I have tasted more good rioja this year than ever before. How come? Well, it hasn’t happened suddenly. New-wave rioja, with tempranillo-dominant fruit, less stringy oak and attenuated, leathery tannins, first popped up on our shop shelves a quarter of a century ago.

But delicious, juicy, plummy bottles such as Cosme Palacio’s pioneering red, which I first recommended in the mid-Eighties, remained rarities. The bulk of rioja continued to be evil, with impressive bright red hues but undistinguished or downright unpleasant weedy, earthy flavours. But rioja always had the potential of being a great wine. Slowly, ancient and modern rioja have met in the middle.

Traditional rioja houses have taken a leaf out of the handbooks of Telmo Rodríguez and other innovative young winemakers. The aggressive, excessive coconut and vanilla flavours of old, pongy American oak casks were relegated in favour of spicy, toasty new French oak barrels, or a combination of the two.

Those who could afford it went back to the Rioja region’s original strengths, which were low-yielding, old bush vines grown in great soil and given gentle handling.

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Tasty, darker, richer, spicier new-wave red rioja sold much earlier and, given far less time maturing endlessly in barrel and bottle, is now on offer alongside the traditional pale garnet red, delicate, sweet, truffley reservas and gran reservas.

Start your rioja appreciation class with Cosme Palacio’s delicious, bold, ripe, spicy, French oak barrique aged 2006 Rioja (Waitrose, £5.99) and compare it with the new American oak barrel matured 2005 El Meson Rioja Crianza, with its rich, ripe, vanillary fruit (Co-op, £4.99, limited stocks). £9.99 at Marks & Spencer brings you the French and American oak-aged 2005 Rioja Campo Aldea made from old, low-yielding graciano vines with a fine, spicy, earthy taste .

This week’s best buys

2007 La Galine Chardonnay, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France

Majestic Wine, £3.99.

Terrific new, lively, lemony, sub-£4 southern French partner to Majestic’s La Galine red, made from the chardonnay grape and oozing citrus and melon fruit flavours.

2006 Chalk Spring Vineyards, Limestone Coast Cabernet Sauvignon, South Australia

Majestic, down to £4.99 each until October 29 if you buy two.

Bargain basement sub-£5 Aussie red with lots of luscious, creamy, cassis and creosote-scented fruit.

2007 Les Orris Blanc, Vignerons du Château de Calce, Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes, France

Marks & Spencer, down £2 to £5.99 until September 27.

Gorgeous, spicy, grapey, mineral and vanilla-stacked, part barrel-aged grenache, with real oaky elegance and charm.

2007 Marin Ridge Shiraz, Monterey, California

Marks & Spencer, down £3 to £6.99.

This bold, inky, burly red is predominantly syrah topped up with the workhorse petite syrah grape. Its joyous, briary fruit is tailormade for the first hearty stews and casseroles of the season.

The keeper

2007 Leeuwin Estate, Art Series, Margaret River Riesling, Western Australia

Domaine Direct (020-7837 1142), £11.44.

2007 was a stand-alone riesling vintage for Western Australia. Take time to savour this shy Aussie white’s style and you will be rewarded after a minute or two with an explosion of tongue-tingling kerosene, lime and nettle-spiked fruit. As mouthwatering as this 2007 is now, give it a few years and even more lime zest spice will evolve. Drink now until 2013.

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