Spanish Wine Gems
Spanish wine is not what it used to be. Believe it or not, the Spanish wine industry is almost as old as the French. In fact, a great number of French winemakers fled France and set up home in the Spanish region of Rioja.
Undoubtedly, Rioja is the main wine that one thinks of when Spain is mentioned. But, there is so much more to Spanish wine that's definitely worth exploring.
More recently, Spain has produced some other excellent quality red wines made from merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Also, Spain should not be overlooked when it comes to sparkling wines, as it produces the easy drinking and excellent value cava. Jerez port in Spain is also world renowned for its quality sherry.
East Spain
This is the home of the famous Rioja wine. Rioja wine has changed dramatically over the years, but is still a fantastic choice if you enjoy the more traditional, Spanish tasting mature reds. The region of Rioja is also becoming renowned for its modern, crisp white Rioja; however the older, more mature white Riojas can still be found if you search long and hard enough!
Traditionally, Rioja is produced by blending tempranillo and grenache (or garnacha as it is referred to in Spain), although other grapes such as graciano and mazuelo are also used to make Rioja.
Some of the best years for Rioja wine are 1994, 1995 and 1996.
West Spain
Arguably the most popular wine region with the Spanish themselves, the western Spanish wines come in a huge variety of styles and flavors.
In the area of Ribera Del Duero, the tempranillo grape is used almost exclusively to produce a bright and fresh tasting red. This region is particularly popular with the Spanish, which means that prices are sometimes unjustifiably high.
The area of Ruedo is famous for being the best region for Spanish white wine. Sauvignon blanc and verdejo are the two most popular grapes of this region and together they produce a tangy, fresh white that is extremely reliable, in terms of quality.
If you're looking to experiment, then try white wines from the areas of Ribeiro, Ribeiro Sacra and Valdeorras, all of which are producing some excellent (and cheap) aromatic white wines.
Sherry
Dry sherry from Spain is largely considered to be a world leader. Fino is a wonderfully light dry sherry; however the darker more concentrated amontillado and oloroso also make excellent drinking sherry.
Spain is renowned for its dry sherry, however the sweeter sherries should not be overlooked; keep a special look out for the Pedro ximenez grape.
Spanish wine is evolving, year on year, its quality and prices never cease to amaze, so it's worth keeping an eye on developments