White vs red

Assuming that many of us chill our red wine briefly in the fridge before opening, there is no longer any argument about the convenience of red over white. The question may be tongue-in-cheek, but it frames a genuine shift: white wines are gaining serious ground even in regions where reds have long reigned supreme.

Globally, white wine's star is rising. Data shows red wine sales falling faster than white - in the US reds dropped 6.4 per cent while whites only 2.5 per cent, with Chardonnay outselling Cabernet Sauvignon by case volume. Across Europe and even China, consumers are drinking less overall but choosing more whites, prompting producers to rethink vineyards and portfolios.

In France, sweet wine producers in Sauternes are pivoting to dry blends to survive. In Spain's Rioja, red remains dominant, but an oversupply crisis and changing tastes are pushing bodegas to spotlight their neglected white grapes. Chief among these is Viura (Macabeo) - the same variety used in cava - capable of producing wines that range from zesty and fresh to rich and oaky, even orange wines in some regions.

For years, Rioja's regulations stifled white plantings; now, old Viura vines are yielding striking results. Wines like CVNE Monopole Rioja Blanco Seco 2024, lively and aromatic, and Ontañón Viura 2021, rounder and lees-aged, show what the region can do when it lets white wine have its head.

The rise of Rioja blanco isn't the death of Rioja tinto, but its evolution - a sign of how shifting markets and daring winemakers can rewrite tradition without losing soul. The future, it seems, is looking distinctly pale-gold.