La Rioja awards 1.51 million euros to eight winery modernization projects

The government of La Rioja has awarded 1,513,882.66 euros in public aid to eight winery and cooperative projects to support the modernization of wine production facilities in the Spanish region, according to a resolution published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja on Sept. 3.

The funding will back planned investments worth 4,307,805.05 euros under the 2026 call for applications for wine sector investment aid included in Spain’s 2024-2027 wine sector intervention program. The grants are financed entirely through the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund, known by its Spanish acronym FEAGA, for the 2027 fiscal year.

The approved aid covers about 35.1% of the total investment tied to the selected projects. In practical terms, that means the program is mobilizing about 2.85 euros in planned private and cooperative investment for every euro in public support.

La Rioja said the 2026 call received 18 applications. Eight were approved after a competitive review process and budget adjustments linked to the spending limit set at Spain’s Sectoral Agriculture Conference. That means 44.4% of the applications were accepted, while 10 projects did not receive funding.

The beneficiaries named in the resolution are Bodegas Santalba S.A., Bodega CM de Matarromera S.L., Unión Viti-Vinícola S.A. Viñedos de Cenicero, Bodegas Urbina S.L., Bodegas Proelio S.L.U. with two projects, Bodegas Miguel Merino S.L., and Viñedos de Aldeanueva Sociedad Cooperativa, whose application was approved in part.

The regional government said it had notified Spain’s Agriculture Ministry that financial needs for this aid line in La Rioja totaled 2,811,470.78 euros. The final allocation covered 53% of that amount, leaving roughly 1.30 million euros in requested funding without coverage. Based on the difference between requested and assigned funds, the gap stands at about 1,297,588.12 euros.

According to La Rioja’s official communication, the shortfall came despite the existence of 8.99 million euros still unassigned in the FEAGA 2027 financial envelope from unused funding originally linked to promotion in non-EU markets. The regional administration said it has formally asked the Spanish government to reallocate those funds so that more projects in La Rioja, and potentially other wine measures, can be financed.

The grants relate to investment plans, not to projects that have already been completed. Under the program rules, the companies and cooperative receiving the aid must finish the investments and submit proof of spending by April 30, 2027.

The resolution is part of a broader support framework for Spain’s wine sector, where public money is used to co-finance upgrades to industrial facilities and production systems. In this case, the regional government did not provide figures on how much new capacity the eight projects may add, what savings they may generate, or whether they will lead to higher output, lower costs, or new jobs.

That leaves the current announcement centered on financing rather than measurable industrial results. What is known is that eight projects in La Rioja’s wine industry secured public support for modernization, while more than half of the funding requested by the region was not granted and a majority of applicants were left without aid in this round.