Spain has a long history of producing fine wines, particularly the red wines of Rioja. Surprisingly, however, this famous name is just one small region among many, some of which produce equally good wines, although many produce huge quantities of uninteresting dross. Some of these regions are huge, and account for the fact that Spain has the largest area of land dedicated to viticulture of any country in the world. Unfortunately for lovers of fine wine, much of these vines are Airén, an undistinguished white grape responsible for some of the most forgettable wines. 

Spain has a similar classification system to France and Italy, with all classified wine regions regulated under the Denominación de Origen (DO) system. See Spanish Wine Region.  Red wines are often labelled as Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva. In Rioja and the Ribera del Duero, Crianza wines are two years old, with at least twelve months spent in cask (elsewhere the oak ageing may legally be restricted to just six months). Reservas are three years old (at least one year in cask), Gran Reservas five years old (two in cask, three in bottle).  See Spain’s Wine Labeling Laws.

In looking at Portugal’s wine regions, it’s helpful to split the country in two, by drawing a line about a third of the way down. This separates the northern regions of the Douro, Dão and Bairrada, and the central and southern regions of the Alentejo, Ribatejo and Estremadura. See Wine Regions of Portugal.  As a useful generalization, the future for the northern regions lies in focusing on high-quality, top-end ‘terroir’ wines, while the strength of the southern and central regions is their ability to produce accessible, full flavoured red wines in large quantities and at affordable prices: new world-style wines with a Portuguese twist.  See More about Wines from Portugal.

 


SPAIN WINE REGIONS

DO and DOCa wine regions of Spain

Abona
Alella
Alicante
Almansa
Arabako Txakolina
Arlanza
Arribes
Bierzo
Binissalem/Mallorca
Bizkaiko Txakolina
Bullas
Calatayud
Campo de Borja
Cariñena
Catalunya
Cava
Cigales
Conca de Barberà
Condado de Huelva
Costers del Segre
El Hierro
Empordà-Costa-Brava
Getariako Txakolina
Gran Canaria
Jerez-Xerès-Sherry
Jumilla
La Gomera
La Mancha
La Palma
Lanzarote
Málaga & Sierras de Málaga
Manchuela
Madrid
Méntrida
Mondéjar
Monterrei
Montilla-Moriles
Montsant
Navarra
Penedès
Pla del Bages
Pla i Llevant (Mallorca)
Priorat
Rías Baixas
Ribeira Sacra
Ribeiro
Ribera del Duero
Ribera del Guadiana
Ribera del Júcar
Rioja
Rueda
Somontano
Tacoronte Acentejo
Tarragona
Terra Alta
Tierra de Léon
Tierra de los Vinos Zamora
Toro
Uclés
Utiel-Requena
Valdeorras
Valdepeñas
Valencia
Valle de Güimar
Valle de Orotava
Ycoden-Daute-Isora
Yecla

Northern Spain

In Galacia, the most north-western part of Spain, Rias Baixas can be very drinkable. The wines are made from the Albariño grape, and many are cold-fermented to maintain freshness, the antithesis of old white Rioja.

Further east, and back to the north a little, is Rioja. The epitome of fine red Spanish wine for generations, Rioja can still be superb. Styles vary, from easy drinking Crianzas and some Reservas, to the Reservas and Gran Reservas of the top estates which may cellar and improve for decades. The grape of note is the Tempranillo, although there are some plantings of lesser grapes, including Garnacha Tinta (known as Grenache in France). Rioja is divided up into three regions, by far the most important of which is the Rioja Alta (which is also the name of one of the top estates). Slightly to the east are Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja, the former producing some drinkable wines, the latter less so.

It is worth noting that much of Rioja's character depends on the long ageing in American oak, with Gran Reservas having the longest contact (as explained above) and also the best cellaring potential. For an alternative to Rioja, just to the northeast is Navarra, often cited as an up and coming rival. I've yet to discover any wines that should trouble the inhabitants of Rioja.
My top wines: Artadi, La Rioja Alta, Marques de Murrieta, Marqués de Riscal, Muga, Marqués de Cáceres, López de Heredia. With careful selection good value wines may be had from Baron de Ley, Berberana, Faustino, Montecillo, Marqués de Grinon and Marqués de Villamagna.

Moving across to the Mediterranean coast there are a number of DO regions, such as Priorato and Somontano, which for many years produced nothing of great interest. Quite recently, however, Priorato has been making waves, with big, age-worthy and exciting wines from the likes of Clos Mogador and Clos Erasmus. Penedès is also worth a mention, not least because it is home to one of Spain's most well known wine makers, Torres. This company, led by Migual Torres, produces a vast array of styles using a number of indigenous and international grapes, from sparkling Cava through to Gran Reserva reds. They also have related outposts in Chile (Migual Torres) and California (Marimar Torres).
My top wines: Torres produce some good value reds (especially Sangre de Toro, Gran Sangre de Toro and Gran Coronas reds).

Central Spain
Just one region dominates central Spain, and that is La Mancha. This is a vast million acre DO, which relies on Airén for its whites, and Cencibel (another name for Tempranillo, just to confuse you) and Garnacha Tinta (Grenache), among others, for its reds. I read an editorial recently which stated that La Mancha was going to be the next big success story, following in the footsteps of the Napa Valley and Coonawarra

 


SPAIN’S WINE LABELING LAWS

Spanish red wines labeled "Reserva" spend at least 1 year in oak and 3 years overall ageing before they are released to the market.

