Sainsbury’s CVNE Rioja Gran Reserva

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30 June 2026

Sainsbury’s CVNE Rioja Gran Reserva was previously a favourite of mine and I have followed it over the years because it changes more than you might expect from vintage to vintage. I picked this 2018 vintage at the last Sainsbury’s Autumn press tasting and I wanted to try it again in a more relaxed setting.

It is produced for Sainsbury’s by CVNE Winery, and it is distinct to the winery’s usual own-brand Rioja range, which is available at Sainsbury’s and other retailers. For this vintage the blend is 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, although the ABV has dipped slightly to 13.5% since the 2016 vintage.

There are cherry and oak aromas and they are really excellent. Very inviting. Much like I found at the press tasting, this feels more tannic than the 2016. Also, I found the 2016 vintage had more body, sitting somewhere between medium and full-bodied, while this 2018 is more clearly medium-bodied. The label describes it as a smooth, rich and fruity Rioja. Smooth? Less so, because it has more tannin and less body that previously, so I’m guessing the bottle label was not updated. That said, after two days it does become smoother and more moreish.

The price is £16.50, which feels a bit steep, but with Sainsbury’s frequent ‘25% off’ offer it comes down to £12.37 and at that price it looks like a great buy.

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