Italy’s neighbor to the west, Spain, has a wine heritage that stretches back to ancient times. In fact, viticulture was first brought to Spain by the Romans themselves.
If you already love Italian wines, then Spanish wines are a natural choice for you to explore. As in Italy, Spain has mountainous terrain, a Mediterranean climate, and mineral-rich soil.
The nation has well over 400 varieties of grapes in cultivation, and at least half of these are indigenous grapes. With their wine heritage dating back to such ancient roots, they have had countless generations to perfect the use of hundreds of unique grapes.
Spain boasts 2.4 million acres of land devoted to wine cultivation and has 138 official wine designations. [1] It offers a great variety, from the “Green” wines of the Northwest, sparkling Cava wines of Catalunya, and fruit-forward gems from the Southern Mediterranean regions.
Perhaps most well known to Americans are the flavorful selections from the Ebro and Duero River Valleys, including the Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Key grapes of this region include Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Viura. [2]
While American wines tend to be crafted to appeal to sipping pleasure, European wines are more often designed to pair with foods. In fact, much of Spanish wine was crafted to complement its hunting heritage.
Hunting has played a key role throughout Spanish history and was part of the lifestyle of all social classes from royals to the common man. The love of game such as wild boar, wild sheep, a variety of deer, ibex, mountain goats, and partridge have played an important role in the development of the Spanish palate.
Because of this, bold and assertive wines that matched well with wild game formed the template for Spanish wines. In fact, Spanish wines have long been a cult favorite among lovers of red wines in particular for this very reason. If you are a fan of Super Tuscans and delicious “big reds” from other regions, Spanish wines will not disappoint.
The Garnacha tintorera is one of the more unique and emblematic grapes of Spain. While most red grapes have dark skins and white fruit, necessitating a process that extracts tannins from the skins to get the right color, Garnacha tintorera has lovely, red fruit through to the seeds. Because it does not have to go through a process of extracting color from the skins, it is not strongly tannic and does not have the over-steeped tea flavor that reds sometimes have.
Spanish reds tend to be high in alcohol, ranging from 11% to 15% abv. The warmer regions produce wines with higher alcohol content. They are aged at the wineries and are ready to drink when released. Most can be further aged a little, but in most cases, it is best to drink them before the 5-year point.
And while wild game figures heavily into the cultural and culinary background of Spain, you don’t have to be a fan of it to enjoy wonderful food pairings with Spanish wines. Like Italian cuisine, Spanish cuisine focuses on bold, fresh, local traditional flavors.
Think fresh seafood, savory cured meats like exquisite serrano ham, local olives, blood oranges, aged flavorful cheeses like manchego, roasted meats, and flavorful gazpacho. And Spaniards are not shy about adding garlic!
Spanish tapas (called pintxos in the northern regions of the country) are well known savory bar-snack portions that have caught on big in the United States, and go beautifully with a lovely Spanish red.
Volumes can be said about Spain’s regions, varieties, and unique wines. Hopefully, if you have not yet taken the leap, you are encouraged to give Spanish wines a go. Your local wine merchant will likely have several excellent recommendations for you!