Spanish Wine

Many who have looked at our web-site will be familiar with the denominacions represented by our wines. In our view these denominacion offer the best of spanish quality wine and our bodegas are good value for money representatives of these denominacions. Those in the know will need to read no further. For most of you who are less familiar with these denominacions read on.

Decanter magazine October 2008 said:
"Spain is the most vibrant and interesting of European nations today…………. Spain is home to some of the most interesting and exciting wines in Europe, made by passionate winemakers using local varietals. Leaving aside the cheap vino, the popular image of Spanish quality wine is still that old favourite, Rioja and, to those in the know, its neighbour Ribera del Duero.”

“Boldest of all the new-waves wines are those made from Garnacha and Cariñena in Priorat and Montsant. The history of how these two varietals, already well known in southern France, were revived in the isolated, dramatic slate terrain has been frequently told: the soaring reputation of these wines restored life to the dying villages.”….” The Garnacha and Cariñena blends of Priorat and Montsant nevertheless have that true sign of quality: a sense of place. This expression of the microclimate and soil, the diversity of the regions, is the second strong reason to be excited about Spain.”

In considering Spanish wine it is important to keep in mind the 6 basic quality levels. These quality levels are reflected in labelling and are enshrined in the stautes which govern the production and labelling of wine in spain. The 6 levels are :

1. Vino de mesa
table wine without a geographic denomination
2. Vino joven
young wine, usually from a qualified DO region, sometimes with a bit of ageing, but not enough to be a "roble" or "crianza"
3. Roble
"roble" means oak, some regions allow this term on the label for lightly oaked wines that don't reach "crianza" standards
4. Crianza
aged 2 years, at least 6 months in oak
5. Reserva
quality wine, normally aged at least 3 years, at least 1 year in oak casks, 2 years in the bottle, made from top vintages
6. Gran Reserva
quality wine, aged at least 2 years in oak plus 3 years in the bottle, made from exceptional vintages

The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA - Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación) regulates the quality of Spanish foodstuffs via a labelling system which establishes, among other things, a Denominación de Origen for the country's highest quality produce. A semi-autonomous governing body (Consejo Regulador) exists for each region and for each food type, comprising skilled, impartial members who investigate the quality, ingredients and production process of each product, ensuring they attain specific quality levels. They report to a central council at national government level but are normally based in the largest population centre of a given region and are responsible for enforcing its geographical limits.

Products labelled Denominación de Origen, apart from being of superior quality, are expected to carry specific characteristics of geographical region or individual producer and be derived from raw materials originating within the region. Like most of these designations, a fundamental tenet of a DO label is that no product outside of that region is permitted to bear the name.