Spanish wine

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Catalunya DOP
Traditional vineyards are common sights in the countryside.

Spanish wine (

Monastrell; the whites Albariño, Airén, Verdejo, Palomino, and Macabeo; and the three Cava grapes Parellada, Xarel·lo, and Macabeo
.

Major Spanish wine regions include the

Priorat region.[1]

History

See also: History of Spain

The abundance of native

Roman conquest of the Spanish mainland, known as Hispania.[4]

From Roman rule to the Reconquista

See also: Ancient Rome and wine
Roman aqueduct built in the Castile and León city of Segovia

Under

Roman soldiers guarding border settlements in Britain and the Limes Germanicus in Germania. The quality of Spanish wine during Roman times was varied, with Pliny the Elder and Martial noting the high quality associated with some wines from Terraconensis while Ovid notes that one popular Spanish wine sold in Rome, known as Saguntum, was merely good for getting your mistress drunk. (Ars amatoria 3.645-6).[4]

Following the

Germany though there were laws that explicitly outlawed this practice.[4]

Colonization of the New World

Under the reign of Phillip III, Spain became more dependent on income from exporting wines to South America.

Following the completion of the Spanish Reconquista in 1492,

Henry VIII of England from his Spanish wife Catherine of Aragon. English merchants from the Sherry producing regions of Jerez and Sanlúcar de Barrameda as well as Málaga fled the area due to the fear of persecution by the Spanish Inquisition.[4]

The defeat of the

Argentina was a threat to this income, with Philip III and succeeding monarchs issuing decrees and declarations ordering the uprooting of New World vineyards and halting the production of wine by the colonies. In some countries, like Chile, these orders were largely ignored; but in others, like Argentina, they served to stunt growth and development until independence was gained from Spanish rule.[4]

From phylloxera to modern day

See also: History of Rioja wine

The 17th and 18th centuries saw periods of popularity for various Spanish wines, namely Sherry (known in Britain as "sack"),

Rioja, Navarre and Catalonia, bringing with them their expertise and winemaking methods. One of these developments was the introduction of the 59 U.S. gallons (220 liters) oak barrica. Phylloxera eventually reached Spain, devastating regions like Malaga in 1878 and reaching Rioja in 1901. Its slow progress was due in part to the wide tracts of land, including the Meseta Central, that separated the major Spanish wine regions from each other. By the time the Spanish wine industry felt the full force of phylloxera, the remedy of grafting American rootstock to the European vines had already been discovered and widely utilized.[4]

The end of the 19th century also saw the emergence of Spain's

Second World War closed off European markets to Spanish exports and further damaged the Spanish economy.[4]

It wasn't till the 1950s that domestic stability helped to usher in a period of revival for the Spanish wine industry. Several large

irrigation were lifted which gave winemakers greater control over yields and what areas could be planted.[4] Soon the quality and production volume of premium wines began to overtake the presence of generic Spanish bulk wines on the market and Spain's reputation entering the 21st century was that of a serious wine-producing country that could compete with other producers in the world wine market.[6]

Geography and climate

See also: Geography of Spain
Rioja
region from the rain and cool winds from the Bay of Biscay.

One of the dominant geographical influences of Spanish viticulture is the vast

Atlantic at the Sherry producing village of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. In addition to the Meseta Central, several mountain ranges are known as cordilleras serve to isolate and influence the climate of several Spanish wine regions. These include the Cantabrian Mountains that spur westward from the Pyrenees and protect regions like the Rioja from the rain and the cool of westerlies coming from the Bay of Biscay. The Cantabrian Mountains act as a rain shadow with the coastal regions of the Basque Country receiving an average of 59 inches (1,500 mm) while the winemaking region of Rioja, near Haro, around 62 miles (100 km) away receives only 18 inches (460 mm). In Galicia on the northwest coast, the region receives annual rainfall that ranges from 39 inches (990 mm) on the coast to 79 inches (2.0 m) near the mountainous border of Castile and León.[4]

The climate gets more extreme further inland towards the Meseta Central and is characterized by hot summers with temperatures that can reach 104 °F (40 °C) with

Mediterranean coast are suitable for producing grapes of high alcohol levels and low acidity.[7]

Wine regions

Wine regions of Spain
Main article: Spanish wine regions

Spain can be traditionally divided into 12 main wine regions. These wine regions somewhat follow the administrative borders of the 17 Autonomous Communities that make up the modern state of Spain. The central Autonomous Community of Castilla – La Mancha is the largest wine producing region, producing 13 million hectolitres, a third of Spanish wine output. Catalonia is the second largest producer, producing 5.5 million hectolitres (14% of total), and La Rioja is the third largest, producing almost 5 million hectolitres (13% of total). These larger wine regions are further divided into smaller wine regions that are classified under the Spanish wine law system, with 138 identifiable wine regions.

