Decanter’s Andrew Jefford on Rioja: “Why Do I Ever Drink Anything Else?”

Andrew Jefford is not a writer given to easy superlatives. The Decanter Contributing Editor and World Wine Awards Co-Chair has tasted more wine than most people alive. So when he writes about Rioja’s centennial celebration in the May 2026 issue of Decanter and asks himself, mid-tasting, “Why do I ever drink anything else?” — you pay attention.

Jefford travelled to Rioja in February 2026 for the denomination’s centennial celebrations, marking 100 years since Rioja was awarded its denominación de origen on 6 June 1925, more than a decade before France established its own appellation system. What he found was a region in full, confident stride.

“Rioja’s genius is to combine gentleness and tenderness with generosity and grandeur, despite significant structure.”
— Andrew Jefford, Decanter, May 2026

The tasting he attended, a five-hour sit-down spanning new-wave departures and magnificent older wines, left him unusually effusive. Jefford describes it as one of the most pleasurable marathon tastings he can remember: “I don’t remember a five-hour sit-down tasting more amply strewn with smile-inducing, muscle-softening wine pleasure.” High praise from a writer who has attended hundreds.

He also zeroes in on what makes Rioja singular among the world’s great red wine regions: its rare ability to build beauty over time. For affability, warmth and welcome, he writes, Europe has no fine red wines to match these – only Napa comes close. And unlike many regions that peak young, Rioja doesn’t just endure, it rewards patience in a way few places can.

The column also acknowledges the region’s growing diversity – noting, as Spanish Master of Wine Pedro Ballesteros Torres put it bluntly to the assembled tasters: “Rioja doesn’t exist. You have to add adjectives.” Climate change, evolving thinking on oak, and a new generation of terroir-focused producers are reshaping what the name means – while the classics endure. Murrieta’s Castillo Ygay 1986, Jefford notes, “seduced us all.”

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Wines highlighted in Jefford’s column

★	Queirón 2021 Mi Lugar — Vino de Quel Jefford’s wine of the month · Rioja Oriental · 90% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha Red · Modern · Highlighted
NEW	Vignerons de la Sonsierra 2024 José Gil Noted as “supple and perfumed” · Rioja Alavesa Red · Modern
NEW	Miguel Merino 2022 La Loma Noted as “virtuoso” · Briones, Rioja Alta Red · Modern
CLASSIC	Marqués de Murrieta — Castillo Ygay 1986 “Seduced us all” · Rioja Alta White · Traditional · Iconic
CLASSIC	Faustino — White Gran Reserva Noted for its Chardonnay component · “Gold, cream… and Rioja’s old, enduring joy” White · Traditional

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What makes Jefford’s column so resonant is its quiet authority. He’s not arguing a position or promoting a trend – he’s simply reporting what the wines did to him. And what they did was remind him, glass after glass, why Rioja occupies a category of its own: wines that are generous without being heavy, structured without being stern, and built to reward the kind of patience that always pays off.

Around 30% of Rioja’s 66,639 hectares are planted with vines over 35 years old. Some 600 parcels – 182 hectares in total – are certified centenarian. These are not numbers that explain Jefford’s reaction. But they help.

Read the full Decanter article by Andrew Jefford →

This article originally appeared in Decanter magazine, May 2026.
Written by Andrew Jefford, Contributing Editor. All editorial opinions are his own.