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Lovers of fine wine will discover in Spain world-renowned vintages along with the culinary and cultural heritage of different regions

Spain has the largest area of land dedicated to viticulture of any country in the world. This country has a long history of producing fine wines, particularly the red wines of Rioja. However, this famous name is just one small region among many, some of which produce equally good wines. 
 
Discovering Spain’s wine routes is a unique chance to learn how wines are made and to sample some world-renowned vintages. Also it is way to enjoy the cultural, natural and culinary heritage of different regions.
 
Spain has a similar classification system to France and Italy, with all wine regions regulated under the Denominación de Origen (DO) system. 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. Reservas are three years old (at least one year in cask), Gran Reservas five years old (two in cask, three in bottle).


 
More interesting facts on Spanish Wines:
 
  •     - The main red grape varieties in Spain are Tempranillo, Bobal, Garnacha (Grenache) &     
  •       Monastrell.

  •     - Spain has 65 Denominación de Origen (DO).

  •     - There are vineyards in all of Spain's 17 autonomous regions - from wet Galicia in the
          north-west to dry Murcia in the south-east.

  •     - There are 41 areas with wines designated as Vino de Tierra ('Wine from the Land')

  •     - The biggest surface area of vineyards is in Castilla-La Mancha.

  •     - The most densely planted vineyards in Spain are in La Rioja.

  •     - More than one third of Spanish wine is exported. This figure is increasing.

  •     - Despite most of Spain's wine being red, 61.5% of Spain's vineyards are white. This is because Spain also makes a lot of brandy and sherry.

  •     - The main white grape varieties in Spain are Airén, Macabeo, Palomino & Pedro Ximenez.

  •     - Spain's top customers are the USA, UK and Germany.

  •     - 15.5% of the world's vineyards are in Spain. However, Spanish vineyards have a low yield (because of the dry climate) meaning that Spain is third in production behind France and Italy.
 

 
Though sometimes overshadowed by France, wines from Spain excel in both quality and quantity, and a tour of the wineries of Spain is a perfect way to get to know the countryside and its fruitful bounty. 
 
Today a world-class producer of reds, whites, sherry and champagne, there are an estimated 5,500 wineries of Spain, producing 870 million gallons of wine per year alone! 
 
With so much wine and so little time, what is a concerned taster to do? 
 
The first step to understanding the best wine tours Spain has to offer is to familiarize oneself with wines from Spain, and find out where the best wineries of Spain are located. 



Ribero del Duero 
This region now rivals Rioja as the most exciting of the many wine regions of Spain. It produces wine with a bold fruity flavor and is home to the Vega Sicilia—the most famous of wines from Spain and made almost entirely from French grapes, with only a small supplement of indigenous Tempranillo grapes. Located in central Spain around the Duero River, a trip through the vineyards of the Ribero del Duero is one of the most scenic wine tours Spain offers. 
 
Rioja 
This is the heart of Spain wine country, and the most successful vineyards are located in the Rioja region. The area takes its name from the Rio Oja which is a tributary of the nearby Ebro River. This region, which provides some of the most extensive wine tours Spain has to offer, came to prominence during its trade with the Bordeaux area of France. 
 
Jerez 
Another historic Spain wine country, the hot and dry southwestern region of Jerez is the birthplace of sherry. A much underrated wine, sherry comes in a variety of styles: from dry (known as Fino and Manzanilla) to medium types of Amontillado, and finally the ultra-rich sweet cream sherries. In short, the Jerez region is the sweetest wine tour Spain boasts. 
 
Valdepeñas 
This region has hot, humid summers and cold winters, and produces excellent Reserva and Gran Reserva wines using 100 percent Tempranillo grapes. This is one of the most affordable wine regions of Spain, and connoisseurs would do well to stock up on table wine during a tour through this region. 
 
Navarra 
The Navarra region is near the Rioja, and produces traditional wine (wine that uses indigenous grapes) and more modern styles that use French grapes in tandem with Spanish grapes. Among all the wine regions of Spain, the Navarra area has seen the greatest increase in the quality of its vintage during recent years. 
 
Rueda 
This Spain wine country produces excellent whites made from 100 percent Verdejo grapes. Rueda is the best white wine tour Spain offers. 
 


