Spain has the largest area under vine in the world, just under a million hectares, and is among the world's top three wine producers with Italy and France. In recent decades quality has risen enormously, and alongside the historic areas new appellations and winemakers reviving native grapes have emerged.
Appellations
Spain's quality system has several levels: vinos de mesa, vinos de la tierra (geographical indication), DO (Denominación de Origen), DOCa (Calificada, the highest level, granted only to Rioja and Priorat) and Vinos de Pago, from single outstanding estates.
The main regions
- Rioja: the most famous appellation, along the Ebro, with tempranillo reds, elegant and suited to oak ageing. See also the wine way and the Haro wine battle.
- Ribera del Duero: in Castile and León, powerful tempranillo (tinto fino) reds, with legendary names such as Vega Sicilia and Pingus.
- Priorat: in Catalonia, concentrated reds from garnacha and cariñena on slate soils (llicorella).
- Toro, Bierzo (with the mencía grape), Jumilla and Yecla (monastrell), Campo de Borja and Calatayud (garnacha).
- Rueda: fresh, aromatic verdejo whites.
- Rías Baixas: in Galicia, albariño whites, perfect with seafood; and godello whites from Valdeorras.
- La Mancha and Valdepeñas: Europe's largest wine-growing area.
- Penedès and Cava: in Catalonia, cava is Spain's traditional-method sparkling wine, made mainly at Sant Sadurní d'Anoia from macabeo, xarel·lo and parellada grapes.
- Txakoli: the light, slightly sparkling white of the Basque Country.
- Jerez, Montilla-Moriles and Málaga: Andalusia's fortified and sweet wines (see sherry).
- The Canaries, with vines on volcanic soil, as at La Geria on Lanzarote.
Reading the label
For reds, the terms indicate minimum ageing, which varies slightly between appellations:
| Term | Ageing (Rioja reds) |
|---|---|
| Joven | no requirement, young wine |
| Crianza | at least 2 years, 1 in barrel |
| Reserva | at least 3 years, 1 in barrel |
| Gran Reserva | at least 5 years, 2 in barrel |
Drinking and visiting
In bars you order un tinto (red), un blanco or un rosado; in summer tinto de verano, red wine with lemonade, and sangría, more loved by tourists than Spaniards. Wine tourism is well developed: the Rutas del Vino de España offer routes through wineries, museums and restaurants, and many bodegas have buildings by great architects, such as Calatrava's Ysios and Gehry's Marqués de Riscal.