Guide to Spanish Wine

Spain has long been recognized for its fortifiedCatalona's premiere wine region of Penedes,
wines, particularly sherry, or Jerez as it's knownlocated less than an hour south of Barcelona,
locally, but in recent years both production andproduces a range of still wines ranging from
quality of its table wines has improveddelicate whites to heavy reds, as well as the
remarkably.flagship Cava.
The third largest producer of wine in the worldSome of the more remote, or smaller regions
after France and Italy, Spain is now makinginclude Priorat, Rias Baixas, and Ribera-del-Duero.
inroads on to the international market for tableThe wine region of Somontano is located on a
wine due to improved marketing and betterhigh plateau in the ski region of Huesca, at the
quality production of its reds and whites.foot of the Pyrenees Mountains. The name
However, it's the fortified wine sherry which isSomontano literally means Under the Mountain
produced in the region around Jerez de laBut it is the region of Toro, a relatively little
Frontera, which has been the country's mainknown area located in Zamora province, that has
export for hundreds of years, with most of theSpanish wine writers excited. Many believe this is
sales being to the United Kingdom.Spain's most promising wine region.
Wine-making in Spain dates back to the RomanSpanish wines fall into two main categories:
Empire and was also influenced by an early GreekDOCa Denominacin de Origen Calificada is the
settlement.highest quality category for Spanish wine and the
There are four red grape varieties with the mostwines must be bottled in the region. Only Rioja
famous and noble being the Tempranillo, followedand recently also the Priorat wine region received
by Garnacha (also called Grenache), Graciano andDOCa status.
Mazuelo.. Crianza wines have been aged for twoDO Denominacin de Origen , the second category
years, Reservas for three years and Granis much like the French AOC that includes the
Reservas (also known as Reservas Especial) aremost renowned classical Spanish wines. The wines
aged for at least five years.have to meet the specifications of the Consejo
The harvest is influenced by the warm, hot, dryRegulador (Supervision of the individual wine
climate, which means the yield for Spanish grapesregions), who then determines whether a
is usually quite low. Harvest takes place fromwine-maker is entitled to use the DO label for his
August-October.wine.
There are many wine regions in Spain with theTable wines are classified as VdlT Vino de la
first being Rioja, which extends for about 120kmTierra, which are wines from areas with no DO
along both sides of the Ebro River and is boundedstatus as yet, but with an identifiable regional
by mountains on either side.character, VC Vino Comarcal, is the label given to
Navarra has transformed itself from producingareas that do not have great claims on quality,
generally oxidized roses to full-bodied reds in awhile VdM Vino de Mesa is wine produced from
very short time. Garnacha, once the workhorsegrapes from unclassified areas or blended from
rose grape has been replaced by the Tempranilodifferent classified areas.
grape to produce a better table wine.