SPANISH
WINES
READING BETWEEN THE WINES:
For
a bad night, a mattress of wine.
— Spanish proverb
In
Spain, you won’t go to a winery to get your vino on.
You will go to a bodega. And in several Spanish bodegas,
you will have the option of ordering traditional European-born
favorites like Cabernet or Chardonnay, but then again Spain
has some very delectable red, white, and sparkling wines
of its very own.
These
splendid wines include the robust Rioja, the sparkling Cava,
and the sugary-sweet sherry. The great taste of Spanish
wines is not necessarily a surprise, but the low price you’ll
pay for them will be. So just when you thought the only
Spanish wine worth sipping was the kind with loads of tangy
fruit floating in it, Spanish bodegueros blew the cork out
of that idea.
MAJOR
SPANISH WINE REGIONS
North
to south, fine wine regions scatter the southwest European
country of Spain. The major appellations in Spain are Penedès,
Rioja, Navarra, Ribera del Duero, and the “Sherry
Triangle,” which encompasses the regions around the
three well-known sherry-producing cities of Jerez de la
Fronterra, Sanlucar de Barrameda, and Santa Maria.
THE
GRAPES
The top grapes of the Spanish kind are as follows:
| Red
Grapes |
White
Grapes |
| Tempranillo |
Pedro
Ximénez |
| Garnacha
Tinta |
Moscatel |
| |
Palomino |
SPANISH
REDS:
Tempranillo
If any grape defines Spanish reds, the Tempranillo is it.
Used in the Rioja reds and those from the Ribera del Duero
region, its juices bring plum and black currant beauty out
in Spain’s most fabulous red wines.
Garnacha
Tinta
Often crushed with the Tempranillo to make delightful Rioja
red medleys, the Garnacha Tinta, known as a Grenache in
France, makes light-colored, full-flavor wines on its own.
SPANISH
WHITES:
Pedro
Ximénez
“Sherrrry, Sherrrry Bay-Bee,” now that’s
Mr. Ximénez’s song! His soulful juices are
often blended with Palomino and Moscatel to create some
of Spain’s sweetest sherries. His sherries combine
rich color, dried fruit aromas, and sweet velvety raisin
flavors.
Moscatel
In Spain, this sweet little sugar dumpling of a grape marks
its glory in mostly sweet and very floral wines although
it’s been known to blend well for some dry whites
as well. All its wines are fragrant and flavored with fruity
raisin-esque qualities.
Palomino
A plate of tapas and a glass of Palomino-based sherry make
for a mouthful of yummy Español at its best. Palomino
sherries are rich with dry and tangy almond flavors.
HOW
TO ORDER/BUY
Since Spanish wines are unique to Spain, even seasoned wine
drinkers have a hard time choosing from its extensive wine
lists. So aspiring Spanish wine lovers ought to get familiar
with the label information. See the “Legal Quality
Code” section below for the labeling requirements,
but start here to get to know some of the vino español
terminology.
Wine
types:
• Tintos are reds
•
Claretes are light reds
• Rosados are rosés
• Blancos are whites
• Cavas are sparkling wines, similar to champagne
Where
to start:
• Red lovers: Try a Rioja Crianza or Reserva or
a Ribera del Duero Crianza or Reserva
• Red or white lovers: Try a Penedès Crianza
or Reserva
• Sherry lovers: Try a Jerez Fino or Amontillado
• Champagne lovers: Try a Cava Brut or Seco
CHOOSING
A SPANISH WINE
Various
Penedès Producers
| Bodegas
J. Sardà |
Codorníu |
| Freixenet |
Juve
y Camps |
| Leopardi
Llopart |
Montsarra |
| Raïmet |
Segura
Viudas (Aria) |
| Segura
Viudas (Brut Vintage) |
Segura
Viudas |
Various
Navarra Producers
| A.
y B. Marino (Palazio de Muruzabal Chardonnay) |
Bodega
Nekeas |
| Bodegas
de Sarria Vifia del Perdon |
Bodegas
Ochoa Reserva |
| Bodegas
Piedemonte |
Bodegas
Viña Magaña (Eventum) |
| Jane
Ventura |
Jaume
Serra |
| Joan
Raventos Rosell |
La
Cruceta |
| Torres |
|
Various
Ribera del Duero Producers
| Bodegas
Arzuga |
Bodegas
Ismael Arroyo |
| Bodegas
Riberalta (Vega Izan) |
Bodegas
Rodero |
| Bodegas
Valduero |
Bodegas
y Viñedos Alion |
| Grandes
Bodegas Marqués del Velilla |
Hijos
de Antonio Barcelo |
Various
Rioja Producers
| Baron
de Oña |
Berberana
(Reserva) |
| Beronia
(Gran Reserva) |
Bodegas
Amezola de la Mora |
| Bodegas
Bilbainas (Viña Pomal) |
Bodegas
Faustino |
| Bodegas
Martinez Bujanda |
Bodegas
Montecillo |
| Bodegas
Muriel |
Bodegas
Sierra Cantabria |
| Bodegas
y Viñedos del Marqués de Vargas |
Campo
Viejo (Gran Reserva) |
| Contino |
CVNE
(Compañía Vinícola del Norte de
España |
| Faustino |
Larchago |
|
Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia |
Marques
de Caceras |
| Marques
de Murrieta |
Marques del Puerto (Gran Reserva) |
| Marques
de Riscal |
Martinez
Bujanda |
| Siglo |
Viña
Ijalba |
| Viña
Salceda |
|
Various
Sherry Producers
| Alvear |
Argueso
(Cream Sherry) |
| Antonio
Barbadillo |
Diego
Romero |
| Domecq-Marques
de Arienzo Reserva (Rioja) |
Emilio
Lustau |
| Gonzalez
Byass |
Herederos
de Argüeso |
| Hijos
de Agustin Blázquez |
Pedro
Domecq |
| Sandeman |
Valdespino |
| Wisdom
& Warter |
|
LEGAL
QUALITY CODES
Spain has specific laws in place to strictly control wine
quality and ensure each wine’s origin, authenticity,
and style. The governmental Regulatory Council (Consejo
Regulador) standardizes wine labels with regard to:
1.
Classification
• Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOC)
– Superior quality, only awarded to Riojas so far.
• Denominación de Origen (DO) – High
quality.
• Vino de Mesa – Table wines.
2. Quality levels, defined by aging
• Gran Reserva: The best vintages aged a minimum
2 years in oak and 3 in the bottle.
• Reserva: Aged a minimum of 1 year in oak and 2
in the bottle or a combination of both.
• Crianza: Aged 6 to 12 months in oak.
• Sin Crianza: Not aged in oak or aged less than
1 year in oak.
3. Winery or bodega
4. Appellation of origin
5. Vintage date
6. Alcohol content
References
www.epicurious.com
www.internationalrecipesonline.com
www.jrnet.com
www.spanish-fiestas.com
www.tastings.com
www.thewinedoctor.com
www.vindevin.com
www.wine.about.com
www.winemag.com
www.winespectator.com
|
