| Following the decades of commercial
and export success of Rioja,
wine producers in all regions of Spain have put in hard, solid,
enological work and serious investment. The result is an enormous
range of quality wines available all over the country. The
variety of these wines is shown by the vast difference between
the top three Spanish wine names: Rioja
(classic, Burgundy-style wines), Sherry
(the fortified wine), and Cava
(the champagne-method wine). Other top Spanish wine regions
are Ribera
del Duero, Cariñena,
Málaga,
Toro,
Jumilla
and Somontano
- there is a full list at the end of this article.
One of the factors contributing towards the maintenance of
the regional characteristics of Spanish wine is the use of
indigenous grape varieties - including ungrafted, Phylloxera-proof
vines. These varieties include Tempranillo, Garnacha, Albariño,
and a host of others.
Regionally, wine is made in almost every corner of the country,
as you can see from this Map of Spanish Wine Regions. The
traditional basic "unit" of wine regions is the
DO, denominación de origen, denomination or
designation of origin, the Spanish equivalent of the French
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée. DOs
have a dual function: on the one hand, they serve as guarantees
of quality and to conserve the local identity of the wine,
so their consejos reguladores, regulatory boards,
lay down the law as to the kinds of grape which can be used
in that area, standards of quality, and so on. On the other,
they are agencies marketing the wine of their particular region.
There are now nearly 70 DOs, some historic, like Rioja,
others relatively new, a couple so new their wine hasn't even
appeared on the market yet.
It must be pointed out that not all bodegas (wineries)
wish to be included in the corresponding DO and are not obliged
to if they do not so wish. Their wines may be sold under their
own labels, as Vinos de Mesa (table wines), or under the heading
Vinos de Tierra, the latter normally being a kind of marketing
board corresponding to a political region - Andalucia, Aragón,
etc. (and a new, nationwide DO, Viñedos de España,
is on the horizon).
The amount of aging to which the wine is subjected varies
from region to region. These are the minimum lengths of time:
- Cosecha wines are young and have
not been cask-aged, but correspond to a particular year -
generally last year or the year before (but there is a new
type of wine called 'High Expression', a kind of nouvelle
vin - these wines are likely to be pricey). .
- Crianza wines are aged for two
years, with at least one year in cask (usually oak).
- Reserva wines are aged for at
least one year in an oak cask and at least one year in the
bottle, with a further year in either.
- Gran Reserva wines are oak cask-aged
for a minimum of 18 months, plus at least three years in the
bottle and a minimum of five years total nefore being released
on to the market.
With all these different types of wine, many of which are
not exported and so cannot be found outside Spain, wine enthusiasts
will not want to miss the opportunity to try them when visiting
the country. Furthermore, some Spanish wines, particularly
the classic sherries, are radically different in character
when sold abroad.
And although prices are rising, wine in Spain continues to
be highly accessible - it is not uncommon for the bottle of
water on your lunch table to cost more than the wine. In a
restaurant, an ordinary table wine should cost no more than
3-8€), a good vino de crianza will be around 7-10€,
and a reserva or gran reserva, vintage wine,
is within your reach for as little as 15€). If you intend
to try the legendary Vega Sicilia, however, you may have to
reach for your overdraft - prices begin at around 210 €.
Go to Denominaciones de Origen
A-B, C-H,
Jeréz
(Sherry), J-M,
N-S, T-Y
Alella
Alicante
Almansa
Arabako Txakolina (Chacolí of Álava)
Arlanza (see the province of Burgos)
Arribes del Duero (province of Salamanca)
Bierzo
Binissalem
(Mallorca)
Bullas
Calatayud
Campo
de Borja
Cariñena
Catalunya
Cava*
Cigales
Conca
de Barberà
Condado
de Huelva
Costers
del Segre
Chacolí de Bizkaia-Bizkaiko-Txakolina (Vizcaya)
Chacolí de Guetaria-Guetariako-Txakolina (Guipúzcpoa)
Dominio de Valdepusa (province of Toledo).
El
Hierro
Empordà
(previously Ampurdán-Costa Brava)
Gran
Canaria y Monte Lentiscal
Jeréz-Xérès-Sherry
y Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Jumilla
La
Mancha
La
Palma
Lanzarote
Málaga
Manchuela, Castilla La Mancha (Cuenca and Albacete)
Méntrida, province
of Toledo
Mondéjar
Monterrei
Montilla-Moriles
Montsant
Navarra, province of Navarre
Pago Guijoso, province of Albacete
Penedès
Pla de Bages, province
of Barcelona
Pla i Llevant (Majorca
Island)
El
Priorat
Rías Baixas, province
of Pontevedra
Ribeira
Sacra
Ribeiro
Ribera
del Duero
Ribera
del Guadiana
Ribera
del Júcar
Rioja
Rueda
Sierras
de Málaga
Somontano
Tacoronte-Acentejo
Tarragona
Terra
Alta
Tierra de León (province of León)
Tierra del Vino de Zamora (province of Zamora)
Toro
Uclés
Utiel-Requena
Valdeorras
Valdepeñas
Valencia
Valle
de Güímar
Valle
de La Orotava
Vinos
de Madrid
Ycoden-Daute-Isora
Yecla
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