One of the major attractions of the cuisine in Spain is without doubt the quality and variety of its wine production,
which has been certified for thousands of years and consists of over a hundred different classes of wine, several of which are of international standing.
As a guarantee of the quality and control of Spanish wines and as a guide for the consumer, Spain, through its own Instituto Nacional de Denominaciones de Origen
(INDO, which is similar to the French Institut National des Appellations d'Origine), issues an official catalogue of the Spanish equivalents. At present, there
are thirty of these areas, which have either excellent physical and climatic conditions or production systems of singularly special wines.
In the following there is a brief description of each of these areas under regional headings, with their Denominación de Origen, the equivalent of the French Appellation d'Origine.
ANDALUSIA has the following Denominaciones de Origen:
Jerez-Xèrés-Sherry Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda Málaga Montilla-Moriles and Condado de Huelva
Its wines are the most characteristic of the country and internationally the most famous. They are produced by a unique method, which has something of a miracle about it, since it is not a
wine from one particular harvest, as is the rule, but the result of different mixtures made over the years. They are aged in oak vats and have subtle differences which are classified into ten
groups:
Fino: straw coloured and transparent, dry, light and very fragrant; 15 to 17% alcohol Amontillado: amber coloured; 16 to 18% alcohol Oloroso: dark gold, poweful to the taste, yet light; 18 to 20% alcohol Palo cortado: half-way between amontillado and oloroso Raya: of the oloroso family, but less fragrant and less strong to the taste Pedro Ximenez: sweet and very fragrant Moscatel: sweet raisin wine Cream: wine produced by adding alcohol to grape juice which has not really begun to ferment Color: a wine produced by mixing fresh and concentrated grape juice Manzanilla: A wine produced in the township of Sanlúcar de Barrameda; very pale, very dry, with an alcohol content of 15-17%
The Montilla-Moriles wines come from the Province of Córdoba and, like their neighbours of Jerez, are unmistakable, dry, very fragrant and have a high alcohol content.
Finally, there are the Moscatels from Málaga which are warm to the taste and very dark coloured. They are sold under different names: Málaga, Málaga Virgen,
Lácrima Christi, Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel.
ARAGON.Denominaciones de Origen exists for:
Campo de Borja, Cariñena and Somontano. In this area, the wines are very red with a high alcohol content.
Their aroma is very concentrated and their taste is powerful, ideal for very spicy meat and heavy dishes.
Mancha, Méntrida, Valdepeñas and Almansa. This is the great Spanish wine reservoir which includes the Provinces of Toledo, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Albacete.
In general the wines are very widely drunk and are of good quality: mild, dry, with almost no acidity. The most commonly known are the ones from Valdepeñas, ie light reds and whites.
All of them tend to be drunk young, not more than one or a maximum of two years old, while the alcohol content lies between 11 and 13%.
CASTILE. Denominaciones de Origen are:
Rueda, Ribera del Duero and Toro. They produce reds and light reds with between 13 and 17% alcohol. Some of them are universally famous: those produced between Valbuena, Quintanilla de
Arriba and Quintanilla de Onésimo. They mature exceptionally well for which Bordeaux barrels and underground wine cellars are used. These wines have a limited production and sell at very
high prices. Around Rueda very pale and transparent whites of excellent quality and 11.5-14% are produced. Dry, sherry-type wines are also made there.
THE EAST COAST. This region includes the following Denominaciones de Origen:
Alicante, Valencia, Jumilla, Utiel-Requena and Yecla, which cover quite different wines. Those from Alicante are reds and rosés with a high
alcohol content of between 12 and 16%. Those from Valencia are usually white, dry and very fresh. The Jumilla wines from this Murcia area are easy to distinguish
because they are aged in oak barrels, although there are also young wines. In both cases the alcohol content is very high, and they are dark red and thick. Yecla
has reds, rosés and light reds with between 13 and 15% alcohol and a very pleasant mild taste.
CATALONIA. Here the regions with a Denominación de Origen are:
Ampurdán-Costa Brava, Alella, Costers del Segre, Penedés, Priorato, Tarragona and Terra Alta. There are magnificent reds, whites
and light reds in the area, all of which have a long tradition. The most sought after are the Penedés and Priorato wines. The former are famous because
of their whites and have an alcohol content of between 10 and 13%.
The Priorato wines are probably the ones receiving most skilled attention in the entire country, especially the dark reds which have a velvety flavour and complex
aroma. They are fairly heavy and have a high alcohol content. In Tarragona, the most typical ones are white wines which are appropriate for fish and as aperitifs.
The cavas or sparkling wines from Sant Sadurní d'Anoia (Barcelona) have developed great quality and are widely found inside and outside Spain.
NAVARRE. Denominación de Origen: Navarra
The area basically produces red wines which at times reach 14.5% alcohol and are perfectly in tune with the heavy cuisine of the region
RIOJA. Denominación de Origen:
Rioja, after the area with the small River Oja, is the richest wine growing region of Spain for table wines. According to its wines the area is divided
into three parts: Rioja Baja (the Lower Rioja) which produces heavy fruity wines with a high alcohol content; Rioja Alta (the Upper Rioja) which is
the area of the great aged and mature quality wines, with a moderate alcohol content. They are very fragrant, of different shades of red and have a balanced,
unmistakable flavour. These wines lend themselves to being aged in oak vats. Young white wines are also produced. Rioja Alavesa produces red wines which are
usually drunk young and have a pleasant trace of acidity. The wines of this denominación are famous and develop their best as mature queality wines.
The following varieties can be distinguished according to their age:
Vino de crianza is the one aged for at least one year in vats and another year in bottles. It is usually a three-, four- and five-year old wine. Vino de reserva is the one aged for at least two years in vats and another in bottles. Vino de gran reserva is aged in oak barrels for at least three years and another
in bottles in the famous Rioja underground calaos (cellars). These wines are of the best years.
All these wines are a real treasure of the Spanish cuisine and occupy a place of honour among the most famous table wines in the world
because of the environment from which they come and because of the skill and technique that goes into their production.
GALICIA. Its Denominación de Origen includes:
Rias Baixas, Ribeiro and Valdeorras. They are light, agreeably acid white and red wines with a low alcohol content,
excellent companions of the typical Galician cuisine.
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