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A Primer to Spain's Wine Regions

Vino in the Iberian Peninsula predates even the Romans, the Greek colonies before them, and the Phoenicians before them. But the phylloxera plague of the mid to late 19th century and political instability (including the devastating civil war) in the early 20th were devastating to local wine industry, with the exception of Andalusia’s sherry producers.

Now, after recovering and a postwar phase of churning out bulk wine, in recent decades many Spanish wine producers have soared way beyond plonk to consistent vintages ranging from decent to divine. One of the best-known regions is of course Rioja in the north, but there are 67 DO‘s (“denominations of origin”, like France’s appellations) spread across the peninsula and the islands, with 14 of these considered elite regions. Some are better known abroad, while others aren’t exported, remaining mostly for local consumption. Here’s a “quick-‘n’-dirty” guide to the top regions and wines you’re likely to encounter on your visits.

Andalusia is of course home to Spain’s most iconic wine, sherry, which is heavily fortified and is produced around Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María, and made mostly from the Palomino grape, and sometimes also Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez. There are various subtypes of sherry, such as fino (light/delicate), manzanilla (light, with a slightly salty touch), amontillado (dryer), and the heavier/sweeter oloroso, cream sherry, palo cortado, and Pedro Ximénez. The other best known local wine, Málaga, hailing from the eponymous province, is also sweet, and made from Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez.

Balearic Islands Pretty much all the action is on Majorca, where native grape varieties include Manto Negro, Callet, Fogoneu, Moll and Prensal Blanc. The Binissalem DO in the island’s center yields full-bodied reds using mostly Manto Negro, but also Callet, Tempranillo, Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot; the whites tend to be light and herbal, with primary varieties including Moll and Prensal Blanc, as well as some Macabeo, Parellada, Chardonnay and Moscatel; there’s a similar but less well known DO on the east of the island called Plà i Llevant.

Basque Country/Navarre The Basques are known more than anything else for their Txacoli –young, crisp, slightly acidic whites, divided into three DO’s, Álava, Bizkaia, and Getaria. There’s also a Navarra DO covering vineyards on the lower slopes of the Pyrenees Mountains; once focused mostly on rosés, they’re also producing more excellent reds these days, with vines including mostly Grenache, Tempranillo, Cabernet 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 isPriorat, 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, centered along the Minho River, which specializes in crisp, aromatic whites from native Torrontés, Treixadura and Lado grapes that bear more than a few similarities to the vinho verde of neighboring Portugal.

Ribera del Duero One of Spain’s well-known oenological heartlands is centered in the Castile-León province of Burgos (especially the town of Aranda del Duero) and includes parts of Segovia, Soria, andValladolid 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 recognized even by people who know little or nothing about 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 ropes 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.