to seven inclusive are Henschke (Australia), Concha yToro (Chile), Penfolds (Australia) and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (France).
Completing the top 10 behind CVNE are Antinori (Italy) and Château Musar (Lebanon).
In terms of countries, France leads the field with 12 brands among the most-admired – the only nation which beats Spain.
Spain's eight brands are ahead of Italy (six), Chile (five), and Australia, the USA and New Zealand (four each).
South Africa and Portugal each have two, and Lebanon and Hungary – the latter with Royal Tokaji – appear just once.
None of the brands in the top 25 but which did not make the top 10 are Spanish – a list topped and tailed by France, which has seven, and which includes one each from Australia, Portugal, Chile and the USA, plus two from Italy and two from New Zealand – nor the top 30 but below the top 10.
From 26 to 30 inclusive are two Chilean wines and one each from Italy, New Zealand and the USA, with Spain not reappearing until number 32, after France's Château Margaux at number 31.
Campo Viejo, another trademark La Rioja brand, is 32nd; Bodegas Abadal, from the province of Barcelona, 37th; Ramón Bilbao (which is based in La Rioja, not in the Bilbao area, as this refers to the merchant's name) comes in 43rd; the cava-producing firm Raventós Cordoníu – which is, in fact, a national company made up of 16 wine merchants' nationwide in Aragón, Catalunya, La Rioja and Castilla y León and does not, therefore, represent a sole wine region, but owns more square metres of vineyard than any other firm in Europe – came in 47th, and closing the list at number 50 is La Rioja Alta.
Being 'most-admired brands' does not necessarily make a wine producer's wares unaffordable to the masses – whilst Família Torres has varieties on sale for up to €60, it has plenty of others that retail for around €5 or €6.
That said, Vega Sicilia wines are vintage and collectible, often fetching very high bids on eBay and other auction sites – they can start from several hundred euros and, if vintage enough or a limited edition, over €1,200; this 'mainstream' version in the photograph is sold by Carrefour via its website, and currently costs €315.
To this end, Vega Sicilia wines are often thought of as an investment rather than a mere beverage; if drunk at all, they will tend to be served up in top restaurants with prices to reflect their global fame, and which always ensure a hefty return for the original buyer.
Back to reality and purely pouring yourself a glass of something you will enjoy without sinking your savings into it, CVNE wines can be found easily for just over €6, with even a vintage not much over €10, and only fetching prices of between €25 and €1,000 where they are one-off, prize-winning, very vintage indeed, or limited editions.
Related Topics
More News & Information
WHEN the summer reaches its hottest weeks, the idea of cooler climates suddenly becomes more attractive. And although Spain generally cannot offer temperatures similar to northern Scandinavia, not everywhere in the...
TWO of Spain's top sportsmen have joined forces to open a restaurant in Valencia city – part of a small chain which has eateries in Beverly Hills and Doha.
FEW of us would travel far beyond our home territory purely to eat out, even if it was at a Michelin-starred restaurant – and even though dining in Spain remains comparatively cheap with little change in prices in...