Classification

Rioja

Spanish wine laws created the

Priorat
.

Each DOP has a

Consejo Regulador, which acts as a governing control body that enforces the DOP regulations and standards involving viticultural and winemaking practices. These regulations govern everything from the types of grapes that are permitted to be planted, the maximum yields that can be harvested, the minimum length of time that the wine must be aged and what type of information is required to appear on the wine label. Wineries that are seeking to have their wine sold under DOP status must submit their wines to the Consejo Regulador laboratory and tasting panel for testing and evaluation. Wines that have been granted DOP status will feature the regional stamp of the Consejo Regulador on the label.[1]

Following Spain's acceptance into the European Union, Spanish wine laws were brought in line to be more consistent with other European systems. One development was a five-tier classification system that is administered by each autonomous region. Non-autonomous areas or wine regions whose boundaries overlap with other autonomous communities (such as Cava, Rioja and Jumilla) are administered by the Instituto Nacional de Denominaciones de Origen (INDO) based in Madrid. With updates in 2016, the five-tier became a six-tier classification and is as follows:

  • DOP – denominación de origen protegida ('protected denomination of origin'), is the mainstay of Spain's wine quality control system. Each region is governed by a consejo regulador, which decides on the boundaries of the region, permitted varietals, maximum yields, limits of alcoholic strength and other quality standards or production limitations pertaining to the zone. As of 2019 there are 96 DOPs that are subdivided into DOCa, DO, VP, and VC. The sub-categories can be called DOP, or they can use the traditional terms of DOCa, DO, VP, and VC.
  • DOCa/DOQ – denominación de origen calificada / denominació d'origen qualificada in Catalan ('qualified denomination of origin') – This designation, which is similar to
    Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) designation, is for regions with a track record of consistent quality and is meant to be a step above DO level. Rioja was the first region afforded this designation in 1991 and was followed by Priorat in 2003. In 2008 Ribera del Duero was approved to receive DOCa classification, but acquiring the status was never pursued and Ribera del Duero remains a DO today.[4]
  • DO – denominación de origen / denominació d'origen in Catalan ('denomination of origin') – This level is for the mainstream quality-wine regions which are regulated by the Consejo Regulador who is also responsible for marketing the wines of that DO.
  • VP – vino de pago ('estate wine'), a special term for high-quality, single-estate wines (pago is a Spanish term for a vineyard estate) which in some cases also have DO or VdlT appellations. This category was formed in 2003.
  • VC – vino de calidad con indicación geográfica ('quality wine with geographic indication'), a category formed in 2003 along with VP. The VC category is used for wines that do not fully meet the stringent standards of the DO category, but are above the standards of the IGP category.
  • IGP indicación geográfica protegida ('protected geographic indication') – This is below the DOP level, and is wine originating from a specific place, a region or a country, which has a certain quality, reputation or another characteristic – including production phases – that can be essentially attributed to its geographical origin, at least one of which takes place in the defined geographical area. These can use the traditional term Vino de la Tierra (VT).
  • VdM vino de mesa ('table wine') – These are wines that are the equivalent of most country's
    Super Tuscans from the late 20th century, some Spanish winemakers will intentionally declassify their wines so that they have greater flexibility in blending and winemaking methods.[4]

Spanish labeling laws

Spanish wines are often labeled according to the amount of

aging the wine has received. When the label says vino joven ("young wine") or Sin crianza, technically the wines have not been aged at all, but some will have undergone up to a few months oak wood aging. Depending on the producer, some of these wines will be meant to be consumed very young – often within a year of their release. Others will benefit from some time aging in the bottle. For the vintage year (vendimia or cosecha) to appear on the label, a minimum of 85% of the grapes must be from that year's harvest. The three most common aging designations on Spanish wine labels are Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva.[citation needed
]

Viticulture

Galicia
, vines are widely spaced in the vineyard.

Viticulture in Spain has developed in adaptation to the varied and extreme climate of the region. The dry weather in many parts of Spain reduces the threat of common

hl/ha).[4]

In the 1990s, the use of irrigation became more popular after droughts in 1994, and 1995 severely reduced the

Australian flying winemakers[citation needed] helped to popularize the use of underground drip irrigation to minimize the effects of evaporation. The widespread use of irrigation has encouraged higher density of vine plantings and has contributed to higher yields in some parts of Spain.[4]

While traditionally Spanish vineyards would harvest their grapes by hand, the modernization of the Spanish wine industry has seen increased use of

mechanical harvesting. In years past, most harvesting had to be done in the early morning with wineries often refusing grapes after mid-day due to their prolonged exposure to the blistering heat. In recent years, aided in part by the wider spread of the use of mechanical harvesting, more harvests are now being done at the lower temperatures at night.[4]

Grape varieties

Xarel·lo is one of the principal grapes of the Spanish sparkling wine Cava.

