UKAN: the wine that makes you feel like you're visiting Rioja itself
If you've been drinking Rioja for a while, you probably know it by how long it spent in oak and bottle: Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva. That system tells you almost nothing about where the grapes actually grew, because for most of Rioja's modern history, that wasn't really the point. Fruit from across the whole region got blended into a consistent house style, vintage after vintage.
UKAN Winery is part of a generation doing the opposite.
UKAN at a Glance
- Founded: 2018
- Location: Laguardia, Rioja Alavesa, DOCa Rioja, Spain
- Founder & Winemaker: Koldo Eguren
- Speciality: Single-vineyard Tempranillo from named Cru villages in Rioja Alavesa
- Signature Style: Precise, structured reds and a rare, ageable white, from old vines and low-yield, hands-on winemaking
Fifth-generation knowledge, a different set of decisions
Koldo Eguren is the fifth generation of a well-known Rioja winemaking family, and he set out to put that accumulated knowledge somewhere specific: single-vineyard grapes from key Cru villages around Laguardia, in Rioja Alavesa, one of three sub-zones inside the wider DOCa Rioja. UKAN keeps its old vineyards separate through fermentation instead of blending fruit region-wide, vinifying each plot on its own before deciding how, or whether, to bring them together.
The range follows a structure familiar from Bordeaux: UKAN itself sits at the top as the flagship wine, Senderos de UKAN is the second wine, and NAKU is the young, everyday expression built to drink now.
We were introduced to UKAN through Jamie at fellow independent Old Chapel Cellars, who discovered the winery and first flagged it to us. We then invited UKAN's ambassador, Alejandro, over to show us the full range, and the relationship has grown from there. Reserve Wines now has a semi-direct, exclusive relationship with the winery and we're very proud to introduce these wines to you.
As Koldo told Old Chapel Cellars "When you try UKAN wines, you should expect to feel like you're visiting Rioja itself and experiencing the essence of our land." We think he's achieved it, and can't wait for you to try for yourselves.
NAKU 2025 (£21, UK-exclusive to Reserve Wines)
NAKU is the way in. It's 100% Tempranillo from young vineyards across Laguardia, Elciego, Lapuebla de Labarca and Elvillar, made in the fresh, youthful style of the region's traditional village wines: red cherry, wild strawberry, a fine chalky thread from the limestone soils, soft tannins and enough freshness that it's genuinely good with a slight chill. It's UK-exclusive to us, and it's pouring by the glass across all our venues from late July through August 2026.
Senderos de UKAN 2022, (£29, the everyday-to-special step up)
The second wine in the range, blended from five separate old vineyards around Laguardia, some over sixty years old, each vinified on its own before coming together: dark cherry and plum fruit, fine, well-integrated tannins, all freshness and precision instead of sheer power. Rated 93 points by Tim Atkin MW and 94 by Peñín.
UKAN 2022 (£50, the flagship red)
The top of the range. Three old Tempranillo vineyards in Laguardia (Valderromán, El Estado and Zarzamochuelo, planted between 1940 and 1966), kept separate through fermentation and blended at the end. Low yields, around 3,500kg per hectare, and sixteen months in French oak give it real structure: dark cherry and blackberry, cedar, dried herbs and a whisper of vanilla spice, built to age. Rated 94 points by Tim Atkin MW and 93 by Peñín.
UKAN Blanco 2023 (£55, UK debut)
The white vines sit at the top of the same old red-grape plots: Valderromán (1945), El Estado (1966) and Zarzamochuelo (1940), mostly Viura with a small amount of Tempranillo Blanco and other local white varieties. Half the wine ages a year in new French oak, the rest in a raw concrete egg, then a further six months in the egg before bottling. It's dense and layered, with a fine mineral thread from the clay-limestone soils underneath. Decant it and take your time over it. This is the first white UKAN vintage available in the UK, just 2,302 bottles made, and it's already carrying a 94-point score from Tim Atkin.
Why we're behind this
UKAN's approach, village by village, vineyard by vineyard, is one of the more interesting things happening in Rioja right now. Start with NAKU by the glass at any of our bars this summer, then work your way up the range. Shop the UKAN range.
Leave a comment (all fields required)