Sauvignon, and Merlot.
Catalonia Though best known for its cava (Spain’s answer to Champagne), produced in by some 80 wineries in the southern Penedès region from white Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo grapes, this same region has also become acclaimed for still wines as well, such as a new breed of crisp whites from Xarel-lo, and to a lesser extent some reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon. The area that’s been especially up and coming since the 1990s is Priorat, which produces powerful reds (if relatively low in yield) from Grenache, Carignan, Cab Sauvignon, and Merlot.
Galicia In one of Spain’s wettest climates, with a strong Atlantic maritime influence, the best known product of Spain’s northwest corner is dry white Albariño from the Rías Baixas DO along the west coast (top), which also produces reds from Mencía and Camarou Noir (Espadeiro) grapes. Another important DO here is Ribeiro, centred along the Minho River, which specialises in crisp, aromatic whites from native Torrontés, Treixadura and Lado grapes that bear more than a few similarities to the vinho verde of neighbouring Portugal.
Ribera del Duero One of Spain’s well-known oenological heartlands, its centred in the Castile-León province of Burgos (especially the town of Aranda del Duero) and includes parts of Segovia, Soria, and Valladolid and more than 30 wineries. Most production of this DO is of intense reds, particularly from Tempranillo grapes, along with some Cab Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot.
Rioja This of course is the region whose name recognised even by people who don’t know Spanish wine. For centuries part of New Castile, La Rioja has been an autonomous political region (capital: Logroño) since 1980, but as a wine country this plateau also brings in southern bits of Navarre and Basque Country; Haro is one of the better-known winemaking towns of the area. Known for its powerful reds aged in oak, it’s divided into three subregions: Rioja Alta (producing lighter, fruitier wines), Rioja Alavesa (fuller-bodied and with higher acidity), and Rioja Baja (dark and potent, often with an especially high alcohol content).
As you can see from the map above, there are of course various other wine regions – Granada, Valencia, Extremadura, La Mancha, the Canary Islands and elsewhere – as well as additional DO’s within several of the above regions; for more information, check out WinesFromSpain.com and wine routes at Spain.info.
images | Enrique Dans, Tyk, Kuba G, RiberaDelDuero.es
