The Spanish red wine grape Tintilla

Spain is the third largest producer of wine in the world, the largest being France and the second Italy [1]. Historically, Spain has been known from the production of fortified wines and the best known Spanish wine is considered by some to be the fortified wine Sherry, which is produced in the region surrounding Jerez de la Frontera. Other wine regions well known outside of Spain include: Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorato, Cava and Penedès. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (960x1280, 204 KB) Tintilla grapes photo by Marianne Perdomo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (960x1280, 204 KB) Tintilla grapes photo by Marianne Perdomo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A fortified wine is a wine to which additional alcohol has been added, most commonly in the form of brandy (a spirit distilled from wine). ... Sherry solera Sherry is a type of wine originally produced in and around the town of Jerez, Spain; and hence in Spanish it is called Vino de Jerez. The towns Persian name during the Rustamid period was Xerex (Shariz, in Persian شريش), from which both sherry and Jerez are derived. ... Location of Jerez de la Frontera Municipality Cádiz Mayor Pilar Sánchez Muñoz Area    - City 1,186 km²  - Land 1,186 km²  - Water 0. ... Rioja is a wine from a region named after the Rio Oja in Spain, a tributary of the Ebro. ... The Ribera del Duero is a wine-making region of northeast central Spain, mostly split across the province of Burgos and province of Valladolid, both of which are part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. ... Province Tarragona Capital Falset Largest city Falset Demonym Prioratí, prioratina Population 9196 (2001) Area 496. ... This article is about a type of wine; Cava is also an island in Scotland and a part of human anatomy. ... Alt Penedès is a comarca (county) in Catalonia, Spain. ...

In Rioja, the law permits the use of four red grape varieties. Tempranillo is the primary grape used, followed by Garnacha (also known as Grenache), Graciano and Mazuelo. The latter two are excellent but difficult to grow varieties. Crianza wines are those that have been aged for two years, Reservas are aged three years, and Gran Reservas (also known as Reserva Especial) are aged at least five years. Tempranillo is a variety of vitis vinifera, the red grape used commonly in winemaking. ... Grenache is a sweet red grape variety grown primarily for the making of wine. ... Graciano is a Spanish red wine grape that is grown primarily in Rioja. ... Carignane (in American English; Spanish Cariñena, Italian Carignano, French Carignan) is a Spanish variety of grape that originated in Cariñena, Aragon and was later transplanted to Sardinia, elsewhere in Italy, France, Algeria, and much of the New World. ... Reserva is a term used in wine-making in Spain and Portugal to attempt to indicate a wine made in a superior manner. ...

Ribera del Duero lacks the long history of Rioja and was recognized as an official wine region in 1982. Priorato is a region with low yields and produces wines of rich intensity. Notable pioneer Rene Barbier is credited by some with bringing fame to this region. Penedes produces both red and white wines, but is mainly known for being the region that Cava was first made by the Reventos family who own and operate Codorniu. The largest Spanish wine brand name, Torres, is a major producer there. The Ribera del Duero is a wine-making region of northeast central Spain, mostly split across the province of Burgos and province of Valladolid, both of which are part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. ... Torres is a German-style board game designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling and published in 1999 by FX Schmid in German and by Rio Grande Games in English. ...

History

It has been said that the grapevines spread through the mediterranean thanks to the Roman empire. Spain has had early Greek settlements (the word "Iberian" is claimed to have a Greek origin) and was Romanized by the first Century B.C. (the Roman word for Spain is "Hispania"). As a consequence, Spain has a long tradition in winemaking. However, until about 25 years ago, Spanish wines were generally not merchandised and they were little known internationally, being Sherry (called vino de Jerez in Spain) a major exception as it has long been actively sought by British merchants and exported to the United Kingdom. Sherry solera Sherry is a type of wine originally produced in and around the town of Jerez, Spain; and hence in Spanish it is called Vino de Jerez. The towns Persian name during the Rustamid period was Xerex (Shariz, in Persian شريش), from which both sherry and Jerez are derived. ... see: Jerez de la Frontera Jerez was a small independent emirate created c. ...

Spanish wines usually aged in Spanish and French oak (nowadays American oak barrels are commonly used). They often had high alcoholic graduation, and in some cases the oak aging process was too long, overpowering the wines freshness and fruit character. The poor development of brand quality standards made difficult the identification of good wines to foreign customers. However, the use of marketing has helped them to rise to a point where they are now competing successfully in the international market.

Wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. has made mention of the following Spain's great estates: Artadi, Clos Erasmus, Alvaro Palacios, Tinto Pesquera, Dominio de Pingus, and Bodega Vega Sicilia. Mas La Plana 1970 (then known as 'Gran Coronas Black Label') received first place in the important Cabernet blend category of the Wine Olympics, a major wine competition Robert M. Parker, Jr. ... A Wine Olympics was organized by the French food and wine magazine GaultMillau in 1979, three years after the historic Paris Wine Tasting of 1976. ... The most common form of wine competition is one in which awards are given to groups of wines in various winning categories on the basis of the blind tasting of wine. ...

Geography and climate

Spain is located in southern Europe. The influence from the Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean Sea provide a warm/hot and dry climate. This climate results in low yields for Spanish grapes/wines. The harvest occurs from August - October.

Classification

Denominación de Origen is an appellation primarily used for Spanish wines, but also other foodstuffs. It is parallel with the hierarchical AOC system of France (1935) and Italy (1966) although Rioja (1925) and Sherry (1933) preceded the full system. As of 2006, 72 wine regions have EU QWPSR (Quality Wine Produced in Specific Regions) status: Denominación de origen is an appellation for Spanish wines. ... An appellation in its broadest sense is a name or designation. ...

• Denominación de Pago (DO de Pago): Individual single-estates with an international reputation. There are 3 wine regions with this status.
• Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa/DOQ - Denominació d'Origen Qualificada in Catalan): Regions with (allegedly) a track record of consistent quality. There are 2 wine regions with this status.
• Denominación de Origen (Denominació d'Origen in Catalan - DO): mainstream quality-wine regions. There are 62 wine regions with this status.
• Vino de Calidad Producido en Región Determinada (VCPRD): a 'starter home' for wine regions climbing the quality ladder. There are 5 wine regions with this status.
• There are also some 55 country wine areas (Vinos de la Tierra - VdlT) which do not have EU QWPSR status but which may use a regional name.
• The simplest wine is classified as Vino de Mesa. This wine has no vintage or area designation on the label (apart from 'Produce of Spain') is falling in quantity of production every year.

The 72 recognized wine producing regions in Spain grow a wide diversity of grapes, mostly of native origin. The great variety of wines with unfamiliar names causes confusion among many consumers.

Rioja wines are labeled according to the amount of aging the wine has received. These are the national minimum, but many producers far exceed them:

• Cosecha wines (meaning "vintage") are young and are not usually aged in wood. Alternatively, these may be the new-wave 'High Expression' wines which don't use the traditional epithets as they are considered to be old-fashioned: the price should be a guide as to which is which.
• Crianza wines are aged for two years with at least one year in a cask.
• Reserva wines are aged for at least one year in an oak cask and at least one year in oak, with a further year in either.
• Gran Reserva wines are aged for at least 18 months in oak, and at least three years in the bottle and a minimum of five years total at the winery.

Sherry

Main article: Sherry

Sherry is produced in southern Spain in the region of Jerez. Palomino is the most popular grape to produce sherry, but Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez are also used. Sherry is made using the Solera system to blend wine of different vintages. Younger wine is moved through barrels of older wine to develop flavor. Sherry solera Sherry is a type of wine originally produced in and around the town of Jerez, Spain; and hence in Spanish it is called Vino de Jerez. The towns Persian name during the Rustamid period was Xerex (Shariz, in Persian شريش), from which both sherry and Jerez are derived. ...

Sherry has many categories

• Fino Sherry is a very light and delicate Sherry. These wines are characterized by flor (the surface growth of yeast in the barrels). From 15 to 18% of alcohol.
• Manzanilla Sherry comes from the Sanlucar district along the sea coast. The sea air leads the Sherry to develop a salty taste. These wines also have flor. This winw is produced using exactly the same process than Fino, but as weather conditions are very different in Sanlucar district it gorws to a slightly different kind of wine. From 15 to 19% of alcohol.
• Amontillado Sherry is similar to Fino, however it does not have the as much flor development. These are deeper in color and drier than Finos and are left in the barrel longer. From 16 to 22% of alcohol.
• Oloroso Sherry is deeper/darker in color and have more residual sugar. These are more fortified. From 17 to 22% of alcohol.
• Cream Sherry is very rich and can be a good dessert-style wine. From 15,5 to 22% of alcohol.
• Pedro Ximenez Sherry is very rich and is the most popular dessert-style wine. It's made from raisins of Pedro Ximenez grapes dryed al the sun. About 18% of alcohol.
• Palo Cortado Sherry is very rare to get, as its an Oloroso wine that gets older in a different way only produced by nature (not able by human interaction). From 17 to 22% of alcohol.

