Is China getting a taste for Spanish whites?

Bodegas Riojanas director general Eduardo Sáinz Marotías tells db why white wines have become increasingly commercially important for the Spanish wine group, especially in the Chinese market.

“Traditionally we are a producer of red wine, but some years ago we started working in Spanish white wine appellations, like Rueda and Rías Baixas,” Marotías explained when speaking with the drinks business at ProWein last week.

The aforementioned wineries, including Albariño producer Veiga Naum and Rueda’s Bodegas Viore, which mainly cultivates Verdejo, specialise in white wines, but Bodegas Riojanas itself also produces White Rioja, including the Master medal-winning Monte Real Reserva Tempranillo Blanco Colección Larrendant 2020.

“Of course, there is a big change in consumer preferences worldwide – markets which weren’t interested in white wine, like China, are now demanding it, which is shocking,” he said. “When I visited China in 2009, there was no interest in sparkling or white wines, but now they are the ones buying them. The last order made by our importer in China is mainly whites! And not just young white wines, but for more complex ones with oak ageing – we are running out of stock every year.”

The recent rise in exports of Bodgeas Riojanas’ whites to China is certainly notable – in 2021, 12% of the company’s exports to the People’s Republic were white wine, whereas as of last year that figure had almost doubled to 21%.

“China is a market that is changing constantly – every year you go there and it has changed as much as some markets change in 25 years,” Marotías noted. “The culture is changing, the wine knowledge is improving. I guess their preferences are broadening to include white wines as well as reds.”

China is Bodegas Riojana’s sixth biggest export market, after the likes of Ireland, the UK, US, Mexico and Germany. In terms of exports, red wines are still dominant, constituting 88% of the company’s international sales in 2024.

Viura, Tempranillo Blanco and more…

Of course, white wine is not a new category for Spain, and certainly not a novelty for Rioja.

“Rioja has always produced white wines based on Viura – it’s not such an aromatic grape variety, and that’s why there is a tradition of ageing the whites to the Riserva or Gran Riserva level, but the demand is growing, even though the production is not huge. Some producers are planting more Viura, white Tempranillo, Malvasía etc.,” said Marotías.

According to the Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja, Viura makes up 6% of total vine plantings in the region, but more than two-thirds (67.94%) of all the white grapes grown. Tempranillo Blanco constitutes just 1% of all the vines planted in Rioja (12.6% of whites) and the aromatic Malvasía a mere 0.2% of the total (2.17% of white varieties).

In addition to Viura and Tempranillo Blanca, Marotías has a keen interest in what is, according to the consejo, the most historic grape in Rioja, with the earliest record of it dating back more than four centuries.

“I strongly believe in Maturana Blanca – it is something unique and is capable of producing complex white wines. It’s something to develop in the future.”

At present, despite its long history in Northern Spain, just 0.06% of the hectarage of Rioja under vine is planted with Maturana Blanca.

Asked about how climate change has affected white wine production in Rioja in particular, Marotías said: “It is producing whites with more alcohol – they used to be 12 or 12.5% ABV, and now they are 13 or 13.5% ABV. So, the alcohol increases, changing the profile of the wines, but it doesn’t make them difficult to produce.”

Given the stereotype that Chinese wine consumers prefer higher alcohol content styles, this then prompted the question of whether these ‘bigger’ wines are better for that market, but Marotías suggested that this trend does not necessarily hold true anymore: “In the past they [Chinese consumers] preferred more alcohol, but now I’m not sure they prefer it – other markets certainly prefer less alcohol, 12% instead of 13%.”

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