Spanish wines are often labeled according to the amount of ageing the wine has received. When the label says vino joven ("young wine") or sin crianza, the wines will have undergone very little, if any, wood ageing. Depending on the producer, some of these wines will be meant to be consumed very young - often within a year of their release. Others will benefit from some time ageing in the bottle. For the vintage year (vendimia or cosecha) to appear on the label, a minimum of 85% of the grapes must be from that year's harvest. The three most common ageing designations on Spanish wine labels are Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva.

 

 


WINE REGIONS OF PORTUGAL

 

The Douro
In a relatively short period of time the Douro has established itself as Portugal’s premium wine region. It’s hard to overstate the scale and pace of change that is currently taking place in this most spectacular of wine regions. The steeply terraced vineyards contain some wonderful terroirs, but because of the economic dominance of the Port trade it is only recently that these have been widely exploited to produce premium wines. Table wine has always been made here but, with a couple of notable exceptions (the legendary Barca Velha and more recently Duas Quintas Reserva and Quinta do Côtto Grande Eschola), it has been grim stuff, usually badly made from low quality grapes that were surplus to the requirements of Port producers.

Various factors have conspired to change this situation. Most importantly, a critical mass of like-minded winemakers has emerged, passionate about making the very best wines that these remarkable terroirs are capable of.

In particular, Dirk Niepoort has been a key player in recent developments in the region. As well as producing some brilliantly expressive Douro wines himself, he’s been acting as a catalyst by encouraging the leading wine producers to get together and spur each other on to greater things. There’s still very much of a pioneering air here, with many of the new premium wines in only their first or second vintage. One encouraging trend is that while the quality is uniformly pretty high, there are a variety of different styles emerging, all of which still hold true to their Douro origins. Significant names here include Niepoort’s Redoma, Batuta and Charme, newcomers Poeira and Pintas, Vallado, Vale D. Maria, Vale Meão, Gouvyas, Crasto, and Chryseia.

The momentum generated by the Douro table wine revolution has led some of the Port shippers to start taking a greater interest in table wines. This is leading to improvements across the board, even with some of the more commercial wines. Having said this, the Douro is unlikely to ever be a plentiful source of cheap wine: with its high labour costs and low yields, this is an expensive place to work, and its future almost certainly lies at the top end of the market.

The Douro is not known for its white wine. The one notable exception is Dirk Niepoort’s stunning Redoma Branco (which comes in both regular and reserva bottlings), fashioned from ancient vines in cooler microclimates at the top of the slopes.

Bairrada
Unusually for Portugal, Bairrada is a region dominated by just one grape, the often-maligned Baga. 80% of wines from this region are red, and almost all of these are made from Baga. It is thick-skinned, high in acidity and pretty tannic. Combine this with the common practice of leaving the stems in the fermentation vat, and it has the potential to make tough, challenging wines. But while many of the wines made from Baga are overly astringent, the fact that some winemakers do great things with it suggests that the blame lays at the door of the less competent producers rather than the grape.

This is the region of the smallholder. There are a staggering 4700 registered growers, and the average plot size is a tiny 0.2 ha. Most sell their grapes to the cooperatives that dominate the region’s production. But some estimate of the potential of this region for quality wines can be gained from the observation that more than two-thirds of the vineyards here are over 50 years old.

Notable quality producers include Casa de Saima, Luis Pato, Quinta das Bágeiras and Quinta do Baixo. In terms of size, the biggest producer in Bairrada is Caves Aliança, based at Sangalhos, although most of their wines are made from grapes grown outside the region.

Although Bairrada is mainly about red wines, there attractive sparkling whites are a bit of a speciality here, and I’ve had the odd good still white wine, too.

Dão
Dão reds have changed beyond all recognition over the last decade. Until 1990 production was dominated by underperforming cooperatives and the resulting wines were usually tough, tannic and unlovely. Since then there has been massive improvement, and while there’s still some mediocre wine made here, the overall standard has been raised. Like Bairrada, though, the fragmentation of vineyard holdings has been a hindrance to progress.

Located inland, the Dão has cold wet winters but mild, dry summers. The granitic-soiled vineyards are at altitude, resulting in ripe grapes with good acidity, and the potential for elegant, expressive red wines.


MORE ABOUT WINES FROM PORTUGAL

Occupying a long narrow strip down the western seaboard of the Iberian Peninsula, the dominant factor on grape growing in Portugal is the Atlantic Ocean. In all but the deep south of the country coastal conditions are wet and cool. Grapes grown here are fairly difficult to ripen and light, high-acid wines like Vinho Verde are made. Further inland in the north, the climate is considerably warmer and sunnier, rainfall is lighter and the vineyards are more sheltered. This Northeastern quarter of the country is home to most of the great wine regions which grow the grapes not only for Port, but for an increasingly good range of red wines. Rather like the Northern Rhône, the upper reach of the Douro Valley is a steeply sloping, cavernous landscape, where terraces have to be blasted into granite and schistous rock for the vines to gain a foothold. The weather here can be extreme, the mountains of the Serra de Marão causing long, dry summer months.

The Southern tip of Portugal is just too hot and dry for grape growing. On the island of Madeira conditions are moderated by a mountainous slopes and coastal conditions (note: Madeira is several hundred miles southwest of Lisbon: map above is not to scale).

Grapes

There is a very large range of indigenous Portuguese grape varieties, which for me is one of the potential strengths of the wine-making scene: not too much incursion as yet by the ubiquitous "international" varieties.    

 

Red wines
One of the most important grapes is the Touriga Nacional, the mainstay of Port (though Port is a blend of up to 18 different varieties) and the best wines of Dão and the Douro. The Periquita and Baga are other quality grapes.

White wines
The Alvarinho is the grape of Vinho Verde, whilst the Fernão Pires makes excellent, fresh wines. The Bual, Malvasia, Sercial and Verdelho are the noble grapes of Madeira