Photo courtesy of Chef Jason Bangerter

This wonderful experience left me wanting more but upon returning home I found that it was a lot harder to find a good selection of these wines at home. Over the years that followed I kept looking though, and little by little I noticed that more Spanish wine was showing up in my local wine stores. More recently, over the last two years in the wine shop where I work, the Spanish section has grown noticeably with a nice cross section of the many regional wines now available.

This finally appears to be the year of Spanish wines; I've certainly been enjoying plenty of them this year! Throughout the summer there have been the beautiful crispy whites from the northeast of Spain including the peachy Albariño from Rias Baixas, crispy citrus Verdejo of the Rueda region, fragrant Godello from Valdeorras and even Txakolina pronounced "choco-lina", a tart white wine of the Basque region in the central north, completely new to me but a wonderful surprise.  All these wines were wonderful food accompaniments yet just as good alone in the backyard on a nice warm day.  All of these wines are great in their own right and certainly priced well, but as fall comes in and we gravitate to more red wine consumption, I think that this is where some of the best wine values are to be found, maybe more so in Spain than anywhere else in the world.

Spain is an old wine producing country with roots going back several generations, yet it has recently gone through a kind of changing of the guard where many of the older traditional producers are adjusting their methods and producing wines which are in great demand throughout the world, at many different price points. Its oldest and most famous region is Rioja, best known for its red wine from the indigenous Tempranillo grape. In the 1800s, the insect scourge called phyloxera had devastated vineyards throughout France, and Rioja became a haven for the displaced Bordeaux winemakers. Through their influence, several international grape varietals were planted here and eventually throughout Spain, including Garnacha (known as Grenache in France), Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Mourvedre (known as Monastrell in Spain) to name a few.

The grape of note in Rioja is still the Tempranillo. Considered by some to be the epitome of fine red Spanish wine for generations, Rioja's wine styles vary, from easy drinking Crianza and Reserva up to the Gran Reservas of the top estates which may be cellared and improve for decades. Much of Rioja wines singular character is derived from the practice of long aging in American oak, with Gran Reservas having the longest barrel exposure and also the longest cellaring potential. In the past it was not uncommon for these wines to be aged for over 10 years before they were bottled and released for consumption.

Rioja is still a top wine region today but there are several other important areas including Ribera del Duero, a region of vineyards situated around the Duero river,  the same river that flows west through Portugal, where it is called the Douro, home to the vineyards that give rise to Port. Despite Rioja's reputation and influence, the Ribera del Duero is where some of Spain's most lauded and costly wine is produced by the winery Vega Sicilia. There are several excellent wine producers here, using a mixture of international (Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache) and local (Tempranillo) grapes. Another region called Priorato has also begun to come into it's own, producing, age-worthy and exciting wines from the likes of Clos Mogador and Clos Erasmus, as well as several lesser known producers who are making a splash internationally. In Jumilla and Yecla there are wonderful wines made from a grape called Monastrell said to be a clone of the French varietal called Mourvedre, these locations have been cultivating the grape for many decades and the old vines have produced a concentrated red wine that has become popular in the new world. 

There are many other small grape growing areas in Spain besides those mentioned. Similar to Italy in several ways, Spain has so many different varietals and regions that whole books are written about them. Also similar to Italy, the local foods are closely intertwined with the wine styles and it is almost unheard of to have a glass of wine without food, or a meal without some wine.

A few general tips:

"Tinto" is a generic term used throughout the country, if you walk into one of the many Tapas bars, and ask for "Tinto", you will be promptly served the house red wine, just the thing to accompany your cheeses, almonds, olives, tortas, ham or one of the myriad other appetizer plates that are so popular everywhere you go.

If, however, you see "Tinto" on a wine bottle, it most often refers to the local clone of Tempranillo, of which there are several. One area in Spain called Toro is known for its powerful wines made from what they call Tinto de Toro and many other wineries list Tinto Fino as the primary grape.

Traditionally the more expensive Spanish wines are released later than other countries wines so you may be seeing more Reservas from the 2001 Vintage, even as late as 2007. This is changing though, so you will see your share of 2004 and 2005 in the more inexpensive bottles as well as more premium bottles from areas outside of Rioja.

As with most European wines, Spanish wine does wonderfully with foods, and especially ham and beef dishes, as these are very popular throughout the country. They also do well with dishes that include mushrooms, olives and herbs, and all the staples of a Mediterranean diet. Even the simple, fruitier wines have levels of earthy complexity that complement savory dishes wonderfully, and of course, there are many great Spanish cheeses to complement the wines.

No matter where you live, it has never been easier to find a good bottle of Spanish wine nearby. Give a few a try, I am sure you will be pleased with the great quality and excellent value of this country's wonderful wine.

About the Vintner 

The Wine Club has been offering fine wines and accessories at discounted prices since 1985. Today there are 3 stores in California: Santa Ana, San Francisco, and Santa Clara, and www.thewineclub.com, a web store that has a constantly changing inventory of over 1200 different wines and accessory items for you to choose from, you can pick them up or we can ship to most of the USA. Stores are open 7 days a week and each has wine tasting events scheduled on most weekends, so come on by and visit.