Spain

• In Spain wineries are called “Bodegas.”
• Roughly 90 percent of production is red wines.
• Tempranillo: is indigenous to Spain and is the main red grape in Rioja and Ribera del Duero.
• Viura, which is also called Macabeo in different parts of Spain, is the main white grape.
• Oak aging is a pillar of Spanish wine making especially in Rioja. Traditionally, wines were aged in oak for 15 to 20 years. Now, however, they tend to be aged for 3-6 years in oak instead.
• The French have had a heavy influence on Spanish wines in the past because the Spanish wine makers used to cater heavily to the French market during the mid to late 1800’s. With this came the adoption of French (specifically Bordeaux) wine making and aging practices.

GI Classifications

• IGP: wines that have a specific location but few other requirements.
• DOP (Denominación de Origen Protegida): highest quality tier with 3 sub categories.
• DO (Denominación de Origen): similar to the French AOC system where regions are regulated by wine laws which determine grape varieties and vinification (wine making) practices allowed in each region.
• DOCa (Denominación de Origen Calificada): these are Spanish wine regions with higher quality standards than the DO system and are sometimes labeled as DOQ.
• Regions must first be a DO for a minimum of 10 years and consistently produce the highest quality wines before they are eligible to become a DOCa.
• There are currently only two regions that have achieved these qualifications Rioja DOCa and Priorat DOCa.
• VP (Vinos de Pagos): these are single estate wines that must be bottled at that vineyard and can exist inside or outside the DO classifications.

Top Regions

• Main white grapes:
• Albariño
• Exclusively white wines.
• Labeled by variety and must contain 100 percent Albariño.
• Not ranked in terms of Crianza / Reserva / Gran Reserva here.
• Some of the best wine pairings for seafood.

• Main white grapes:
• Viura
• Main red grapes:
• Tempranillo
• Garnacha
• Rioja wines (although not all) tend to be blends with Tempranillo as the main variety and the option to include Garnacha (the Spanish name for Grenache), Mazuelo (which is called Carignan by the French), and/or Graciano.
• In 1991 Rioja became the first region to receive DOCa status.
• Divided into 3 sub-regions:
• Rioja Alta
• Rioja Alavesa
• Rioja Baja or Oriental (meaning most easterly)
• Soil in the best vineyards of Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa are a mixture of clay, limestone, and sandstone.
• Quality levels are based on time aging in oak and in bottles and are as follows:
• Generic / Joven: no aging requirements.
• Crianza:
• Typical wines that are considered good but not great.
• 2 yrs total aging one in oak and 1 in bottle.
• Reserva:
• Higher quality grapes from better years and vineyards.
• Minimum 3 yrs total aging with at least 1 in oak and 2 in the bottle.
• Gran Reserva:
• Only the highest quality grapes from the best years and vineyards.
• Accounts for up to 10 percent of total production.
• Minimum of 5 yrs total aging with at least 2 in oak and 3 in the bottle.

Below is a simple way to help you remember the minimum aging requirements for the different quality levels:

Ribera Del Duero

• Main red grapes:
• Tempranillo, as called Tinto Fino (meaning “fine red”).
• These berries tend to be smaller with tougher skins than the Tempranillos of Rioja and make bolder, richer wines as a result.
• Produces almost entirely red wines.
• Uses the same Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva rating system for quality as Rioja.

Priorat DOCa

• Main red grapes:
• Garnacha (Grenache)
• Cariñena (Carignan)
• Predominantly red wines.
• Lots of Garnacha based red blends.
• Typically wines are aged in french oak.
• Grape vines planted in granite and slate slopes.
• Not ranked in terms of Crianza / Reserva / Gran Reserva here.

Penedès

• Main white grapes:
• Parellada
• Macabeo
• Xarel-lo
• Main red grapes:
• Tempranillo
• Cariñena
• Produces mostly white wines.
• Of those, most are sparkling wines (Cava’s).
• In 1872 Penedès became the birthplace of Cava, which is Spanish sparkling wine made using the traditional method.

Cava began when a traveling wine salesman named Don José Raventós was in Champagne, France and was intrigued by their sparkling wine. He brought back knowledge and equipment and began making his own sparkling wine using local Spanish grapes in the late 1800’s. Raventós and other local producers came up with the idea of transforming Penedès into the “Champagne” of Spain by focusing production on sparkling wines that were later named Cava (meaning cave or cellar). Fast forward to present day and the Cava DO is designated for six different wine regions throughout Spain. Penedès, however, remains the number one producer of Cava with roughly 95 percent of production and all of the top examples.

Cava does have its own DO requirements separate from Penedès:

• Designations for Cava DO exist throughout Spain and often overlap with other DO regional boundaries.
• Cava must be made in the traditional method with “Método Tradicional” indicated on the label.
• Cava uses the same dry to sweet scale that is used in Champagne (Brut nature, extra brut, brut, extra dry, sec, demi-sec, and doux).
• Cava’s can be either vintage or non-vintage (meaning grapes are blended from different years).
• Cava can be a Reserva meaning that it has been aged for a minimum of 15 months on the lees or a Gran Reserva meaning it has been aged for a minimum of 30 months on the lees, otherwise the minimum is 9 months on the lees.
• Cava can only be made from one or more of 7 varieties: Parellada, Macabeo, Xarel-lo (which are the main three), plus Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Subirat, and/or Trepat in smaller amounts.

Jerez / Xérès / Sherry

• Main white grapes:
• Palomino Fino which is used for 95 percent of Sherry wines.
• Sherry is a fortified wine in the region of Jerez.
• Pedro Ximénez is the white grape used to make the indulgent dessert Sherry also called Pedro Ximénez (PX).
• Soil: Albariza which is a mix of marine sediments, sea fossils, and chalky calcium carbonates such as limestone.

Rueda

• Main white grapes:
• Verdejo
• Typically labeled by variety rather than region.
• Minimum 85 percent of that grape if labeled by variety.
• Stainless steel tanks fermentation with on oak aging.