Will white wines replace red as the defining wine of the Rioja region? No, probably not. A recent Decanter tasting of more than 700 wines included only about 150 white wines. That’s many fewer than the red wines, of course, but probably more than you expected, given the dominant identity of Rioja wine.

Look for more and more white wines from Rioja as well as other areas where red wines have previously taken center stage. Here’s the story.

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“Is White Wine the New Red?” That’s the question we asked here at the Wine Economist last fall. OIV data cited in that article suggested that white wine sales were overtaking red wine sales both globally and also in key markets. Why? micro-level data suggested that the global trend was playing out differently in different markets.

White Wine’s Rising Market Share

Recent U.S. wine market data (as reported in the current issue of Wine Business Monthly) suggests that a relative persistence in white wine’s momentum. Total U.S. wine sales (by value) declined 4.8 percent in the most recent 52 report weeks, for example, but white wine’s decline was just 2.5 percent versus a 6.4 percent fall for red wine and a 6.8 percent decline for pink wine.

The market pie has shrunk, but white’s share has increased by value. (Cold comfort for white wine producers, I know.)

Although Cabernet Sauvignon outsold Chardonnay by dollar value in the same reporting period because of its higher average price, Chardonnay’s 28.3 million case total sale was bigger that Cabernet Sauvignon’s 25.9 million, reversing a persistent trend. Overall white wine sold 72.9 million cases versus about 68 million for red.

Adjusting to the White Wine Trend

Sales data are backed up by anectdotal evidence from France (white wine now replacing rosé in supermarkets, which previously crowded out red wine sales) and even China, where white wine has long suffered from an overwhelming preference for red. Although people are buying less wine, more of what they do buy is white.

These trends have lots of implications. I suspect that many vineyard owners are thinking about grafting over their red wine vines to white wines, for example, and wineries are busy revising their product mix. Just makes sense. Sue and I know one winery that producing nothing but red wines for years, but now has a nice lineup of white wines, which sell out quickly.

At the regional level, the shift to white wines can conflict with existing signature wines or regional identities. Jancis Robinson, for example, recently asked if “Is it too late to save Sauternes?” More and more producers are switching from the lucious (but hard to sell) sweet wines to market-friendly dry blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

The White Also Rises in Rioja

Times are hard in Spain’s Rioja region, as The Independent recently reported, burdened with a surplus of wine even before the implemention of U.S. tariffs. Rioja makes both red and white wine, but red has for decades been the defining color of Rioja. That historic strength is a liability in today’s marklet environment.

So some Rioja producers are giving more attention to their white wines, which are undiscovered territory to many wine drinkers but well worth exploring. The most-planted white grape variety in Rioja (and in Spain generally) is Viura, also known as Macabeo. You might know Macabeo from its role in Cava, the famous Spanish sparkling wine. It makes fine still wines in Rioja and could be a reason for white wine lovers to revisit this region.

Indeed, Rioja’s Viura wines are having a moment. White Rioja can be young and fresh, aged and oppulent, and even fashionably orange. If your idea of Spanish white wine was Verdejo from Rueda or Albarino from Rias Baixas, maybe it is time to  take a closer look.

Discovering Viura

It’s not your fault if you haven’t heard of Viura. I am not sure we tasted Viura even when we were in the Rioja region. Rueda white wines were more commonly served, as I recall.

The Rioja region has been so focused on its red wine identity that planting new white grape vines was forbidden between 1992 and 2003, except for Viura, which was banned until 2007! Much of the Viura made today comes from old pre-1992 vines.

We were fortunate to recveive two excellent examples of these white Rioja wines, both attractively priced in the $15 to $20 range. The CVNE Monopole Rioja Blanco Seco 2024 was fresh and flavorful, with some complexity developing as the wine warmed up in the glass. It wasn’t a copycat of anything else and went very well with Sue’s fresh cherry tomato and white bean ragu with fried haloumi cheese. Easy to enjoy and appreciate.

The Ontañón Viura 2021 was an example of the more oppulent style, showing the effect of lees contact and some time in American oak. A delicate balance of richness and freshness that showed the versatility of this type of wine. It was terrific paired with a salad of garden tomatoes and Dungeness crab. I wonder how Viura would respond to even more time on the lees?  We are looking forward to finding out!

As noted before, I think these were our first Viura wines but I don’t think they will be our last. The movement to white wines in red wine regions like Rioja is both a defensive move in the light of changing market conditions and a creative opportunity for producers who embrace the challenge. Congratulations to the creative producers of Rioja Blanca wines like these.

The rise of white wines in regions best knows for their reds will no doubt creaste some problems for producers but also opportunities as seen in Rioja. Adventurous consumers will discover (or rediscover) the declicious white wines that have been hiding in plain sight all along.