Wines from Spain

Spain wine making

It is clear that in the world of wine everything is constantly changing and updating, but compared to other wine-producing countries, Spain is distinguished by changes in the wine industry. The majestic mountains of Spain are wild and inhospitable, and the northern areas are too open and unprotected. But the rest of the area is great for growing vines. The biggest problem in the south, east and in some places in the north of the country is the summer drought, such a climate requires a wider planting of vines and low yields. Therefore, despite the fact that Spain is the largest vineyard in Western Europe, France and Italy still make wines much more. The chronology of winemaking in Spain is so long that history is silent about its beginning. Spain is one of the oldest wine producing countries in Europe. Sources are known to indicate that even the ancient Iberians who lived in the area of ​​modern Cadiz, and then the Greeks and Phoenicians produced and traded wine in Spain. The Romans, as we know, already familiar with wine, encourage local winemaking and organize the delivery of wine, shipping among other places in Cadiz (Cadiz), Malaga (Malaga) and Tarragona (Tarragona). These were the wine centers of the time. Many Roman authors commented on Spanish wines, and mountains of shards of amphoras, excavated by archaeologists, indicate the spread of Spanish wines throughout the Roman Empire. The Visigoths drank a lot, but left few comments about Spanish wines, as well as everything else. Muslims, despite the condemnation of alcohol by the Qur'an, continued to develop the wine trade in Spain. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel made great efforts to restore the vineyards that were destroyed in the wars against the Moors, and the fast-developing wine business was established with England. Spanish wines are often mentioned in the 15th and 16th centuries in English literature. England continues to be an important market for Spanish wines. Today, the British drink nearly five million liters of Rioja every year, quite impressive amounts of other Spanish table wines and cava. One Spanish wine was especially known thanks to England - sherry (in English - "sherry"). British companies settled in Jerez at the beginning of the 18th century and participated in both production and export. And today, England is still the largest importer of sherry. Nobody wanted to see Napoleon’s army in Spain, but one positive result of the Napoleonic invasion was nevertheless a fruitful exchange of experience between the Spanish and French winemakers. When phylloxera infected France’s vineyards in the 1860s and eventually almost all of them destroyed, many French winemakers moved south of the Pyrenees to start anew. The infection that destroyed the roots of French vines caused an unprecedented rise in wine production in Spain. Unfortunately, the phylloxera eventually moved south and did not spare Spain’s vineyards either. The vineyards of both countries were destroyed. Fortunately, everything was formed. The disease-resistant vine was brought from the United States and the vineyards were restored. The American vine and the Spanish and French winemaking experience revived the wine industry in Spain, and its rapid growth was only briefly interrupted by the Civil War. In Spanish wineries, time does not stand still, but good traditions are preserved: the custom on the part of the Spaniards to produce “ready” wine for use, and not for sale deserves all respect, if not more.

Spanish wine classification

1.Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa / DOQ / DOC) - The deserved name of the wine, the controlled denomination of the place of origin (Denomison de Orihen Caliphad).

2. Denominacion de Origen (DO) - Wine-controlled denomination (Denomination de Orien). DO Concept: Wine has a specific geographic name by region, district or district. Its quality and taste characteristics are determined by the geographical and climatic characteristics of the area where it is produced wine. Wine must reach a certain level of sales in the domestic market.

3.Vino de la Tierra (VdlT) - Earth Wine (Vino de la Tierra) - Wines with clearly defined boundaries, the producers of which cannot or do not want for one reason or another to fulfill all the necessary requirements for obtaining the status of BEFORE. Local wine production zones are registered and defined by law. The label shows the crop year, the grape varieties and the region of production.

4.Vino de Mesa (VdM) - Table wines (Vinos de Mesa). These wines are the most minimal requirements, mainly related to the content of certain substances in the finished product. No requirements for the place of origin, the cultivation of the vine or the processes of vinification is not installed. The label indicates only one mandatory inscription - the name of the manufacturer.

Wine regions of Spain

Northern regions:

Galicia,
Asturias,
Cantabria,
Basque Country
Navarre,
Castile and Leon,

Central regions:

Rioja,
Aragon,
Catalonia,
Madrid,
Estremadura
Castilla La Mancha,
Southern regions:

Valencia,
Balearic Islands,
Andalusia,
Murcia,
Canary Islands.

• Cinco
• Para Celsus
• Palacio de Oriente
• Antonio Barbadillo
• Ines
• Vina Oria