Wine - Spain - General Information

Front 1

In the early 1970s, Spanish wines had such a bad reputation that, by comparison, Italian wines seemed preferable. By the late 1980s, however, the wines of Spain were being taken seriously, whereas those of Italy generally were not. How did Spain achieve such a swift turnaround in the quality of its wines?

Back 1

It can be put down to its efforts to get out of the bulk wine market. The Spanish did not stop selling bulk wine altogether, but prevented this low-quality product from dominating exports. It was not as if there was a meeting at which the entire Spanish wine industry took a vote to change things, but there must have been some sort of industry-wide determination to improve quality because the situation was reversed so quickly. Spain's reputation leapfrogged Italy's, despite having much less going for it in terms of native grape varieties and terroirs, establishing the country as one of the best-value sources in Europe.

Front 2

When were winemaking vines first planted in Spain?

Back 2

About 1100BC around Cádiz by, it is believed, the Phoenicians.

Front 3

What were the earliest Spanish wines like?

Back 3

They were by all accounts rich, sweet, and heavy, the precursors of modern-day sherry.

Front 4

What was winemaking in Spain like from the start of the 8th century until the end of the 15th?

Back 4

Southern Spain was under the rule of the Moors, and being Mohammedans, wine production was not a priority. This is not to say that the Moors never drank wine; indeed, Al-Motamid, the last Moorish king of Seville, enjoyed wine so much that he publicly mocked anyone who drank water. The Moors also enjoyed the grape as a fruit and for its fresh, unfermented juice, but under a theoretically abstemious rule, winemaking stagnated.

Front 5

When did the diversity of Spain's wine areas and styles commence?

Back 5

The 1490s, just 30 years before the Spanish planted the first vines in the Americas. Some parts of the Old and New Worlds are much closer in age, in terms of winemaking, than these terms imply.

Front 6

What is the Denominación de Origen (DO) system?

Back 6

Denominación de Origen (DO):

Spain's equivalent of the French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) or Italian Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) systems.

Front 7

What is the only higher Spanish classification than Denominación de Origen (DO)?

Back 7

Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa).

Front 8

What regions in Spain are currently the only recipients of Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) status since its inception in 1981?

Back 8

DOCa:

Rioja
Priorat

Front 9

What was the 2010 vintage like in Spain?

Back 9

The cool but dry summer and autumn allowed the crop to ripen slowly, preserving better acidity levels than usual and resulting in a potentially excellent vintage the length and breadth of Spain.

Front 10

What was the 2009 vintage like in Spain?

Back 10

Potentially excellent in Rioja, Catalunya, and northwestern Spain; good to very good elsewhere, though less consistent.

Front 11

What was the 2008 vintage like in Spain?

Back 11

A relatively cool year with too much rain in places. This is an inconsistent vintage, with the best wines found in Navarra and northwestern Spain. Catalunya and Rueda are not bad, but they require selection.

Front 12

What was the 2007 vintage like in Spain?

Back 12

A mixed, and in some places very difficult, vintage. The standouts were Navarra and Catalunya.

Front 13

What was the 2006 vintage like in Spain?

Back 13

2006, Spain:

Some great wines, but generally good to very good. Whites less successful, except around Bilbao and in northwestern Spain.

Front 14

What was the 2005 vintage like in Spain?

Back 14

2005, Spain:

An excellent vintage for both reds and whites. Well-balanced.

Front 15

What was the 2004 vintage like in Spain?

Back 15

2004, Spain:

A very good to excellent year for whites, but reds less great, with the exception of Rioja, where the quality is outstanding.

Front 16

What was the 2003 vintage like in Spain?

Back 16

2003, Spain:

It might seem odd that Spain's baking-hot south fared better than the north of the country in this sweltering drought year, but as others have pointed out, the vineyards down there are prepared for the heat.

Front 17

What was the 2002 vintage like in Spain?

Back 17

2002, Spain:

Variable quality, mostly average to poor, with somewhat better quality in the south.

Front 18

Discuss traditional versus modern styles of Spanish wine.

Back 18

It used to be possible to speak of new-wave Spanish wines, as the tradition had been to leave wines in oak for longer than most modern winemakers consider wise and a younger generation of winemakers reacted by producing wines that were as fresh, clean, and unoaked as possible. However, although the old style for reds was dried-out and that for whites oxidized, the new style was so clean, it was clinical, and was no great improvement as such. The tendency now is to talk of modern style rather than new-wave, as the wines are much fruitier and the use of oak is not so much avoided, as restrained, with French casks more likely than American, and fermented rather than aged.

Front 19

What are the quality levels of Spanish wine?

Back 19

Spanish Quality Levels:

Vino joven (drink within the year)
Vino de pasto (ordinary wine)
Vino de mesa (table wine)
Vino comarcal (VC - regional wine)
Vino de la tierra (VDLT or VDT - country wine)
Vino de calidad con indicación geográfica (stepping stone before DO)
Denominación de Origen (DO)
Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa)

Front 20

What are the aging categories of Spanish wine?

Back 20

Spanish Aging Categories:

Añejo (Minimum 1 year in cask or bottle)
Noble (Minimum 2 years in cask or bottle)
Viejo (Minimum 3 years in cask or bottle)

Crianza:
Red: 2 years, at least 6 months in oak.
White and rosado: 1 year, at least 6 months in oak.

Reserva:
Red: 3 years, at least 12 months in oak.
White and rosado: 2 years, at least 6 months in oak.

Gran Reserva:
Red: 5 years, at least 18 months in oak.
White and rosado: 4 years, at least 6 months in oak.

Front 21

What are the sub-regions of the Rias Baixas DO?
(Spain)

Back 21

Rias Baixas DO:

Val do Salnés
O Rosal
Condado do Tea
Soutomaior
Ribera del Ulla