Recently Sherry wines are used in very different kinds of high cuisine dishes to add special flavour. For example pork steak with Oloroso (very intense taste), artichoques with amontillado wine (short but deep taste), or pedro ximenez (reduced to 50% of its liquid content) with cakes of fruits. More information in Sherry Institute of Spain's promotional website for cooking with sherry

Wine regions

Denominacion de Origin Calificada's of Spain:

• Rioja is the most famous wine-producing region in Spain. It focuses on red wines and is often called the Napa valley of Spain. The top red wines are made predominantly from Tempranillo with Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo blended in. Many of the vineyards are field planted and bring in lower yields.
• Priorato

Denominacion de Origin's of Spain: Rioja is a wine from a region named after the Rio Oja in Spain, a tributary of the Ebro. ... Province Tarragona Capital Falset Largest city Falset Demonym Prioratí, prioratina Population 9196 (2001) Area 496. ...

• Abona
• Alella
• Alicante
• Almansa
• Ampurdán-Costa Brava
• Bierzo
• Binissalem Mallorca
• Bullas
• Calatayud
• Campo de Borja has recently become more prominent. It features a number of cooperatives who produce Garnacha and Tempranillo.
• Cariñena
• Cataluña
• Cava
• Chacolí de Álava
• Chacolí de Guetaria
• Chacolí de Vizcaya
• Cigales
• Conca de Barberá
• Condado de Huelva
• Costers del Segre
• Dominio de Valdepusa
• El Hierro
• Jerez-Xérès-Sherry y Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda
• Jumilla
• La Mancha
• La Palma
• Lanzarote
• Manchuela
• Málaga - Sierras de Málaga
• Méntrida
• Mondéjar
• Monterrei
• Montilla-Moriles
• Montsant
• Navarra
• Penedés is located near Barcelona and is notable for the production of the sparkling wine Cavas. The more popular red table wines produced here include Tempranilla (the number one red grape in Spain and equivalent to the Pinot Noir), Garnacha and Carinena.
• Plà de Bagés
• Plà i Llevant
• Rías Baixas is located in the Galicia region in the northwest of Spain. This DO is known for Albarino wine, Spain's number one white wine. The other white grape varieties here include Treixadura, Loureira, Caino Blanco, and Torrontes. The popular red grapes in this region include Caino Tinot and Souson.
• Ribeira Sacra
• Ribeiro
• Ribera del Duero is located just south of Rioja and challenged Rioja for the best red wines produced in Spain. Almost all of its wines are made from 100% Tempranillo.
• Ribera del Guadiana
• Ribera del Júcar
• Rueda is located west of Ribera del Duero. This region produces good reds and whites that are not as pricey as those from Rioja or Ribera del Duero.
• Somontano
• Tacoronte-Acentejo
• Tarragona
• Terra Alta
• Toro
• Úcles
• Utiel-Requena
• Valdepeñas
• Valedoras
• Valencia
• Valle de Güímar
• Valle de la Orotava
• Vinos de Madrid
• Ycoden-Daute-Isora
• Yecla

