(Manfred Klimek)
I’d just gone to get some Bilomilch when I suddenly found myself standing in front of a small wooden box: a magnum bottle of Faustino Rivero Ulecia Reserva 2019, attractively and tastefully packaged – and all for €9.90 at the discount supermarket Netto. A moment of amazement, followed by a deep frown and then: a silent nod of approval. Because this bottle tells us far more about the wine market in 2026 than we might suspect at first glance.
Faustino Rivero Ulecia is a century-old Rioja tradition from Arnedo in La Rioja, a family that has been making and exporting wine (with its internationally renowned label) since 1899, long before many consumers even knew where Rioja was on the map. Yet this particular 2019 Reserva does not come from the heart of the DOCa Rioja region, nor even from Arnedo itself, but from a completely different corner of Spain: Utiel-Requena, just under 500 kilometres south-east of Valencia, a region with a Mediterranean-continental climate and its own distinct identity, which is primarily associated with the red grape variety Bobal – ever since the major Spanish wine houses expanded in the late 1980s and 1990s with a focus on exports and volume. This expansion was no coincidence, but an entrepreneurial reflex: anyone seeking to grow looks for territory, grapes and capacity. Utiel-Requena was one of the answers to this era of growth – not a prestigious region, but a functional one that could be developed cost-effectively.
What’s on offer there in a magnum – the wine, incidentally, scored 90 points from the James Suckling tasters – for less than ten euros at a discount supermarket is, at its core, a classically vinified Spanish Reserva: ruby red with violet hues, composed of Bobal (80 per cent) and Tempranillo, well-extracted, velvety, with decent acidity and a body featuring ripe fruit and traditional oak notes that are far more pleasing to the palate than the bargain price would suggest. It is a wine that almost touchingly evokes the old world of wine in both aroma and flavour – nothing special, but a hundred light-years away from the swill we usually get for 4 euros and 95 cents when buying red wine.
But here lies the real point: what makes a wine of this provenance and quality available for so little money at Netto? The answer is not merely that Spain produces wine on a massive scale and that its climate facilitates high yields. Rather, it is that overproduction, globalisation and sales pressure now make things possible that would have seemed absurd ten years ago. These bottles are not single-vineyard wines, nor are they classic Rioja Reservas from the Rioja Alta or Rioja Alavesa. They are a ‘spreadable commodity’ – clearly vinified, easy to drink, consumer-oriented – and they are produced in quantities that turn traditional volume and pricing models on their head.
And they are having an impact. The few metres of shelf space devoted to these affordable Reservas are eating into sales of German and Austrian red wines, particularly where consumers are not clinging nostalgically to their homeland but are making decisions based on price and value: ‘What do I get for my money?’ A Spanish Reserva – especially in a magnum bottle – for under ten euros today answers that question more convincingly than many a local table wine. No matter how patriotic a buyer may be – if a magnum of a reasonably well-made red wine catches the eye and the price tag seems like a joke, then the bargain hunter’s instinct often triumphs over loyalty to local produce.
And it doesn’t stop at this one wine. In 2026 – and we can say this with a fair degree of certainty even now – a flood of affordable, decent to very decent wines from southern European wine-growing regions will inundate our shelves. From Italy to Spain, from Portugal to the south of France: established brands, new brands, large volumes, low prices. This is not a passing fad, but a structural shift in the market. The reasons are as sober as they are complex: increased yields, harvest prices, distribution chains, inflationary pressure, international demand – and the simple fact that many southern European regions can now deliver exactly what the broad, price-sensitive consumer demands: flavour without pretension, flawless drinkability, and a price that leaves no room for regret.
Whether that is good or bad – that is something everyone can and must answer for themselves. But if, at the weekend, you suddenly spot a magnum for €9.90 next to the milk at Netto, which you would seriously consider opening with your meal – then perhaps that is no longer a coincidence, but a symptom. A symptom of a wine market that is reordering itself – and of a consumer base that has long since ceased to think merely in regional terms, but now thinks globally.