Bottle guide
Bottles worth buying on sight in the regions you're visiting — many at the very estates on your itinerary. Each says which vintage to grab (or skip), since that's where the real buy/avoid call lives.
Strong buygrails & region benchmarks — grab it if you see it and can swing the price
Must buyiconic and a genuinely good buy, especially at the source
Considervery good; buy if the price or the moment is right
RP = Robert Parker / Wine Advocate. Where vintage matters, the score is tied to the year noted. Prices are typical retail — usually lower at the bodega. ★ = you're visiting this estate, so buy at the source.
Vintage cheat-sheet — the buy/avoid framework
RiojaGrab: 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019 (and older classics 2001 / 2004 / 2005). Fine: 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020–21. Be wary: 2013 (rain & hail) and 2017 (frost + heat — variable).
PortVintage Port is only "declared" in great years, so any declaration is a safe bet — 2016, 2017 and 2011 are the superb recent ones. Tawny & Colheita: non-vintage — the year is irrelevant.
Douro redsGrab: 2011, 2017, 2019 (top tier); 2015, 2016, 2018 all solid.