Old World
Spain wine
Home of Tempranillo, Garnacha, sherry and cava, and of an ageing-classification system that tells you how long a wine was matured before release.
Overview
Spain has among the largest vineyard areas of any country, though much of it is planted at low density in dry conditions, so production per hectare is comparatively modest.
Its most distinctive contribution to the way wine is labelled is the ageing hierarchy — Joven, Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva — which specifies minimum total ageing and minimum time in oak before release. The exact requirements vary by denomination, so the terms are meaningful but not identical everywhere.
The country’s range is wide: cool Atlantic Albariño in Galicia, powerful Garnacha from old bush vines in Priorat, oxidatively aged fortified wines in Jerez, and the traditional-method sparkling wines of Cava.
Largely hot and dry, moderated by altitude on the central plateau and by Atlantic influence in the north-west.
Regions
moderate · continental
Bierzo
A north-western Spanish region producing perfumed, medium-bodied reds from Mencía.
mediterranean · warm
Cava
Spain’s traditional-method sparkling wine, and an appellation whose delimited area is scattered across several regions rather than being one place.
maritime · cool
Getariako Txakolina
Sharp, faintly fizzy Basque white from vines grown on the Atlantic coast, poured from a height.
mediterranean · hot
Jerez
The Andalusian home of sherry, and of the solera system of fractional blending.
mediterranean · hot
Jumilla
A hot inland region in Murcia producing dense, affordable Monastrell.
continental · hot
La Mancha
The largest delimited wine region in the world by area, on the high central plateau, and the source of an enormous share of Spain’s wine.
continental · moderate
Monterrei
The warmest and driest Galician DO, on the Portuguese border, and the region’s best-value Godello.
mediterranean · warm
Montsant
The DO that wraps almost entirely around Priorat, on different soils and at a fraction of the price.
continental · moderate
Navarra
Rioja’s northern neighbour, historically known for Garnacha rosado and now for varied reds.
mediterranean · moderate
Penedès
The Catalan region where most Cava is produced, and a still-wine DO in its own right.
mediterranean · hot
Priorat
Steep slate terraces in Catalonia producing dense, mineral, very concentrated Garnacha and Cariñena.
maritime · cool
Rías Baixas
Green, wet Atlantic Galicia, and the home of Albariño — a corner of Spain with more in common with Portugal’s Vinho Verde country than with Rioja.
continental · moderate
Ribeira Sacra
Terraces on near-vertical gorges above two Galician rivers, making the most distinctive Mencía in Spain.
maritime · moderate
Ribeiro
Galicia’s oldest wine region, exporting to England in the Middle Ages and now rebuilding on Treixadura.
continental · high-altitude
Ribera del Duero
A high, extreme plateau on the Duero producing Spain’s most powerful and concentrated Tempranillo.
continental · moderate
Rioja
Spain’s most famous red wine region, defined as much by its oak-ageing classification as by Tempranillo.
continental · high-altitude
Rueda
Spain’s principal source of crisp, herbaceous Verdejo, and the region that quietly supplies much of the white wine drunk in Madrid.
continental · moderate
Somontano
A Pyrenean foothill DO known for international varieties alongside local Moristel and Parraleta.
continental · hot
Toro
A hot, high region on the Duero producing very powerful Tempranillo, locally called Tinta de Toro.
continental · warm
Utiel-Requena
A high plateau inland from Valencia, and the world’s principal home of the Bobal grape.
continental · moderate
Valdeorras
A Galician region that rescued Godello from near-extinction and made it a serious white variety.
mediterranean · hot
Yecla
A small, very hot inland DO in Murcia, growing old-vine Monastrell on the same plateau as Jumilla.
Wines
Grapes grown here
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Chardonnay
- Merlot
- Pinot Noir
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Syrah
- Tempranillo
- Albariño
- Grenache
- Gewürztraminer
- Godello
- Mencía
- Mourvèdre
- Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
- Verdejo
- Alicante Bouschet
- Bobal
- Carignan
- Grenache Blanc
- Loureiro
- Macabeo
- Malvasia
- Muscat of Alexandria
- Palomino Fino
- Pedro Ximénez
- Petit Verdot
- Xarel·lo
- Doña Blanca
- Graciano
- Hondarrabi Zuri
- Parellada
- Treixadura
Reading the label
Terms that appear on Spain labels, with the meaning they carry there specifically.
| Term | What it means | Legal status |
|---|---|---|
| Bodega | A winery or cellar. | not defined |
| Brut Nature → Doux | The EU sparkling wine sweetness scale — in which Extra Dry is sweeter than Brut. | legally defined |
| Cava de Guarda Superior | Cava’s upper ageing classification, with Reserva, Gran Reserva and Paraje Calificado tiers. | legally defined |
| Contains sulfites | A mandatory allergen declaration, not a warning about quality. | legally defined |
| Cosecha | The harvest year. | legally defined |
| Crianza | An ageing tier requiring a minimum total period with time in oak. | legally defined |
| DO | Spain’s main appellation tier. | legally defined |
| DOCa / DOQ | The tier above DO, held by only two regions. | legally defined |
| Gran Reserva | The longest-aged tier, released already mature. | legally defined |
| Joven | Young wine with little or no oak ageing. | legally defined |
| Old Vine | Almost universally undefined — a claim rather than a standard. | not defined |
| Reserva | A longer-aged tier, generally made only in better vintages. | legally defined |
| Vino de Pago | A single-estate designation for individual vineyards of recognised distinction. | legally defined |
Sources
Sources consulted
- Spanish wine designations of origin — Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Spain
- Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja — classification — Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja
- Consejo Regulador de las Denominaciones de Origen Jerez-Xérès-Sherry — Consejo Regulador del Jerez
- Consejo Regulador del Cava — Consejo Regulador de la DO Cava