Our first recommendation for 2026 is intended to reset the palate after the excesses of the festive season. A fresh start to the New Year, rooted in a sense of place, a closer connection to nature and a commitment to sustainable vine growing.
Our choice takes us to the Montes Obarenes, a cool and increasingly sought-after spot on the western edge of Rioja, and to a producer with deep roots in a land that was previously worked by her father and grandfather.
Having trained as an agronomist, Berta Valgañón left a career in the construction sector in 2016 to return to the family vineyards in Villaseca, a small hamlet within the village of Fonzaleche. That same year, she restored her uncle's winery in Cuzcurrita del Río Tirón and produced her first 4,000 bottles of wine.
Her vineyards lie between 550 and 600 metres above sea level, a defining factor in an area classified as Region I on the Winkler Index — the coolest of all. Valgañón works with these conditions rather than against them. "My job is to make sure the vineyards are balanced and that there is no excess of green notes," she explains.
Selección Natural Rosé is closely linked to the region's history, when rosé wines dominated out of necessity, as full ripeness was harder to achieve . "All the old vines here were Garnacha," says Bárbara. In later years, her father planted Tempranillo, which was in high demand in Rioja at the time. She has since reintroduced Garnacha, using cuttings from a mass selection developed by Vitis Navarra. Valgañón grows grapes organically, uses spontaneous fermentation and doesn't adjust the wines, making the most of the area's naturally high acidity.
This rosé is a blend of Garnacha, with a touch of two white varieties: Malvasía and Calagraño. It is fermented in both tanks and tinaja (earthenware jars). Despite similar skin-contact times to previous years, the 2024 vintage has a deeper colour. It boasts well-defined red fruit notes and an abundance of herbal aromas, but it is its crisp, vibrant and sustained acidity that truly defines the wine, energising and stimulating the senses. A wonderfully invigorating sip to start 2026 in high spirits!
13,5% abv.
600 bottles
€11
Score. 91
Author
Amaya Cervera
A wine journalist with almost 30 years' experience, she is the founder of the award-winning Spanish Wine Lover website. In 2023, she won the National Gastronomy Award for Gastronomic Communication
