Over the last few decades, Spanish wines have come into their own in terms of quality, and now stand shoulder to shoulder with many of the French wines that form the world’s vanguard (and surpassing in quality most over-hyped California and New Zealand varieties).
Sadly, this effort has gone largely unrecognized outside of Spain, and by American consumers in particular, whose taste in wine has always run a short gamut between commerically-promoted Californian fare and outright Francophilia.
To those open-minded enough to flaut the status quo and sample the (no pun intended) fruits of the Spanish labors, there exists a world of expanded horizons, of taste and value unsurpassed anywhere in the world, backed by centuries of tradition and family pride.
From filewine.es:
Modern enological doctrine has slowly but surely sunk into the fabric of wine-production on the Iberian Peninsula, introducing into it such concepts as effective harvest control, care for the fruit’s primary aromas, structure in the bodegas (wineries), and meticulousness in the production procedures. The results are there for all to see, or rather, taste. There are interesting cavas (Spanish sparkling wine) in Navarra; aromatic white wines springing up in Castile and rising from the volcanic ashes of the Canary Islands; fruity rosés in Jumilla; and some remarkable reds from the Somontano region in Aragón, to give just a few examples.
The main appeal of the Spanish wines on the foreign market is their amazing price/quality ratio. You’ll often find the “excellent value” sections of specialized magazines filled up with Spanish wines. This initial advantage shouldn’t, however, overshadow the broader commercial potential of other unique (non-bargain) wines.
To the Spanish Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines, originally inspired by vines brought from Médoc and Burgundy, we have to add the traditional names of outstanding Spanish grape varieties, such as Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Albariño, and some other lesser-known ones, which are enriching today’s quality Spanish wines. The Palomino grape, omnipresent in the Jeréz region, is like no other variety when it comes to producing finos and amontillados (varieties of “sherries”). The Pedro Ximenex grape, which in Jerez is used only for sweet wines, is the main variety in Montilla, occupying no less than 70% of the vineyards there.
The most-used varieties for cava — Macabeo, Xarello and Parellada — are harvested in that order. The Macabeo grape grows in tight clusters and has a fine skin, which gives the must a delicate color and provides light, fragrant aromas. The Xarello, which is called Pansa Blanca in the coastal area of Alella, gives strength and substance. The Parellada balances the wine with elegance, lending its pale, greenish-toned color to a fine must, and with delicate polleny aromas. The Verdejo, typical of the Rueda region, is pale straw in color and is captivating because of its delicate anise and hay aromas. A characteristic bitter accent adds elegance to this white grape’s overall quality.
A lot has been said about the presumed Central European origins of Galicia’s autochtonous grape varieties, such as Albariño, Treixadura, Lado, and Loureiro. The Albariño is a small grape which doesn’t give as much juice as others: this is the secret of its concentration and density, similar properties to those of the Godello de Valdeorras. In the Ribeiro area, the Lado grape is as subtle as it is scarce. The Torrentés has great aromatic strength, very good intensity and a vanilla tang against a bitter ground. The Treixadura, on the other hand, seeks the sunnier slopes, which favour the development of its delicate and fragile, fruity and floral aromas.
The similarities between the Mencía grape in León — planted on the Camino de Santiago itself — and the Cabernet Franc and Portuguese Prieto Picudo have already been noted. The Mencía offers hope for maturing red wines in wood without the problem of rapid oxidation encountered in other Iberian varieties.
The Tempranillo grape, characteristic of Rioja, is the noblest of the Spanish red grapes. It lends elegance, aroma concentration and complexity of flavour to the wines. The Tempranillo is the safeguard for aging wines successfully. There are some other equally typical varieties sharing the Riojan landscape: the almost-disappeared Graciano, with its fruity taste; the Mazuelo or Cariñena, which produces strongly-colored, tannic wines; or the Garnacha, which supplies body, acidity and degrees of alcohol. It was with the Garnacha grape that vineyards were replanted after the phylloxera disaster at the beginning of the century.
The Tinto Fino, or Tinta del País, from the Ribera del Duero region, is a close relation to the Tempranillo. Most of the wineries in this area base their quality strategy on this noble variety’s immense range of possibilities.
