2018 Viña Real Gran Reserva, CVNE, Rioja
A Selección Especial Gran Reserva, reserved for only the finest vintages
Why You'll Love It
- Selección Especial
A distinction Viña Real reserves only for wines from the finest vintages. - The Tasting Favourite
Jonathan Ray and his fellow tasters unanimously picked the 2018 as their favourite from the offer. - Special Spectator Offer
Now £29 per bottle, down from £31.95.
Jonathan Ray's Verdict
"Unsurprisingly, the 2018 CVNE Viña Real Gran Reserva Selección Especial was everyone’s favourite. ‘This is what Rioja is all about!’ exclaimed Mrs R., beaming. Felicity just sighed happily and gulped noisily. A 95 per cent Tempranillo/5 per cent Graciano blend from the finest plots, aged for two years in barrel and three in bottle, it’s soft, smooth and mellow with sweet, ripe plums and prunes, leather, tobacco and the gentlest of tannins. Its ‘Especial’ moniker is only ever accorded in the finest of vintages, of which this is clearly one."
- Jonathan Ray, The Spectator Magazine (tasted August 2026)
Rioja Reserved for the Finest Vintages
The Selección Especial name isn't used lightly. It is reserved for Viña Real wines from the finest vintages, and the 2018 was the unanimous favourite when Jonathan Ray and his fellow tasters sat down to taste the range.
Made from 95% Tempranillo and 5% Graciano sourced from the finest plots, it spends two years in barrel followed by three years in bottle. The result is a Gran Reserva with all the maturity you'd hope for, yet with a softness and elegance that makes it wonderfully approachable now. At £29 in The Spectator offer, this is a particularly fine example of classic Rioja.