Top 10 Barcelona duty free wine brands

Barcelona is not an international hub like Heathrow or Dubai but with over 35 million passengers travelling through it each year it still represents an incredibly important retail centre for wine brands.

Barcelona-El Parat International is a major European Airport and second in passenger volume in Spain only to Madrid.

Given its location in one of the worlds key wine producing nations, Barcelona offers a a very different “shop-front” to duty free outlets in non-wine producing countries such as the UK as there is greater demand for local wine brands as tourists travelling home buy last minute souvenirs and Spanish flying abroad purchase gifts.

The result is a list of top duty-free wine brands made up exclusively of Spanish wines.

Scroll through for the top value wines brands sold at Dubai international airport by…

To see the top 10 travel retail brands of 2013 click here. 

10. Faustino

First of the Rioja’s on this list, the family-owned Bodegas Faustino was established in 1861 and is one of the biggest wineries in Rioja.

The vineyards of Faustino are located in Logroño, Laguardia, Mendavia and Oyon within the Spanish wine region of Rioja and cover an area of about 650ha (1,600 acres).

The main grapes used for the production of wines within the vineyards are the Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano and Viura grapes which are typical of the vineyards within the region.

The winery can hold about 50,000 oak barrels and there is a permanent stock of some 9 million bottles.

9. Gonzáles Byass

Perhaps surprisingly to some this entry is not a still wine but Spain’s famous fortified Sherry, long the tipple of choice for great aunts at Christmas.

And while Sherry is witnessing a renaissance of sorts in the UK it never went anywhere in Spain and Gonzáles Byass, typically recognised by its signature dry white sherry Tio Pepe, is proof of that.

Gonzáles Byass is one of Spains morst renowned sherry bodegas and its origins can be traced all the way back to 1835.

On top of Tio Pepe, Gonzáles Byass also produces all main styles of sherry including Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez at several quality levels.

They also produce still wines including one of our top scoring reds at the 2014 drinks business Rioja Masters.

8. El Coto de Rioja

Second of three Rioja producers on this list El Coto was founded in 1970 by a group of winemakers committed to creating a new type of Rioja, releasing Its first  in 1975.

Today, El Coto is the leading brand in Spain and among the top-selling Spanish wines in Europe.

Five hundred hectares of estate vineyards are located in La Rioja Alta’s village of Cenicero and, with the exception of “Coto Real” Reserva and the 2014 drinks business Rioja Masters gold medal winning “Coto de Imaz” Gran Reserva, all reds are aged in new American oak barrel.

7. Marques de Riscal

The final Rioja producer in this list is one of the oldest Rioja wineries, founded in 1858.

Marqués de Riscal brought winemaking techniques from Bordeaux and transformed the face of Rioja and today produce a range of wines that give a nod to traditional Rioja rather than the more modern, fruit forward styles also available from the region.

As with Faustino, the main grapes used for the production of wines within the Marques de Riscal vineyards are Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano and Viura which are typical of the vineyards within the region.

6. Sangria

If you’ve spent any time in a Spanish taverna chances are good you’ve tried the Iberian combination of wine, fruit and brandy known as Sangria.

This entry covers several labels of the drink tipped for international success earlier this year as Millennials lead a trend for sweet, fruity wines.

5. Vega Sicilia

Much like Château Lafite Rothschild at Heathrow and Dubai duty-free Vega Sicilia takes a place here due to global recognition and premium price points.

Unarguably one of Spain if not the worlds most renowned fine wines the Ribera del Duero winery was established in 1864 and is regularly compared favourably with the best of the classed growths and icon wines the world over.

In the Uk the wines are available through Fields, Morris and Verdin.

4. United Wineries Iberia

Responsible for a range of Spanish wine brands including well knwon Banda Azul and Banda Oro.

3. Grupo Codorníu

Codorníu is the world’s largest producer of bottle-fermented sparkling wine or Cava which is made by the traditional champagne method.

It was founded in Catalonia in 1551 and produces 60 million bottles annually.

On top of Cava, Grupo Codorníu encompasses a wide array of wine brands from all across Spain as well as South America and New Zealand.

2. Eurobodegas

One of Spain’s best known producers of Sangria.

1. Miguel Torres

Founded in 1870 by Jaime Torres, Torres is a family winery with the largest winery in Spain and located in Penedès.

They produce a wide range of wines and styles and their flagship is the Mas La Plana, which won high praise in our 2014 drinks business Cabernet Sauvignon Masters.