Rioja mounts a 125-venue UK campaign after 2025 sales decline
Rioja Wine Month reached 125 venues across more than 30 UK cities in October, combining consumer promotions with trade activity after Rioja’s British sales volume fell 13.16% in 2025. Commercial results from the campaign have not yet been released.
The Regulatory Council of the Qualified Designation of Origin Rioja organized Rioja Wine Month in October across 125 UK restaurants, bars, wine shops and other retail outlets. The program extended to more than 30 cities, giving the appellation a nationwide network for engaging consumers and the wine trade.1
A large export market under pressure
The United Kingdom is Rioja’s leading foreign destination and accounts for about 1/3 of its export volume. It received approximately 37.5 million bottles in 2025, although sales volume there declined 13.16% year on year. Rioja’s total export volume fell 6.69% over the same period, making the British contraction 6.47 percentage points steeper.1
National reach and London events
Activities included guided tastings, food pairings, by-the-glass offers, digital promotions and events inside stores. London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Oxford, York, Newcastle, Birmingham and Cardiff were among the participating cities. The council sought both direct contact with restaurant and bar customers and continued visibility among retailers and trade professionals responsible for stocking, listing and promoting wines.1
At Barrafina in London’s Covent Garden, the Rioja Wine Quiz on 13 October gathered sommeliers, buyers, importers and other British wine professionals. Appellation questions were combined with blind tastings and samples of more than 20 wines. Winning teams received £500 to spend on Rioja from participating businesses, and the event concluded with a working dinner about future initiatives and commercial opportunities.1
A separate London food-and-wine trail, the Rioja Route, involved Camino, Bar Rioja, Arros QD, El Pirata, Maresco and Sabor. The participating venues presented pairings, tastings and by-the-glass selections connected with the campaign.1
Commercial impact still unknown
The 125 participating venues establish the scale of the campaign, but the council has not published figures for additional sales, new orders or other commercial results attributable to it. The effort used restaurants, bars and retailers simultaneously in a mature market where Rioja already has wide distribution and strong recognition but also faces substantial competition, addressing immediate purchases alongside longer-term relationships with the trade.1
Sources
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.
