Spanish Wine Country

In search of wine, food, and other delights in Spain

  • Spanish Wine Regions
    • Cava Wine Region
      • Cava Lodging
      • Cava Wine Facts
    • Priorat and Montsant Wine Regions
      • Priorat Lodging
      • Priorat Wine Facts
    • Rias Baixas Wine Region – Albariño Wine Country
      • Lodging in Rias Baixas
      • Albariño Wine Facts
    • Ribera del Duero Wine Region
      • Ribera Del Duero Lodging
      • Ribera del Duero Wine Facts
    • Rioja Wine Region
      • Rioja Lodging
      • Rioja Wine Facts
    • Toro Wine Region
      • Toro Lodging
      • Toro Wine Facts
  • Spanish Wine Guide
    • Spanish wine grapes
    • Denominaciones de Origen – about the wine regions of Spain
    • Spanish Wine Label
    • Essential Spanish Wine Country Books
    • Tips for Visiting Bodegas in Spain
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Spanish Wine Guide

spanish wine guide

Modern barrel room – Dinastia Vivanco

Quick Spanish wine guide

Here some bits and pieces of Spanish wine information, short and to the point. Think of this as your quick Spanish Wine Guide.

In 1987 Spain redivided the country into something similar to our  United States.  Spain is divided into political regions or autonomous communities. There are seventeen of these regions. Each region is divided into Provinces.  For example, the wine region of Rias Baixas is in the province of Pontevedra, in the political region of Galicia.

When you travel to Spain and the Spanish wine country,  you will experience a mix of very old and traditional,  along with new and modern, winemaking techniques. There are wineries over 200 years old and new, very modern and stunning wineries. In these new wineries,  you will have an amazing adventure in winery architecture. To name a few very exciting Spanish wineries:

Bodegas Ysios – designed by architect Santiago Calatrava
Bodegas Marques de Riscal – designed by architect Frank Gehry
Bodegas Biagorri – designed by architect Iñaki Azpiazu

Many of the DO’s have designated wine routes. The wine routes are very handy for the wine traveler. We always stop in the first tourist office we see and ask for a local wine route map, “Ruta de Vino.” These give up-to-date information about tours, tastings, and how to make an appointment at a winery.

The quality wine regions of Spain are designated and governed by the Denominaciones de Origen, or DO for short. There are currently 64 Denominaciones de Origen across Spain. Here is a complete guide to Denominaciones de Origen.   (link)

Each Denominaciones de Origen has a governing council. Each bottle of wine must carry a stamped label on the back of the bottle insuring that the wine has met the requirements of the specific DO.   Inspections by DO officials are common and very thorough. Officials will only issue as many DO  stamps as there are bottles in inventory.

Spanish Aging Terms

  • The term “Joven” is a wine released with just a few months of barrel aging or only in stainless steel. It could be aged in barrel or stainless steel.
  • The term “Crianza” on a label means the wine has been aged a minimum of two years, with 6 months or more in oak barrels,  depending on the specific DO. For example, the Rioja DO requires one full year in the barrel.
  • The term “Reserva” on a label means the wine has been aged for three years, the length in oak barrels is one year (In Rioja).
  • The term “Gran Reserva” on a label means the wine has been aged for five years, two years or more in oak barrels.

The term “Vino de Mesa” is used for wines below the quality level of DO. These are considered to be table wines. The wines are from a certain location but do not have the requirements of the DO for aging or the amount of grapes. They can be blended.   “Vino de la Tierra” is another term used in table wine.

Important resources

Spanish wine grapes

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The Spanish Wine Travelers

Joe and Janelle Becerra are the owners and editors of Wine Country Getaways LLC Read More…

Spain’s Wine Regions

Cava, Priorat & Montsant, Rias Baxias, Ribera del Duero, Rioja, Toro

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