Though you can tour the wineries of Spain any time of the year, autumn harvest season offers the most picturesque and hands-on wine tasting experience. 
The Wine Routes offer leisure alternatives designed to suit every taste. Taking a trip along them is an unforgettable experience, in which aromas, flavours, history and art blend together seamlessly. (Read here the report ‘The Wine Routes: a different journey through Spain”)
 
So forget Bordeaux & France, forget Tuscany & Italy, and head south to the vineyards of Rioja and Rueda for some of the best wine tasting found in the world. And remember, as the Romans so aptly put it: “In vino veritas”(In wine, truth.) 

LA RIOJA



 
Across the wine routes, you find Rioja, a region near the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. The epitome of fine red Spanish wine for generations, Rioja is superb.

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.

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 and also the best cellaring potential. 
 
Recent good vintages for Rioja include 1996, 1995, 1994, 1991, 1989, 1987 and 1985. Top wines are, among others, Artadi, La Rioja Alta, Marques de Murrieta, Marqués de Riscal, Muga, Marqués de Cáceres, López de Heredia. 
 
If you'd like to sample some of these wines, there are a number of Rioja Wine Tours. You will find that most bodegas still use their own formulas for blending red wines with at least three grapes, the most important of which is Tempranillo, the noblest of the native Spanish vines. This grape gives the wines their elegance, concentration of aromas and complexity of flavours. It is this, as well as oak ageing, which gives the wines such personality and individuality.
 


At the same time Rioja wines have evolved steadily. Today they offer a broad range of styles. Wines include varietals; blended wines which are shifting the emphasis from oak to fruit; organic wines; and, at the top end of the market, the Reservas and Gran Reservas.
 
The changes in winemaking implemented in the past decade have produced excellent results. New generations of growers and makers have placed their faith in the renovation of facilities, with new barrels and steel vats, as well as an emphasis on careful selection at harvest and later ageing of the harvested fruit.
 
The development of productive and commercial structures in the Rioja and the prestige attained by their wines has also positioned the area among the elite in historical European denominations of origin. 
 
In terms of harvest festivals, Haro is the center of wine production, and a well-known folkloristic event is its annual "battle of the wine".


 
A major touristic offering is the Camino de Santiago (Way of Saint James), a part of which leads through La Rioja. The monasteries along that way are not only of high artistic but as well cultural importance. In one of them was written the first text ever in Castilian Spanish.
 
Along the Way of Saint James there are monumental towns of great beauty lined up: Calahorra, Arnedo, San Millan de la Cogolla, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Logroño, founded already by Romans and today the region's capital.
 
There are more historical monuments to be seen though: Yuso and Suso Monasteries (UNESCO World Heritage Sites). La Rioja has routes like the “Castles Route” where you can visit dozens of castles from bygone centuries and feel like real conquerors.



Worth a visit is as well the area Tierra de Cameros, with outstanding landscapes, grottos and caves. In Arnedillo, that has the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation, you can see griffon vultures in flight from up close, at the Vulture Viewpoint.
 
To the south of the region you can tour the Route of the Dinosaurs, an itinerary which takes in the tracks left by these prehistoric animals. You can visit the sites of dinosaur discoveries such as Munilla, Igea, Cornago and Enciso, where you will see for yourself how big these “giants” really were, thanks to life-size models on display, and you can also see huge fossilised bones. 
 
La Rioja offers great possibilities for rural tourism, and if you like hunting, fishing, climbing or hiking it is certainly a place to take into consideration.
 
Speaking of regional gastronomy, along with La Rioja wine, a regional speciality is Pimientos del Piquillo, a delicious and sweet kind of red peppers. Asparagus, beans, peppers, artichokes and other vegetables and pulses are the basic ingredients of a long list of dishes such as vegetable stew, potatoes “a la riojana”, lamb and kid cutlets with vine shoots or stuffed peppers.



As you can feel, in La Rioja, famous for its wines, you will find all kind of activities to discover the history, the countryside, a host of sporting options, and a wine tourism offering specially adapted for wine lovers. You are bound to love a place like this.
 
(To review more travel ideas in La Rioja here is an interesting site.)
 

 

 
 
 
 

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