– DOCa Rioja reaches more milestones, with 880,000 winery visits, a 186-million-euro impact on the region’s economy, and an ever-growing enotourism offer, consolidating its position as the absolute leader in the sector
– Despite the poor performance of the wine markets in 2023, Rioja was able to keep its market share in Spain above 38% for red wines, and even recorded 8.4% growth for white wines, propelling it to second place
– Also, in spite of the international situation, Rioja managed to build on its position, accounting for 36.8% of all exports of Spanish wines with Designation of Origin
The Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin recorded a record-breaking 879,423 visits to its wineries in 2023, 17.5% more than the previous year, surpassing the previous high of 858,107 visits before the pandemic. These figures are confirmation of Rioja’s position as the undisputed leader of Spanish wine and establishing itself as a prime international destination.
In 2023, the overall economic impact of enotourism in Rioja stood at almost 186 million euros, representing a leap of 30.4 million euros over the previous year, creating both value and jobs in the Designation’s wineries and in the region as a whole.
Another noteworthy takeaway from the report is the continued increase in international demand, with Rioja welcoming 287,561 foreign tourists over the course of the year (33% of the total number of visitors, up from 29% last year). The countries that sent the most visitors in 2023 were the USA (27%), United Kingdom (16%) and France (14%), although Germany and the Nordic countries are gaining ground on them.
2023 sales performance
In 2023 Rioja held onto its market position even amidst a poor year for wine in general. According to the consultancy NielsenIQ, Rioja sold 325,197,801 bottles.
The sale of wines with a Designation of Origin fell by 2% in Spain in 2023, with red wines being worst hit, dropping by 3.7%. In line with market trends, the sales volume of Rioja wines also took a step back, decreasing by 3.2%. Despite this, the DOCa continues to maintain a commanding lead in the DO wines category with its 27.2% market share, according to the consultancy. In the case of Rioja red wines, it still monopolizes the sector with its 38.3% market share. Rioja white wines experienced impressive growth, with its market share skyrocketing from 7% to 8.4%, resulting in the region becoming the second largest Spanish white wine Designation in terms of sales.
As stated by the Regulatory Council, although exports of Rioja took a step back in 2023, seeing its figures drop by 6.6%, wines from DOs in the rest of Spain performed much worse (-14.6%), which means that DOCa Rioja bolstered its competitive position in the export market. As a result, Rioja wines made up 36.8% of Spanish DO wine exports, two percentage points more than in 2022, and increased its exports to seven key markets: United Kingdom, China, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Mexico and Ireland.
Rioja also made headway in terms of international sales over other global wine producers, further strengthening its market position. Double-digit drops were recorded in a number of wine-producing powerhouses in 2023, including Chile, the USA, Argentina, Australia and France (-10%); Rioja outperformed them all, and consequently increased its market share to 2% of global international sales of bottled wine.
