BIS MAGAZINE/The BIS Guide

THE BIS GUIDE TO… SPANISH WINE

Picking a bottle of wine for a special occasion at your local Spanish supermarket can be a daunting task.

Here is some information that might make the whole process a lot easier.

It is a well known fact that Spanish wine is not as prestigious as French wine. However, Spain has a long history of producing fine wines particularly the red wines of regions such as La Rioja, Valdepeñas and Ribera del Duero among others.

There are approximately 50 wine regions in Spain some of which cover very extensive areas and probably account for the fact that Spain has the largest area of land dedicated to viticulture of any country in the world.

Red wines are always labelled as:

·        Crianza (mature two year old wine with at least twelve months spent in cask)

·        Reserva (Three year old wines with a minimum one year spent in cask)

·        Gran Reserva (Five year old wines with two years spent in cask and three in the bottle)

“Vino tinto por favor”

The hardest choice.

There is such a great variety of red wine in Spain that it is not unusual for restaurant wine lists to devote up to the 90% of its pages solely to red wine.

One of the most famous wine producing regions is La Rioja. The epitome of fine red Spanish wine for generations, Rioja can still be superb. Styles vary, from easy drinking Crianzas and some Reservas, to the Reservas and Gran Reservas which may cellar and improve for decades. The grape of note is the Tempranillo, although there are some plantings of lesser grapes, including Garnacha Tinta (known as Grenache in France). Names such as Marqués de Caceres, Montecillo, Marqués de Riscal and Faustino come from this region.

Another important region is the Ribera del Duero, situated around the Duero river. Despite Rioja's reputation, it is in fact the Ribera del Duero that is home to Spain's most expensive wine, produced by Vega Sicilia. There are some splendid wines in this region, based on a mixture of international (Cabernet Sauvignon) and indigenous (Tempranillo) grapes.

Next is the Valdepeñas, a red wine region, much less important than Rioja or the Ribera del Duero, which produces some good wines such as Felix Solis (Viña Albali) and Los Llanos.

However, you might also have come across the “Tinto de Verano” or Summer Wine which is usually some low priced red wine mixed with lemonade and ice (ideal for those hot summer days…)

“Una copa de vino blanco por favor”

 There is also some good white wine to be found in Spain. Wine form the Rias Baixas can be very good and are usually made from the Albariño grape. Many of them are cold-fermented to maintain freshness.

Finally, Spain is also famous for its sherry which is produced mainly in the province of Cadiz and particularly in the town of Jerez de la Frontera which is full of ‘bodegas’ and a worthwhile visit if you have time.

 The three most well-known dry sherries found in most supermarkets are Tio Pepe, Fino La Quinta and La Ina. These are excellent accompanied by olives, mature cheese and serrano ham.

Málaga has its own famous wine, a sweet dessert wine called Vino de Málaga.

For special occasions, you may be looking for a bottle of champagne called ‘Cava’ in Spanish which is considerably cheaper than the French version. The most well-known being Freixenet.