CorkonomicsThe economics of wine production, collection, and vineyards
The numbers
Vineyard land · Pauillac≈$2,798,250 a hectare▼ down 17% on 20232024Opening price · Château Lafite Rothschild 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 17% on the year beforeSold at auction · Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, DRC 2019$22,917 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Burgundy grand cru (Pinot Noir)$48–283US duty on wine from · Canada+50%since Aug 2026Everyday bottle in a US shop$13.77 a litre▼ down 1.3% in a yearSep 2026Vineyard land · Margaux≈$1,567,020 a hectare▼ down 7% on 20232024Opening price · Château Cheval Blanc 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 22% on the year beforeSold at auction · La Tâche Grand Cru, DRC 2018$5,417 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Champagne prestige cuvée$26–89US duty on wine from · Australia+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte-Rôtie≈$1,511,055 a hectare▲ up 8% on 20232024Opening price · Château Mouton Rothschild 2025≈$336 a bottle▲ up 19% on the year beforeSold at auction · Richebourg Grand Cru, DRC 2012$3,542 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Bordeaux classified growth (2nd–5th)$17–61US duty on wine from · New Zealand+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte de Nuits grand cru≈$7,275,450 a hectare2019Opening price · Château Palmer 2025≈$268 a bottle▼ down 19% on the year beforeVineyard land · Pomerol≈$2,238,600 a hectare2023
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Rioja

Spain's classic red, mellowed by years in oak.

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Vineyards in Rioja

Rioja in a minute

The grapes
Tempranillo, often with a little Garnacha
What it tastes like
Cherry, vanilla, leather and sweet spice. Smooth.
The grapes grown here
GrenacheTempranillo

Good to know

Much Rioja is aged at the winery before it is sold, so it is ready to drink when you buy it.

On the label

Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva tell you how long the wine was aged, from shortest to longest.

What the land costs

The dearest vineyards here are in Rioja DOCa: ≈$44,772–≈$134,316 a hectare (2024). Zone by zone

An old stone cellar lined with barrels and niches full of dusty bottles
An old cellar where the wine rests, first in barrel and then in bottle. Rioja is aged for you before it goes on sale.
The business side

Rioja is a large region (about 65,000 ha) with a small collectible tier built on long-aged gran reservas — Castillo Ygay, La Rioja Alta's 890 and 904, López de Heredia's Tondonia. Land and grape prices are low by French standards, which is the economic reason Rioja's top wines are inexpensive relative to their scarcity and age.

Economics in brief

The Consejo Regulador caps yields and sets aging rules (gran reserva: at least five years, two in barrel). Grape prices are reported regionally and have been in the low euros per kilo. Because the classic bodegas release gran reservas after a decade or more, the estates carry very large aging inventories relative to sales — the defining financial feature of the region.

Facts and figures

Vineyard area
≈ 65,000 haConsejo Regulador DOCa Rioja
Gran reserva aging
≥ 5 years, ≥ 2 in oakConsejo Regulador DOCa Rioja
Vineyards of Rioja
Haro - Bodegas Rioja Santiago Zarateman · Wikimedia Commons · CC0
Vineyards of Rioja
Haro La Rioja , viñedos Elsilo.cesar · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Vineyards of Rioja
Aldeanueva de Ebro - viñedos 1 Zarateman · Wikimedia Commons · CC0

Good years and bad

All regions →
YearHow the year was ratedThe growing season
2010Excellent
2009Very Good
2007Good
2005Excellent
2004Excellent
2001Excellent

Who makes the famous wines here

All producers →
Marqués de Murrieta, RiojaProducerMarqués de MurrietaThe 300-hectare Ygay estate outside Logroño and Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, released after a decade…

Famous wines from here

All →
Marqués de Murrieta, Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

Appellations

Rioja AltaAppellationRioja AltaThe classic heart of Rioja: Haro's station district, La Rioja Alta, López de Heredia and Marqués de…

What a bottle costs to make here

All models →
A glass of mellow red wine and a plate of lamb chops in a stone archway above a Spanish hill town

Rioja gran reserva

$14–$53 to make one bottle

The longest-aged kind of Rioja. The land and the grapes are cheap. The cost is in keeping the wine for five years or more before selling it.

The numbers behind the region: land, grapes, yields and costs

Compare regions

InputRangeUnitYearSource
Land — what a hectare of vineyard sells for
Vineyard land, Rioja DOCa40,000–120,000EUR/ha2024Ministerio de Agricultura
Grapes — what growers are paid
Tempranillo grapes, Rioja1–2EUR/kg2024Gobierno de La Rioja / trade reporting
Aging — time in barrel or on lees
Gran reserva minimum aging60months2024Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja

Where the inputs come from

  1. Ministerio de Agricultura, Encuesta de precios de la tierra
  2. Gobierno de La Rioja / trade reporting
  3. Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja

Sources

  1. Estadísticas, Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja, 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
Last reviewed: September 2026Report an error on this page

Related

CountrySpainRegionRibera del DueroAppellationRioja AltaGrapeGrenacheGrapeTempranilloProducerMarqués de Murrieta