Spain

With 1,200,000 hectares, Spain has more land under vine than any other country in the world. As of 2004, data from OIV indicates that Spain has 35% more land under vine than Italy or France. However, due to harsh climate, historic setbacks, and past regulatory constraints on irragation, Spain lags France and Italy in yields and volume of wine produced.

Spain is also the home to many varietals. Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache) are widely planted. Grenache, planted in Southern France, is actually Spanish in origin. Other varietals include Viura (or Macabeo), Albarino, Verdejo, Airen, and Palomino and Pedro Ximenez.

Note there there are many local names for the same grape. For example, the massly planted Tempranillo is known as Ull de Llebre in Penedes, Tinto Fino or Tinta Del Pais in Rebera Del Duero, Tinta de Toro in Toro, and Cencibel in Valdepenas!

	Regions	Key Varietals
1	Rioja	Tempranillo and Grenache
2	Galicia & Castilla y Leon	Tempranillo, Albarino
3	La Mancha	Various

Appellation Classifications

Like France and Italy, Spanish wines fall into a similar quality tiered system:

Vino De Mesa: Lowest, most basic table wine category. Wine is often made from blended grape varietals and regions. No vintage date nor associated region allowed.
Vino Comarcal: Like france's vin de pays, the wine is associated to a classified region.
Vino De La Tierra: Equivalent to France's VDQS -- a category down from DO.
Denominaciones de Origen (DO): Wine subjects to rigid regional regulations on grape variety, yields per hectare, alcohol level, and production methods.
Denominaciones de Origen Calificada (DOC/DOCa): The most prestigious category created in 1986 to further differentiate the DOs. There are ~55 DOs in Spain but only two -- Rioja and Priorato -- are prestigiously classified as DOCa.

Unlike Italy, Spain does not have a IGT category. To differentiate higher quality wine that does not satisfy the criteria of DOC (e.g. producers in the DO regions want to use a different grape or vinification method), a subcategory within Vino De Mesa was created. These higher quality wines are allowed to have a vintage year and the broader non-DO classified region on its label.

Useful Terms: DO wine must go through a certain period of aging time. Look for the following terms on the wine label to assess the quality and complexity of the wine:

Vino de Cosecha: Vintage wine, with >85% of the grapes harvested in the vintage year.
Crianza: Crianza means nursury in Spanish. The wine must be aged in oak barel for 6 months and in bottle for 2 years before being sold to public.
Riserva: Wine must be aged at least 3 years, of which 1+ yr must be in oak barrels.
Gran Reserva: Produced only in the best years, with approval from the local viticulture authority.

Rioja

Rioja is, without dispute, the best known Spanish wine region. Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache) are the two primary grapes; these grapes develop beautifully in a limestone-rich soil and moderate climate environment. Over 60% of the wine produced in Rioja are "Rioja Joven" and meant to be drunk young. La Rioja Alta is a better known producer who focuses on Rioja Reserves and Gran Reservas.

Rioja prices have gone up but despite being a DOCa, the quality of wine is still quite inconsistency. If you have to pay the price, look for reliable producers such as Allende, Campillo, Marques de Riscal, Marques de Vargas, Montecillo, and Remelluri.

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Galicia & Castilla y Leon

Hilly and humid, Galicia is the region that produces the most aromatic Spanish white wines. Regions and wineries to look out for:

Riax Baixas produces Spain's best Albarino with intense frutiy aromas. Some wineries to try: Bodegas Salnesur,Terras Gauda
Ribera del Duero produces intense, firm Tempranillo as well as the home to two famous wineries: Vega Sicilia and Pesquera.
Rueda is a region of white wines -- Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc mainly. Wineries to try: Belondrade y Lurton, Hermanos Lurton, and Sauvignon Blanc from Marques De Riscal
Toro is another up-and-coming region. Tempranillo (locally called Tinta de Toro) is the main grape. Look for Bodegas Numanthia - Termes. Their 2003 Termes Toro is a great steal for value!

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La Mancha

La Mancha is a vast, flat land that accounts for one-third of Spain's vineyard. In the past, the region is known for its bulk, inferior white wines. With the DO change in 1995 (allowing new varietals and irragtions), the region has produced tasty reds. For good value wines, look for: Torres Filoso and Vinícola de Castilla.

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