¡Viva La Revolución!

Sure, you have probably heard of Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Jerez. You may even be familiar with Priorat, Rueda and even Penedès. But how about Toro? No? Would it surprise you to hear that this is one of the fastest growing wine regions in the world? How about Jumilla, Calatayud and Cariñena (the region, not the grape variety)? How about if I told you that Spain as a whole is transforming itself before our very livers from a sleepy country known for old-school wines at low prices into a vibrant wine community that is carving an ever-increasing niche in the American market? Well, I think that I just did.

Consumption of Spanish wine in the U.S. is up 45% since 2000. Production as a whole is increasing 12% per year, and Spain now boasts the most acres under vine in the world and trails only France in total wine production. But if you ask most wine drinkers in the U.S. who they think the major players in the world-wine market are rarely does Spain make the list. It should, and soon it will.

Fueled by new production techniques, increasing interest in small and relatively unknown regions and the old vines that live there, and even advances in infrastructure such as irrigation and highways, the wine industry of Spain is on the move. The number of D.O.s, short for Denominación de Origen, the classification used for individual wine regions in Spain, has more than doubled to over 60 in the last ten years. Spain now has three times the land under vine as the United States.

Wine has been an integral part of the Spanish world since the days of the Romans, and some of the techniques probably hadn’t changed much since then as well. The high elevations and varied soil types of the Spanish plateau provide excellent growing conditions for a variety of grapes. The heat of the day is tempered by very cool evenings. The hot summers are offsite by cold and hard winters. Soil conditions range from sand, clay and alluvial silt to rocky and nutrient rich gravel. Everything a growing grape could want.

An influx of new money, new winemakers with new ideas, and even new grapes has spurred growth in both the traditional regions, and the less well known. Traditional areas such as Rioja and Ribera del Duero are straying from older practices such as short fermentations and long aging in American oak to focus more on longer macerations and fermentations and shorter aging in more subtle French barrique. The result: Wines that have less of the overt oaky flavor but more richness, depth and overall fruit and freshness. Not the tradition, but delicious nonetheless.

But it is in the less well-known areas that the true change is occurring. From white to red and every shade in between the wines are becoming more expressive, more pronounced, and now represent some of the best values in the world. Unlike many of its EU counterparts, most quality wines still call for less than $15, and for double that amount a world-class wine can be had.

Northern Spain
Home to the great wine regions of Galicia, Castilla Y León, Aragon, País Vasco and Catalunya, this is the home of the best wines of Spain. More diversity in style, color and flavor resides here than anywhere else on the Iberian Peninsula.

Galicia
The green coast of northwestern Spain is home to crisp whites made from Albariño, Treixadura and to a lesser extent Godello. These wines are aromatic, lively and a perfect match for the locally harvested shellfish. Look for wines from Rías Baixas and Valdeorras. Galicia is also home to the exciting reds produced in Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra from the local Mencía grape. They have a lovely mix of finesse, fruit and earth in a polished frame. Monterrei, granted D.O. staus only in 1996, is also a home for fruity reds and fresh whites from the same grapes.

Castilla Y León
Further to the southeast lies the Duero River Valley and lovely wines of Ribera del Duero, but just to the west lay Rueda and Toro, two D.O.s that are poster-children for the new Spain. Rueda is home to delicious white wines made from Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc. The crisp acidity and citrusy floral notes of Rueda is rapidly gaining fans in the U.S. Toro has gone bananas, with a new bodega opening seemingly every other day. A local strain of Tempranillo called Tinta de Toro is responsible for massive reds with character, fruit, grace and longevity. Only 20 years ago Toro had 3 wineries and Rueda made oily, oxidized whites that resembled Sherry, but now the wines are fantastic.

País Vasco
Home of the great Rioja, leader in Spanish fame, but also to the Basque country. The demand for the local whites called Txakolina in Basque and Chacolí in the rest of Spain is very high, but should you stumble across one of these fresh white wines you will be greatly rewarded.

Aragon
Just to the south in Aragon there are excellent red wines produced at rock bottom prices. Campo de Borja and Calatayud are home to the Garnacha, or Grenache as it is known elsewhere in the world. High quality wines are made from vines that top a century in age in some places. Cariñena is known for producing high quality wine from old-vine…Cariñena. Yup, the grape and the wine get their name from the region. Cariñena is known as Manzuelo in other parts of Spain and Carignan in France, where it is often found in the Rhône valley and the Languedoc. Production has quadrupled here since 1995.

Catalunya
Here we have a diverse selection of wines, from light sparkling Cavas to powerful Priorats. Sparkling wine wins the war of numbers, but the true quality is in the red wines produced here. Priorat went from obscurity a decade ago to being known as a hotbed for fine red wines. A combination of old-vine Cariñena and Grenache, as well as international varieties such as Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah, mixed with the nutrient rich black soil called llicorella, and the resulting wines are powerful, rich and wonderful. Montsant to the north can produce similar wines of only slightly less quality at half the price. Terra Alta to the west is known for nice reds made from international varieties. And more and more quality wine is coming from Penedès, Tarragona, Costers del Segre and even fine whites from Alella.


Central and Southern Spain
In the hot central and southern reaches of Spain, on the burnt sienna vistas of Miguel de Cervantes, wine production has gone from backward and old at best and fit for bulk-wine only at worst, to a region that can produce quality wines for a song. From the plains of Castilla-La Mancha and the Extremadura to the limestone valleys of Murcia and Valencia, the amount of wines hitting U.S. shelves is on the rise.

Castilla-La Mancha
The technology employed in this vast flat and hot region has evolved from positively antique methods of whole-cluster fermentation in huge clay vats to temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel. The quality of the wines has changed just as much, and now ripe and rich Tempranillo (locally Cencibel) is more likely to please than the Aíren of old. Manchuela is currently producing exciting red from both local and international varieties.

Extremadura
This hot and lonely region in the far southwestern reaches of the country produces a huge variety of wines, but many of the best are made from the traditional varieties such as Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Bobal and sold as Vinos de la Tierra. Just like across the border in Portugal modern techniques have vastly improved the quality of the wine produced here, and wine lovers may be hard pressed to find a wine over $12.

Murcia and Valencia
There is perhaps no region in Spain producing better wines at better prices than this far southeastern corner of the country. Here the Monastrell grape is king. Though more widely known as Mourvèdre, as it is in France, Monastrell produces fragrant, rich, and heavy red wines that are high in alcohol and character. There are few wines to be found in the world that can offer as much as these in their usual $12 and under price range. Old-vine Monastrell, by itself or blended with Merlot, Tempranillo, Cabernet or even Syrah, is an excellent treat and a beautiful example of how quickly wines can go from unknown to being the talk of critics and sommeliers everywhere. First in quality and exports is Jumilla, but Yecla, Alicante and Almansa aren’t far behind.

Seemingly just about every region in Spain is vastly improving and exporting their wine, with fine examples coming even from the island of Mallorca. Don’t forget to try to the tasty fortified treats of Montilla-Moriles, just to the northwest of Jerez. I could go on for days, and I probably have already so I will leave you with this: I cannot stress enough that these are fantastic wines at ultra-low prices, and that each and every one of you should try one now, before the rest of the world catches on, and those prices won’t be quite so ultra-low. As for now, enjoy the revolución.

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