Vintage Weather

Rioja

Temperature

Cold → Hot

Year	Temperature	Events	Read
2025	Warm	Mildew / rot, Low yield, Heat spike	Mildew cut the crop, then a calm autumn earned an Excellent rating.
2024	No weather read	Low yield	Rated Good by the Consejo, off a harvest growers called historically small.
2023	Hot	Frost, Harvest rain, Heat spike	Record August heat and split-timing September rain shaped a Very Good year.
2022	Hot	Drought, Heat spike, Hail	Spain's hottest July on record still produced surprisingly fresh, healthy wines.
2021	Average	Frost, Hail	Frost and hail tested growers, but warm days and cool nights won out.
2020	Warm	Mildew / rot	A warm, wet spring triggered historic mildew, but skilled growers pulled through.
2019	Warm	Low yield, Harvest rain	A warm, dry, low-yield year earned Rioja's first Excelente since 2011.
2018	Cool	Mildew / rot	A cooler, wetter season built fresher wines with lower alcohol than 2017.
2017	Hot	Frost, Drought, Low yield	April frost and summer drought forced Rioja's earliest-ever, concentrated harvest.
2016	Warm	Heat spike	A dry summer and late heat spike still built a large, balanced crop.
2015	Hot	Drought	The hottest, driest year yet produced Rioja's earliest-ever, concentrated harvest.
2014	Cool	Mildew / rot, Botrytis, Harvest rain	A cool, mildew-prone summer was rescued by a warm, dry September finish.
2012	Hot	Drought, Hail, Low yield	Spain's worst drought since 1945 produced a tiny but healthy, ripe crop.
2011	Hot	Drought, Low yield	Near-total summer drought concentrated fruit into a second straight Excelente year.
2010	Warm	Harvest rain	Warm conditions and a deliberate yield cut built an Excellent, elegant year.
2009	Hot	Drought, Hail	A hot, dry summer and early harvest built a generous, Very Good year.
2008	Cool	Mildew / rot	A wet, mildew-prone spring was rescued by a long, warm Indian summer.
2007	Cool	Mildew / rot, Hail, Harvest rain	A cool, rainy, mildew-hit year that still found elegant, aromatic wines.
2006	Warm	Hail, Mildew / rot	A wet start, August heat, and scattered hail made a fresh, supple year.
2005	Cool	Harvest rain	Cooler and drier than 2004, this vintage ages slowly into a classic.
2004	Average		A slow, even ripening season with cool nights built precise, age-worthy wines.
2001	Hot	Drought, Harvest rain	A long, hot, dry season built one of Rioja's greatest Excelente vintages.
1999	No weather read	Frost, Low yield	Spring frost cut yields, but a late harvest still delivered real concentration.
1998	Warm	Harvest rain	A hot, dry summer and small crop built concentrated, age-worthy wines.
1997	No weather read		A dry summer drove record yields but diluted quality in lower vineyards.
1996	Average	Harvest rain	A promising, balanced season undone by heavy rain right before harvest.
1995	Warm	Frost	A warm, well-watered year that delivered abundant, ripe, Excelente-rated wines.
1994	Hot	Frost, Low yield	A hot, dry, frost-thinned harvest producing small yields and brilliant concentration.
1991	Cool	Frost, Hail, Botrytis, Harvest rain	A cold, wet, frost-hit year that produced lean, high-acid, age-worthy wines.
1989	Warm	Frost, Hail	A frosty start and summer hail could not stop an early, warm harvest.