Spain’s winemaking history is as rich as the wines it produces. With roots tracing back to the Roman era, the art of winemaking has been an integral part of Spanish culture. The Phoenicians, who first introduced grapes to Spain, cultivated vineyards in Gades. Despite a millennium of winemaking experience, the evolution of Spanish cultivation and winemaking techniques has been slow.
The Middle Ages saw a temporary setback due to the expansion of Muslim influence, but the industry persisted. The 15th century marked a resurgence in winemaking after the decline of Muslim power. When bud bugs decimated French vineyards in the middle to late 19th century, there was a significant shift. French wine merchants sought refuge in other countries, with northern Spain, particularly Rioja and Penedes, becoming their targets. This period saw the transfer of numerous winemaking tips to the locals, propelling Spanish wine to world-class status.
The Evolution of Spanish Wine
Spain’s unique geography and climate have played a significant role in shaping its wine industry. Spain has a Mediterranean and oceanic climate because the sea surrounds it on three sides. Combined with the local rocky clay, the wines produced are renowned for their delicate taste, high alcohol concentration, and robust wine power.
Spain boasts the largest grape-growing area in the world, spanning 1.4 million hectares. However, despite its vast grape-growing area, Spain’s wine production only ranks third in the world, after Italy and France. This is largely due to the harsh growing environment, extensive planting, compound farming, outdated cultivation techniques, and poor quality management.
Spain cultivates more than 600 grape varieties, predominantly white varieties. In recent years, Spain has made significant strides in winemaking technology, earning international recognition.
Since joining the European Union, Spain has received substantial financial aid to enhance equipment and technology. Regrettably, grape farmers’ reluctance to reduce production and the prevalence of old plants (15% of the grapes are over 45 years old) have hindered the improvement of grape quality, affecting overall performance.
In 1978, Spain’s grape planting area was 1.63 million hectares, but the grape harvest was only 2.5 million tons, and the output per unit area was 1.53 tons/ha. The main reason for the decline in Spanish grape production is the relatively humid climate, which makes the vines susceptible to diseases and pests. The Spaniards hope to produce more than 3.4 million tons of grapes annually, with 2.4 million tons for domestic sales, 400,000 tons for export, and the remaining 600,000 tons for distillation or other purposes.
Spain produces all types of wine, including red, white, rosé, and some very noble sparkling wines. Most of these are exported in bulk, and some are typically used as condiments with other wines or sold locally. Among them, Sherry (a type of fortified wine) is internationally renowned and can be considered a “national treasure” wine. The brewing method of this wine can be attributed to the Moors, who ruled Spain at that time. The Moors’ most significant contribution was constructing a drainage system in Spain and planting a large number of vines simultaneously. They brewed a large amount of wine, which not only met domestic sales but was also vigorously promoted overseas. Among them, sherry wine is particularly loved by the British. Later, other European countries and even Americans gradually developed a taste for it. While sherry is also produced in the US, it can never match the Spanish sherry, which is primarily due to the grape variety. An interesting fact: the same barrel of sherry wine, if shipped to the UK and bottled, will not taste as good as if it were bottled in Spain. Like people, wine may sometimes suffer from “acclimatization” issues.
The well-known Malaga wine is also a fortified wine, but it tastes sweeter. Red wines range from full-bodied and complex to light and delicate. Sparkling wine, still made in the traditional way, has a long head and an elegant aroma with a hint of citrus. In addition, Spain also produces white wine and rosé wine, but they are not well known internationally.
The Production Landscape
As of 2011, Spain has a total of 66 legal wine producing areas (DO) and two DOC-producing areas. The wines produced in these regions are diverse, including white wine, red wine, rosé wine, sparkling wine, and fortified wine.
Spain is currently divided into the following 17 major production areas according to administrative regions, and many DO and DOCa production areas often cross these major production areas:
- Rioja wine region
- Castile and Leon wine region
- Catalonia wine region
- Navarre wine region
- Castile-La Mancha wine region
- Valencia wine region
- Andalucia wine region
- Galicia Wine Region
- Basque wine region
- Balearic Islands wine region
- Canary Islands wine region
- Asturias wine region
- Cantabria wine region
- Extremadura Wine Region
- Aragon wine region
- Murcia wine region
- Madrid wine region
Grape Variety
Although there are more than 600 grape varieties in Spain, the white grape variety Airen ranks first in planting area, and Tempanillo, the most important red grape variety in Spain, ranks second in planting area.
