Spanish Wine Is Thoroughly Enjoyed Everywhere!

Spanish wine

Spain has a long and fascinating history of producing great tasting wines. Although red wines are often thought to be more popular, Spanish white wine is equally enjoyed all over the world. Spanish wines are typically produced all over the country.

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Spain has over 2.9 million acres planted with vines, making it the third largest wine producer in the world. There are over 600 different grape varieties available in Spain. So it is not hard to see why the average Spanish person consumes over 10 gallons of wine every year. I know a few people that might do that in a month.

spanish wine

Although Rioja is the most well known Spanish vino it is in fact a very small region among many others. There are some fantastic wines produced in Spain, alongside some equally very boring tasteless varieties.

This is mainly due to the production of undistinguished white grapes, which can only produce bad table wine at best. Classification of spanish wine is done in a very similar way to wines in France and Italy.

There are five main classifications, ranging from table wines to top class regions.

When a Spanish vino is labeled it must show how long the wine has been matured. Depending on the vineyard some wines are produced and sold very young. Others will be left to age for some time, ensuring that they are at their best when sold and served.

There are three different aging categories. Crianza red wines are aged for up to 2 years, with at least 6 months in oak. Reserva wine has at least 3 years, with a minimum of a year in oak. Lastly, there is Gran Reserva, which will be aged for at least 5 years. It spends 18 months in the oak before being bottled for a minimum of 36 months.

The best regions for wine are Northern, Central and Southern Spain, these all produce good quality wines. Rioja is produced in Northern Spain and is the epitome of classic red wine. There are many variations of this common type. These include easy drinking Crianzas to Gran Reservas that have been improved for decades. The chosen grape for these wines is the Tempranillo grape; this region does plant other types of grapes, but never that many.

Most of the Rioja's taste and flavor will depend on the time it has spent maturing. In central Spain there is one region that dominates the area; La Mancha has over a million acres of vines. Although this area produces a great deal of wine, it is never of amazing quality, and is more described as table wine. They are drinkable wines; however, nothing special is produced in this area of Spain.

Southern Spain is far hotter than other areas, and not only produces some wonderful wines, but great sherry as well. The town of Jerez is the home of sherry producing three main types. spanish winemaking is very traditional and rustic, with the skills being passed from generation to generation.

Throughout history famous winemakers have claimed that the Spanish make wine in a rough and un-conventional way. Their methods were seen as unusual and not understood. However, Spanish wine is still being produced today, and enjoyed all over the world. It is regularly enjoyed at my house too. :-)

Cheers

red wine

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