What is Campo Viejo Wine Like?
Campo Viejo is a real leading light for old world wine brands, hailing from one of the most traditional wine regions in the Old World, Rioja, it occupies an almost unique position as a stand alone brand, representing the old world against a plethora of new world wine brands from Austrlia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina. There are few European brands that match its scale and it is by far the number one Rioja brand worldwide.
Campo Viejo has long been a stalwart of the Spanish wine industry, and red wine drinkers love it, putting it as one of the biggest wine brands in the world. Rioja has always been extremely popular, but with the wines from the new world putting that to the test, Campo Viejo came in at an opportune moment for Spanish wine and maintained that loyal following for decades more.
After a few years in the doldrums, when quality dipped, and the world seemed to forget Spain in favour of the New World wines, sales of Spanish wines are now riding high again, in large part thanks to the reputation of Campo Viejo.
The Campo Viejo Experience
Rioja is steeped in centuries of tradition, from the grape varieties it is produced from to the tightly controlled regions and indeed methods of production and ageing. Campo Viejo has taken from all of this and evolved it with the time. However, Campo Viejo was not started until 1959, by two local winemakers, Beristan and Ortiguela, making it a youngster, compared to many old Rioja companies.
Initially working out of a small winery, their objective was to bring a more modern and expressive approach to traditional Rioja winemaking by bringing out the vibrant, colourful side rather than the stuffy traditions. Their early success led to the building of their first ‘bodega’ (Spanish for winery), in 1969, in Logrono, at the very heart of the Rioja region. By the mid seventies, Campo Viejo was a force to be reckoned with, and was at the very forefront of the market, with distribution right across Spain, and increasingly, internationally.
Having established themselves as the leading Rioja brand, Campo Viejo continued to put Rioja on the map by winning a coveted gold medal at a major competition in 1987 in Bordeaux. Never ones to rest on their laurels, the winemakers and company owners continued to focus on making more accessible, modern styles of Rioja, whilst maintaining the inherent style of the product. They also focused very strongly on sustainable and environmentally friendly practices both in the vineyards and in their winemaking techniques.
In 2001, Campo Viejo opened the doors to its new, state of the art winery, still in Logrono, a masterpiece of cutting edge winemaking techniques, architecture and sustainability. It was built in less than 3 years, and was the most modern and innovative winery in the region at that time, and the first one to publicly nail its colours to the mast of the ‘green’ or environmental movement, officially achieving its carbon-neutral certification before any other Spanish winery in 2012.
Today, Campo Viejo champions that same passion and innovation and has remained the no.1 Rioja on the market. They've picked up over a thousand awards, including more recently the International Wine and Spirits Record IWSR (2024) as both the number one brand in Rioja and the number one Spanish still wine brand.
They work with over 500 growers across Rioja, giving them incredible diversity and blending options which allows them to make the same great taste year on year, no matter the vintage. This range also offers them creativity, allowing the winemakers to experiment with different parcels to create new, bold and innovative styles. Whether it is fine tuning the classic Tempranillo or Garnacha wines, or making the premium Dominio, which is only made in the best vintages, their winemakers constantly evolve the brand.
What Wines Do Campo Viejo Make?
Campo Viejo produces a wide range of wines, all under the same brand name, showcasing fruit-driven modern wines, embracing traditional values. Whilst Tempranillo Rioja is the flagship of the brand, there are several other wines in the range:
Campo Viejo Cava – Whilst not strictly from Rioja, Campo Viejo produces top quality Cava from the Penedes region. The Gran Campo Viejo Cava is best described as fruity, complex and elegant with brioche and croissant flavours. Made the same way as Champagne, this is a superb value wine and we would strongly recommend it above Prosecco!
Campo Viejo Blanco Rioja – A fresh, crisp, very modern white, with no hint of the old fashioned oak that white Rioja used to be known for. Made from the Viura grape, it is zesty, tropical and lively with strong citrus flavours and floral notes.
Campo Viejo Rioja Garnacha – Showing off the lesser known Garnacha grape in Rioja, which is often a blend, this highlights its bright, fruity and herbaceous nature. Expect ripe red fruit with violet and lilac. Tannins are wonderfully silky and it has a lingering aftertaste.
Campo Viejo Rioja Tempranillo – The flagship and bestseller, the Tempranillo displays intense red fruit with a lovely vanilla finish. Exceptionally easy to drink, it is popular for a reason.
Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva – A more premium offering, the Reserva is aged for 4 years in oak and made from a classic Rioja blend of Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo. It is fruity still, but with more savoury depth and oak influence, imparting clove, vanilla and coconut notes.
Campo Viejo Rioja Gran Reserva – Rioja's longest-aged style, this is like the Reserva but dialled up a notch. Dark fruits combine with toasted oak, spices and tobacco with an extremely smooth and well balanced palate.
Campo Viejo Winemakers Blend – An exciting collaboration between 3 of their winemakers, blending Tempranillo, Garnacha and Bobal to create an expressive and silky wine bursting with fruit. This leans more into the red fruits (cherry, strawberry etc) which give it a refreshing edge.
Campo Viejo Dominio - Dominio is an iconic wine with an intense nose of red fruit (cherry, plum, blackberry, cranberry) melded with toast, spice and sweet notes of wood age. With age, it has begun to develop dry fruits, chocolate and balsamic tones. It is concentrated and powerful. Yet, it is also fresh and fragrant. The finish is silky smooth and lingering.
Pairing Campo Viejo Wines With Food
Spanish wines have always been designed to go with food, and the Campo Viejo philosophy and sponsorship of supper clubs, and tapas evenings supports this.
Campo Viejo Rioja – all the reds in the range are great food wines, but balance the intensity of the wine, with the intensity of the food. So Campo Viejo Tempranillo and the Winemakers Blend would be great with good, meaty burgers, meatballs, chorizo spiced rice dishes, and cheesy pasta. The Reserva makes for an elegant match with roast lamb, lamb chops, game, and seared steak, whilst the Gran Reserva and Dominio demand more illustrious fare, such as braised beef, slow roasted lamb with garlic and rosemary, mature cheeses, and rich game stews.
Campo Viejo Cava – great value party wines, perfect on their own, or with canapés, smoked salmon blinis, and bruschetta with tomato and basil.
Campo Viejo Blanco – this fresh, crisp white is perfect with grilled fish, pan-fried salmon, seared prawns, squid, and richly flavoured fish stew. Also great with little chicken kebabs with a red pepper sauce.