Rioja: 'Now is the perfect time to buy Rioja - here are my top 10 bottles'

At present, the world has around 25 million hectolitres of excess wine sloshing around in tanks, which converts to around 1,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

This is probably more pools than there are available.

The reason for this excess is the nature of the business. Growing vines is a long-term project.

They cost a lot of money to plant and then you need to wait a few years for the first crop, but once they get going, they keep producing for 40 years or more. But the market is not steady.

There is a younger generation taking time-out from wine as they explore the wonders of cocktails and low-alcohol beverages and so there is a bottleneck in the supply chain.

Australia, Italy, Bordeaux and now Rioja have all decided to stem the flow of excess wine by encouraging farmers to pull up some of their vines, usually giving them compensation when they promise not to replant for at least 10 years.

Rioja is about to pull up around 10 per cent of its vineyards which is a huge shame, because this will change the landscape of the region but alongside the vine-pull scheme there is a project aimed at encouraging producers to move up in quality, by cutting yields.

Over time this will mean prices will rise because of limited production and small yields, but right now we have a sweet spot in the Rioja market.

The supermarkets have taken advantage of the market and kept prices low for their own range of Rioja wines, while higher quality producers are being careful not to price themselves out of the market.

It means that there are some stunning bargains to be had for weekday drinking, and some top-notch wines for special occasions.

Here are my top ten Riojas to find on the shelves right now.

Baron Amarillo Rioja Joven, NV, Aldi £5.19: A fresh, juicy, light style of Rioja with plenty of raspberry fruit. Perfect for a midweek pizza.

Step up to the Reserva at just £5.99 for more red fruit flavours and structure.

Conde Alegre Rioja Crianza 2023, Sainsbury £7.50: New on the shelves and made in a fresh-tasting up-front fruity style, this wine has spent a full 12 months in a mix of French and American oak, but the taste of oak is in the background allowing black cherry and blackberry fruit to shine out.

There is a lovely savoury, vanilla finish.

Exceptional Marqués del Norte Rioja Reserva 2022, Asda £9: Medal winning at all the major competitions, this is a seriously good Rioja, with bright plum and black cherry flavours, a rounded, supple structure and just a hint of vanilla rounding out the finish. Perfect with grilled lamb.

El Duque de Miralta Rioja Reserva 2021, Marks and Spencer £12: Sourced from top-producer El Coto, this wine delivers seriously good flavours for your money. Red cherry and cranberry fruit, with a hint of savoury herbs and vanilla on the finish.

A silky, smooth wine. The price comes down by 20% when you buy any mixed 4 bottles in M&S stores.

Varietal de Ondarre Graciano Rioja 2023, Hic! £14.75: Normally Graciano is a small ingredient in the blend, but this is 100 per cent Graciano which makes it different from many other Riojas.

Deep in colour with lifted cherry and plum aromas, it has damson and bramble notes on the palate.

The oak is in the background, and there is a thread of freshness that makes this wine simply delicious.

CUNE Imperial Rioja Reserva 2020, Co-op £24.75 down to £21 until November 24: CUNE was founded 150 years ago, and the letters stands for Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España and so the abbreviation should be CVNE.

A typographical error, back in the mists of time, changed that to CUNE and the name has stuck.

This is a big company, with 1000 hectares of vines, but it takes quality very seriously and Imperial has long been an icon wine.

Aged for 24 months in French and American oak, this blend of Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha immediately shows off its dark cherry fruit, backed by a hint of oak and mocha.

The palate is rich and smooth, layered with bramble fruit, spice and with a definite grip of tannin. A Sunday lunch kind of wine, pour this alongside a rib of beef or leg of lamb.

Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Reserva, 2020, Roberts and Speight £24.99: From a historic, single estate which has seen considerable investment in recent years.

Mainly Tempranillo with a substantial splash of Graciano and Mazuelo, this has spent two years in oak, although the berry fruit still shines through with complex notes of spice and truffle.

Most retailers are moving on to the 2022 vintage. Snap up the 2020 vintage if you can.

Contino Reserva Rioja 2021, Campbells of Leyburn down from £30.05 to £24.99: Contino is a 62-hectare estate, owned by the CUNE company but run as an independent entity. Contino wines always have a sheen of quality with cherry and plum fruit, oak and structure in perfect harmony.

I tasted this vintage just a week or so ago and it was delicious with silky, ripe fruit.

If you are nowhere near Leyburn then head to Roberts and Speight in Beverley, who list this wine at £24.99, with discounts for multibuy purchases.

Both Yorkshire retailers are well under Tesco’s price of £27, so buy several bottles to see you through these dark evenings.

Viña Ardanza Rioja Reserva 2019, La Rioja Alta, Bon Coeur Fine Wines down from £45 to £30: One of my favourite Riojas, this comes from one of Rioja’s oldest and most famous wineries.

Classic in style with delicate, sweet raspberry and red cherry notes, wrapped in gentle, old oak, with spice, earthy notes and supple tannins.

Queiron Mi Lugar, Rioja 2021, Ake and Humphris £30: An example of a new style of Rioja, which takes a step back in time.

It comes from a family-owned vineyard, where old vines, Tempranillo and Garnacha, are grown at altitude.

This is a wine that concentrates on fruit, not oak, and its blackberry and plum fruit is wrapped in silky tannins and elegance.