Rioja vignerons, a glossary of wine terms in English and the history of vine and grape varieties in Spain were the most popular stories of 2021 in SWL.
2021 comes to an end and as usual we take a look at the most read stories in SWL. Obviously, pieces published at the beginning of the year have more chances to make it to the top of the list, but we never expected that the article written in January by Yolanda Ortiz de Arri about the uncertain future of traditional vignerons ("cosecheros") in Rioja would have been such a hit (it stands well ahead of the rest). They are small, little known bodegas, often headed by young producers eager to make a difference, work together and defend their territory. But after piecing together all these little accounts of people facing difficulties, a powerful and touching story emerged. Brief accounts of people who face difficulties -collectively, they weave a powerful and compelling story.
Furthermore, this story also touches on one of the major challenges that many Spanish producers will need to address in the coming years: the generational change and all that this entails in terms of change, continuity and the quest of young people seeking a space of their own as they take over family-run wineries.
Which other articles did our readers find interesting? The advanced glossary of wine terms in English written by our contributor Anna Harris-Noble came second and was equally popular in both English and Spanish. This comes as no surprise after the success of the first instalment she wrote in 2019, the most read story of that year. On this occasion, she described the main styles of Spanish wines as well as fashionable concepts in wine tasting (including natural wines) and popular terms on Spanish wine labels. Clearly, people understand the need to communicate and share with others –an essential skill to be albe to sell. Whether we like it or not, English is the international language of wine.
Science-based topics also appeal to our readers, especially when they address exciting issues such as the evolution of grape varieties. The article, written by grape expert Félix Cabello on the history of vine and grape varieties in Spain, was the third most popular piece in 2021. It was a fascinating journey starting with the Phoenicians and Romans, through the Muslim era, the Middle Ages and the discovery of America to current times.
Other favourite reads were the news of Álvaro Ribalta's appointment as Master of Wine, which increases Spain's visibility in this select group of experts, our winter book reviews, and two stories about Bierzo, a region that consolidates its reputation both inside and outside Spain. The first one was an in-depth piece of the new village and paraje (lieu-dit) wines after visiting the area and tasting the first wines with these designations at the Regulatory Board, and our impressions of the tasting by Raúl Pérez of one of these sites, El Rapolao, at the Duero Wine Fest last October.
With more than 375 reviews published so far, we are gradually expanding the Wineries section on our website. In fact, this is one of SWL's most popular sections, both in English and Spanish, also reflecting the most frequent organic searches and showing significant differences between English and Spanish queries.
Envínate, a producer with no website of its own, concentrated most of the searches in Spanish –just as it occurred in 2020 and 2018. The second was Cota 45, the name of Ramiro Ibáñez's project in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, confirming the growing interest in the small revolution that is taking place in Sherry country. It was followed by Oxer Bastegieta, an iconoclastic producer in Rioja and Bizkaiko Txakolina; Fedellos do Couto, one of the new voices of Ribeira Sacra working outside the DO, the Frenchman based in Rioja, Olivier Rivière; and, finally, Badiola, the joint project of Masters of Wine Andreas Kubach and Sam Harrop with Gorka Izagirre in Rioja. Now called Bideona, all the searches featured the term Badiola.
In the English version, the most searched-for producer was Verónica Ortega in Bierzo, followed by Marqués de Riscal, the only historical winery in the top five, Envínate again and the iconic Bierzo producer Descendientes de J. Palacios.
Many thanks to all the wine lovers who visited our website in 2021. Next year we plan to write more producer profiles and unveil the most powerful stories in the Spanish wine scene.