Main White Grape Varieties
Verdejo, Albarino, Viura (Macabeo), Pedro Ximenez, Malvasia, Xarello, Parellada, Treixadura, Moscatel, Merseguera, Airen, Godello, Hondarrabi Zuri, and Palomino
Main Red Grape Varieties
Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mencia, Graciano, Mazuelo, Manto Negro, Listan Negro, Negramoll, Bobal, Carinena, Monastrell, and Moristel
Classification and Regulation
Spanish wine has 5 levels, but in fact, its wine level is more strict and complex than this. For example, according to different aging methods, Spanish DOC wines can be divided into three categories:
- DOCa (Denomination de Origen Calificada), high-quality AOC wine;
- DO (Denomination de Origen), legal production area wine;
- VDLT (Vino de La Tierra), approximately equivalent to France’s VDP;
- VC (Vino Comarcal) and VDM (Vino de Messa) are the lowest level of wine in Spain, approximately equivalent to VDT in France.
Aged Crianza means that the wine has been aged in oak barrels for at least 12 months, and can only be released 24 months after the harvest.
Reserva – means that the wine has been aged in oak barrels for at least 12 months, and can only be released 36 months after the harvest.
Special collection Gran Reserva – means that the wine must be aged in oak barrels for at least 24 months, and it will not be released for sale until 60 months after the harvest.
Wine Law
Like other EU countries, Spain has a set of regulations to control the quality of wine. There are more than 50 licensed production areas in the country, namely DO (Denominaciones de Origen). The particularly outstanding area is called DOCa (Denominaciones de Origen Calificada). The first area listed as a DOCa production area is the Rioja production area, and the other is Priorat in Catalonia. The more common one is Vino de la Tierra, which is equivalent to Vin de Pays in France. The most basic table wine is Vino de Mesa. The aging time in the winery must be indicated on the back of each bottle of wine from the licensed production area. There are four different regulations:
- Sin Crianza or Vino Joven, direct translation is “young wine”. Indicates that the wine “maybe” has not been aged.
- Crianza is kept in the winery for two years, of which six months are aged in small wooden barrels. The shelf life of white wine and rose red is reduced to one year.
- Reserva can only be released on the market after three years of brewing, at least one year of which is spent in wooden barrels, and the rest of the time is in the bottle. The time for white wine and rose red in the factory is reduced to two years, and the time in wooden barrels is halved.
- Gran Reserva is a five-year-old wine, three years in barrel and two years in bottle, or vice versa. The time spent in the factory for white wine and rose red is reduced to four years, and six months are spent in wooden barrels.
Wine Naming
- Blanco refers to white wine;
- Tinto refers to red wine;
- Rosado rose wine;
- Clarete light red wine or dark rose wine;
- Espumoso sparkling wine.
The name of sherry wine is different because of the different recipes of each factory, resulting in different styles:
- Fino with a clear and floral fragrance;
- Manzanilla with a clear and mellow fragrance;
- Amontillado with a relatively mellow flavor;
- Vino De Pasto with a slightly sweet and nutty aroma;
- Golden with a slightly sweet golden yellow color;
- Darker Oloroso;
- Sweeter Amoroso;
- Brown, sweet and moist;
- Light Dry, which is clear and not sweet.
The main export varieties include:
- Fino: Light in color but not sweet, it is the most beautiful and soft wine. It is very delicious when fresh, and has a great floral charm when properly aged. The alcohol content is 15% (V/V) for domestic sales, and 2% for export. The wine shows its unique aroma when it is cooled. It can be enjoyed with soup or as an after-dinner drink.
- Oloroso: darker in color, less fragrant than Fino, sweeter in taste, best to drink after meals. The alcohol content is between 15% and 16% (V/V).
- Amontillado (Amontillado): This kind of Harmony wine has a wide range of uses and a great market. It is a moderate product with higher sugar content than Fino and average alcohol strength.