Some records estimate that over 600 grape varieties are planted throughout Spain, but 88% of the country's wine production is focused on only 20 grape varieties. The most widely planted grape is the white wine grape

Monastrell and Bobal have significant plantings, being used for both dark red wines and dry rosé.[4]

In the northwest, the white wine varieties of

Cayetana Blanca and Mencía
.

Winemaking

American oak
has long been associated with Spanish wine from regions like the Rioja.

In Spain, winemakers often use the

fermentation would take place in earthenware jars known as tinajas. Afterward, the wine was stored in wooden barrels or pig skin bags lined with resin known as cueros.[4] In the warmer climate and regions of lower elevation, the red wines tilted towards being too high in alcohol and too low in acidity. The standard technique to rectify those wines was the addition of white wine grapes which balanced the acidity but diluted some of the fruit flavors of the red grapes.[7]

The advent of temperature control stainless steel fermentation tanks radically changed the wine industry in warm climate regions like Andalucia, La Mancha, and the Levante, allowing winemakers to make fresher and fruitier styles of wine-particularly whites. While many producers focused on these crisp, fresh styles in the early 1990s there was a resurgence in more active use of barrel fermenting whites as a throwback to the traditional, more oxidized styles of the 19th century. The use of oak has a long tradition in Spanish winemaking, dating back even centuries before the French introduced the small 59 U.S. gallons (220 liters) barrica style barrels. Gradually Spanish winemakers in the late 19th and early 20th century started to develop a preference for the cheaper, and more strongly flavored,

American oak. Winemakers in regions like the Rioja found that the Tempranillo grape, in particular, responded well to new American oak. In the 1990s, more winemakers started to rediscover the use of French oak and some wineries will use a combination of both as a blend. Most DOs require some minimum period of barrel ageing which will be stipulated on the wine label by the designations-Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva depending on how long it spends in the barrel. The tradition of long barrel and bottle ageing has meant that most Spanish wines are ready to drink once they hit the market. A new generation of winemakers have started to produce more vino joven (young wines) that are released with very little ageing.[4]

Sherry

Main article: Sherry
A glass of Amontillado Sherry

Sherry is a heavily

yeast native to the region, known as flor, will develop and distinguish certain styles of Sherry. The flor needs fresh wine in order to survive and is added by the use of a solera system that also gradually blends the wines of different vintages together. Palomino wine, by itself, typically ferments to an alcohol level of around 12% with Sherry producers adding brandy to the wine in order to increase the alcohol level or kill the flor yeast which will not thrive in alcohol levels above 16%.[8]

Sherry has a wide diversity of styles:[8]

Cava

Main article: Cava
A semi-seco (semi-dry) rosado Cava

Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine made in the

ferment and age in the bottle. The early Cava industry was nurtured by the phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century, which caused the destruction and uprooting of vineyards planted with red grape varieties. Inspired by the success of Champagne, vineyard owners started to replant with white grape varieties like Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel·lo to use for sparkling wine production. These grapes are still the primary grapes of Cava today though some producers are experimenting with the use of the typical Champagne grapes of Chardonnay and Pinot noir.[9]

For most of its existence, the production of Cava was not relegated to a particular region of DOP but rather to the grapes and method of production. Upon Spain's acceptance into the European Union in 1986, efforts were undertaken to designate specific areas for Cava production. Today use of the term "Cava" is restricted to production around select municipalities in Catalonia, Aragon, Castile and León, Valencia, Extremadura, Navarre, Basque Country, and Rioja. Around 95% of Spain's total Cava production is from Catalonia, with the village of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia being home to many of Spain's largest production houses.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 1-56305-434-5
    .
  2. ^ Conway, Jan (5 June 2024). "Leading countries in wine production worldwide 2023". Statista. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  3. ^ Conway, Jan (5 June 2024). "Global leading countries in wine export 2023, based on volume". Statista. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  4. ^
    ISBN 0-19-860990-6
    .
  5. ISBN 0-671-68702-6
    .
  6. ISBN 0-7566-1324-8
    .
  7. ^
    ISBN 0-7892-0883-0
    .
  8. ^
    ISBN 0-19-860990-6
    .
  9. ^
    ISBN 0-19-860990-6
    .
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