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Spain is among the top three producers and exporters of wine, sharing the podium with France and Italy. In hot Iberia (one of the names of the Iberian Peninsula), juicy sweet grapes ripen, so the wines of Spain are distinguished by a tart and original taste.
By the number of vineyards (their area is more than 1.17 million hectares), the country ranks first in the world, but most of the brands were not exported until recently: the Spaniards themselves drink their wine with pleasure, and some famous Spanish wine houses have only recently entered the international arena .
A Brief History of Spanish Wine
Archaeologists claim that winemaking in this region began as early as 3-4 millennium BC, and during the Roman rule, Spanish red wines were a success throughout the Empire. In those days, the main suppliers of the life-giving drink were the regions of Tarragona and Andalusia. Ancient writers speak ambiguously about the quality of products: for example, Pliny the Elder extols the drink in every way, and Ovid notes that such wine is only suitable for a slave to get his mistress drunk.
Then came the period of the Arab yoke, during which wine in Spain, as in all Muslim countries, was banned. Only in the Middle Ages, after the Reconquista, the export of Spanish wines to Europe resumed: the English king Edward II valued these “gifts of Dionysus” as highly as the famous Gascon wines, and even more than the brands from La Rochelle.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus opened the New World under the Spanish flag – and a new market for the export of Spanish wine, especially since relations with England began to gradually deteriorate.
The heyday of Spanish winemaking can be considered the middle of the XNUMXth century, when Europe was struck by the phylloxera epidemic, which mainly affected France. A few years later, Spanish vines were also infected, but by that time the world had already become acquainted with the works of local winemakers, and salvation had already been found: grafting American vines with immunity to the disease to regional varieties.
By the end of the century, Cava production began in Catalonia – this is how Spanish sparkling wine appeared, which in the 2000th century became a serious rival to the famous Champagne. In the last century, the World Wars and the Spanish Civil War had a significant impact on the development of winemaking, but the inclusion of the country in the EU corrected the situation. By the early XNUMXs, Spain had taken its rightful place in the wine market.
Spanish wine classification
The quality of alcoholic beverages in Spain is strictly regulated by local laws, so that the buyer is protected from counterfeit or simply inedible product.
There are the following categories of wines:
- Vinos de Mesa (canteens). Sometimes you can find the name Vinos de Pasto (pasture wines), since initially these simple and inexpensive drinks were taken to pasture by shepherds to wash down their simple peasant dinner.
- Vinos de las Tierras (local table wines, “tied” to a specific region and meeting the requirements prescribed for it). By 2011, 43 administrative-territorial units were registered, to which such wine could belong.
- Vinos de Calidad con Indicaciones Geograficas (wines from a specific terroir). A better variation of the previous point, in 2010 only 6 regions could produce such wines.
- DO (name protected by origin). Five years ago there were 67 DOs (Denominacion de Origen) in Spain. Only manufacturers who have shown excellent product quality for 5 years can get into this most prestigious group.
- DOCa. (recognized denomination protected by origin). Today there are only two regions that fall into this category.
- DOQ (Same as DOCa., but in Catalonia).
- Vinos de Pagos (wine produced in a certain area using traditional technologies). In 2014, there were 12 Pagos in Spain.
Exposure time
Origin registration and technology control are all relatively recent inventions. In those days, when all these laws and regulations did not yet exist (and wine was drunk no less than today), aging was considered an indicator of quality.
Wines of the first two categories in the process of aging successively go through the following stages: Noble (one and a half years), Anejo (two years), Viejo (three years). The total exposure is considered both in oak barrels and in bottles after bottling.
Red Spanish wines from categories 3-6 are:
- Joven (crop of the current year);
- Crianza (from 2 years of exposure, 6 months – in oak barrels);
- Reserva (from 3 years of aging, a year in oak barrels);
- Gran Reserva (from 5 years of aging, 1.5 years in oak barrels).
For white and rosé wines, different rules apply:
- Grianza (from one and a half years of exposure, half a year – in oak barrels);
- Reserva (from 2 years of aging, 6 months – in oak barrels);
- Gran Reserva (from 4 years of exposure, 6 months – in oak barrels).
Sparkling Cava has its own designation: “Catalan champagne” can receive the Gran Reserva label if it is aged for at least 30 months from bottling to disgorgement (removal from the sediment before bottling for sale).
Wine regions of Spain
The taste of grapes is highly dependent on climatic conditions and soil characteristics of the region.
Catalonia
One of the oldest wine regions registered by DO: Penedès and Cava, DOCa. Priory. These areas produce light white Spanish wines with a recognizable floral and fruity aroma, dense red wines with a thick and rich taste, as well as the famous “Catalan champagne” Cava.
Rioja
It is believed that the best Spanish wine is produced in this small area near the Ebro River, although it became available to European gourmets only at the end of the XNUMXth century. It is here that phylloxera-resistant varieties grow, which have become a real salvation during the epidemic, and it is not for nothing that this region was the first to receive DOCa status. It is divided into three sections: Alavesa, Alta and Baja. For the production of the highest quality wine, grapes are taken from all three allotments, which gives products from Rioja a unique and recognizable taste.
A region in constant rivalry with Rioja: DO Navarra is famous for its rosé and, to a lesser extent, red wines from Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Garnacha. The characteristic aroma of drinks is due to the proximity to the sea and calcareous soils.
Castile and Leon
Soft aromatic wines are produced here, and this region is also famous for being virtually the only Christian island during the Arab conquest, and when alcohol was banned in other provinces, winemaking continued to develop here. Several DOs are registered in Castile and León, the most famous being Arribes, Bierzo, Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Toro. Despite belonging to the same region, these “sites” produce very different wines. This is due to the unique microclimate of each territory, and the use of different grape varieties, and technology features. For example, in Ribera del Duero you can try the original “smoky” wine, drinks from Rueda are distinguished by the aroma of freshly cut grass and a delicious aftertaste with a slight bitterness, and in Toro they produce excellent strong wines that are popular among both students and faculty of local universities.
Galicia
Local wines have a less intense and sugary taste compared to their “brothers” from other regions of Spain: due to the abundance of rainfall, the grapes here rarely ripen to the end. The most famous DO is Rias Baixas, famous for its Albariño white wines, which make an excellent gastronomic pair with fish and cheese.
Aragon
The birthplace of the first wife of Henry VI, this area has only relatively recently begun to supply fine and refined drinks to the market: before that, Aragonese wines were considered coarse. Of particular note are two DOs: Somontano and Campo de Borja.
Andalusia
Hot and dry, Andalusia is home to sweet, fortified Spanish wines. A special “trick” of the region is the original recipe, which involves mixing wines of different aging. It was this land that gave the world the famous sherry (aka sherry) from DO Jerez-Xeres-Sherry.
Murcia
The region is not the most famous in terms of winemaking: rather, local craftsmen have specialized in the production of wine materials for many years, but now the situation is changing. The best DO is Jumilla, which produces strong, tart and aromatic red wines.
Valencia
It is more famous for oranges than grapes, especially since the regional wine berry varieties did not survive the phylloxera epidemic. To date, 3 DOs have been registered in Valencia, the most famous being Utiel-Requena.
Castilla la Mancha
For the most part, inexpensive table wines are produced here, but there are also a few DOs, in particular: Valldepenas and La Mancha.
Basque Country
This region has retained its autochthonous nature: people here speak a special language and cultivate vineyards according to ancient traditions. Only in the Basque country are such grape varieties as Ondarrabi Suri and Ondarrabi Beltsa found.