Spanish wine is an old world that is ignored by the world, and even ignored by many Chinese people. You know, Spanish wine production ranks third in the world, and there are many wines of very good quality. What is even more fortunate is that unlike French wine, which has attracted a lot of attention from the world, and unlike California wine, which has professional media By promoting it, we can also get more affordable prices, except of course for very few examples like the Vega Sicilia winery's "UNICO".
The history of grape cultivation in Spain can be traced back to about 4000 BC. In 1100 BC, the Phoenicians began to use grapes to make wine. But the history of Spanish wine did not have any glory worth showing off. It was not until 1868 that French vineyards suffered from phylloxera. Many French winemakers, most of them from Bordeaux, came to Rioja, Spain, and brought their wines with them. Technology and experience have allowed Spanish wine to enter a period of rapid development. During this period, large areas of French vineyards were eradicated, and a considerable amount of wine was imported from Spain due to the shortage of wine. This is also evidence of France’s contribution to improving Spain’s winemaking standards.
In 1972, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture learned from the successful experience of France and Italy and established the Instito de Denominaciones de Origen (INDO). This department was equivalent to France's INAO and also established Spanish designation of origin monitoring. Institutional Denominaciones de Origen (DO). As of now, Spain has 55 DOs, 20 of which were approved after 1994. In 1986, Denominaciones de Origen Calificada (DOC) was added to the DO system, which is slightly higher than DO. Although there is currently only Rioja (Rioja) in the DOC level, in the future, Jerez, Rias Baixas, Penedes , Ribera del Duero has the potential to be awarded a DOC rating.
Spanish DO system
The Spanish DO system divides wine into two categories: second-class table wine (Table Wine) and high-end wine (Quality Wine). This is consistent with the European Union’s The regulations are basically the same. Common table wines are also divided into:
1. Vino de Mesa (VdM): equivalent to French Vin de Table, and partly equivalent to Italian IGT. This is wine made using non-legal varieties or methods. For example, wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grown in Rioja may be labeled as Vino de Mesa de Navarra, which uses the name of the place of origin, so it is a bit like IGT.
2. Vino comarcal (VC): equivalent to French Vin de Pays. There are 21 major producing areas in Spain that are officially designated as VC. Wine labels are marked with Vino Comarcal de [Place of Origin].
3. Vino de la Tierra (VdlT): Equivalent to France’s VDQS, the wine label is marked with Vino de la Tierra [origin].
The high-end wines are Denominaciones de Origen (DO) and Denominaciones de Origen Calificada (DOC). Equivalent to French AOC, DOC is similar to Italian DOCG.
For DO or DOC grade wine, we can often see the following words on the wine label:
"Vino de Cosecha": Vintage wine, requiring more than 85% of this Vintage grapes.
"Joven": new wine, wine released in the spring after the grape harvest.
"Vino de Crianza" or "Crianza": This indicates that the wine can be released in the third year after the grape harvest, requiring at least 6 months in small oak barrels and 2 full years in Aged in bottle. In the Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions, a minimum of 1 year in oak barrels and 1 year in bottle is required.
"Reserva" must be aged for at least 3 years, of which at least 1 year must be aged in small oak barrels. For white wine, it requires at least 2 years of aging, of which at least 6 months must be aged in small oak barrels.
"Gran Reserva" is a grade that can only be brewed in a few excellent years, and making wine of the "Gran Reserva" grade requires permission from the local government. It is required to be aged for at least 5 years, of which at least 2 years must be aged in small oak barrels. The white wine "Gran Reserva" is extremely rare and requires at least 4 years of aging, of which at least 6 months in small oak barrels.
Spanish wines often appear as not very expensive in the international market. Even the top-quality Rioja Gran Reseva is not outrageously expensive, making it a pragmatic choice. However, the wine consumption in Spain is basically local wine. Even if Rioja Gran Reserva is not expensive, you can only drink it at high-end banquets. For the export market Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Penedes, Navarra, Rias Baixas are the big players. Wines from other Spanish producing areas and low-end table wines are rarely available outside Spain.
The northern part of Spain is blessed by neighboring France. It has superb winemaking technology and produces a large amount of good wine. Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Penedes, and Navarra are all produced in northern Spain. It has plenty of Mediterranean sunshine and a warm climate. Therefore, the wine is known for its rich, full-bodied style, which may be influenced by the Spanish tradition of making sherry. Some Spanish wines are aged for a very long time, such as Bodegas Marques de Murrieta, Castillo YGAY Gran Reserva Especial, which we tasted at this event. Rioja is aged in oak barrels for 4 years and in the bottle for 6 years. It will not be released on the market until 10 years later, so it is also quite smooth. Some newer wineries will not age the wine for such a long time, and the tannins in the wine will be very strong.
Spain grows many local varieties. For example, Tempranillo grown in the Rioja region is a noble variety in Spain. It has thick skin, deep color, late ripening, and relatively low alcohol content. It can be called Spain’s Cabernet Sauvignon.
It is said that the first people to introduce grapes to Spain were the Phoenicians, who were cultivating vineyards. Although they have more than a thousand years of wine-making experience, Spanish planting and wine-making techniques have not advanced with the times. In the mid-to-late century, French vineyards were infested with budworms. Many French wine merchants went to other countries to search for wine and buy grapes, and places such as northern Spain were one of their targets. They have taught many winemaking tips to the locals, and Spanish wines will eventually become world-class.
Spain is the world’s largest grape producer, and many wine-making countries even buy grapes from them. Wine production ranks third, after Italy and France. Since joining the EU, the country has received a lot of financial aid to improve equipment and technology. It stands to reason that the achievements should be greater than what we have today. Unfortunately, grape growers are unwilling to reduce production and have too many old plants (the grapes are more than 20 years old). As a result, the quality of grapes cannot be improved, which affects the overall performance.
Spanish Wine Law
Following other EU countries, Spain also has a set of regulations to control the quality of wine. There are more than 50 concession production areas across the country, namely DO (Denominaciones de Origen).
The particularly outstanding area is called DOC (Denominaciones de Origen Calificada). The first area listed as DOC is Rioja. The more common one is ino de la Tierra, which is equivalent to Vin de Pays in France. The most basic table wine is Vino de Mesa. The aging time in the winery must be indicated on the back of every bottle of wine from a licensed production area. There are four different regulations.