Vinos de la Tierra Alella is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme in Catalonia, Spain. ... Location of Alicante in Spain Alicante (Castillian Spanish) or Alacant (Valencian) is the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of the Alacantí, in the southern part of the Valencian community, Spain, a historic Mediterranean port. ... Almansa is Spanish city in the province of Albacete Categories: Municipalities in Spain ... El Bierzo is a region of the province of León, Spain. ... Bullas is a municipality and town in the autonomous community of Murcia, southeast Spain. ... The tower of the Santa María church in mudéjar style. ... Carignan (in French; Spanish Cariñena, Italian Carignano, American English Carignane) is a Spanish variety of grape that originated in Cariñena, Aragon and was later transplanted to Sardinia, elsewhere in Italy, France, Algeria, and much of the New World. ... Capital Barcelona Official languages Spanish and Catalan In Val dAran, also Aranese. ... This article is about a type of wine; Cava is also an island in Scotland and a part of human anatomy. ... Hierro redirects here. ... Jumilla is a wine-producing region in southern Spain. ... Thanks to Miguel de Cervantes, La Mancha is famous for its windmills. ... Satellite image of La Palma, with the Caldera de Taburiente visible (north is to the lower right). ... Lanzarote is also the title of a novella by Michel Houellebecq, translated into English by Frank Wynne. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Navarra is the Spanish name for Navarre (Basque: Nafarroa), an ancient kingdom in the Pyrenees, and now a province and an autonomous community in Spain. ... The Ria de Vigo, one of the rias that gives Rías Baixas area its name The Rías Baixas are the Atlantic facing southern a part of Costa del Marisco in the Galicia region of Spain. ... The Ribeiro is a wine-making region of Southeast central Galicia The wine region DO Ribeiro Categories: | ... The Ribera del Duero is a wine-making region of northeast central Spain, mostly split across the province of Burgos and province of Valladolid, both of which are part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. ... Salsa Rueda (Rueda de Casino) was developed in Havana, Cuba in the 1950s, as a particlular type of round dancing of Salsa. ... For the municipality in the Philippines, see Tarragona, Davao Oriental. ... Terra Alta is a sparsely populated inland comarca (county) in Catalonia, Spain. ... Toro may refer to: Toro (company), an American manufacturer of lawn mowers and other lawn equipment. ... Valdepeñas is a municipality in the Spanish province of Ciudad Real, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. ... // Valencia is the name of two large cities in different parts of the world: Spain: Valencia, capital of the Valencia Autonomous Community. ... Yecla is a town in eastern Spain, in the extreme north of the autonomous community of Murcia. ...

• Andalucia
• Aragon
• Castilla y León
• Castilla-la Mancha & Madrid
• Catalonia
• Extremadura
• Galicia
• Levante
• Navarra and Basque
• Rioja
• The Canary & Balearic Islands

Motto: Dominator Hercules Fundator Andaluc a por s , para Espa a y la humanidad (Andalusia for herself, for Spain, and for humanity) Capital Seville Area  - total  - % of Spain Ranked 2nd 87 268 km 17,2% Population  - Total (2003)  - % of Spain  - Density Ranked 1st 7 478 432 17,9% 85,70... Capital Zaragoza Official language(s) Spanish; Aragonese and Catalan also used Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47,719 km²  9. ... Capital Valladolid Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 1st  94,223 km²  18,6% Population  â€“ Total (2003)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 6th  2,480,369  5. ... Anthem: Els Segadors Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Spanish, Catalan, and Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th  32,114 km²  6. ... Capital Mérida Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 5th  41 634 km²  8,2% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 12th  1 083 879  2,5%  26,03/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  â€”  extremeño/a, castúo Statute of Autonomy February 26, 1983 ISO 3166-2 EX Parliamentary representation... There are two well-known places called Galicia: Galicia, one of Spains autonomous communities. ... Levante, also referred to as El Levante (Spanish) or El Llevant (Valencian), is a name used to refer to the eastern Mediterranean coastal region of Spain. ... Rioja is a wine from a region named after the Rio Oja in Spain, a tributary of the Ebro. ...

See also

• Wine
• Globalization of wine
• Codorniu Winery

A glass of red wine This article is about the alcoholic beverage. ... The globalization of wine is largely a post-1976 phenomenon. ... Codorniu Winery, the worlds largest producer of bottle fermented sparkling wine made by the traditional champagne method (methode champenoise), was founded in Spain in 1551. ...

Source

• McCarthy, Ed. & Ewing-Mulligan, Mary. Red Wine for Dummies: A Reference for the Rest of Us. Foster City, CA: IDG, 1996.
• Parker,Jr., Robert M. The World's Greatest Wine Estates. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2005.
• Radford, John. The New Spain 2004 edition. London: Mitchell Beazley

External links

• Spain - Wine regions and their wine Information about all Spanish DOCa and DO wine regions.
• Profile of Spanish Wine Regions
• Spanish Wine Podcast and Regional Information
• www.lugardelvino.com Spanish Wines.