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Spanish
wines
 The
Spanish department of GIRALDA CENTER-SPANISH HOUSE offers you
the following information to help you discover the wealth of Spanish
wines. We consider that it forms part of the gastronomic culture
of this country, and it will also help you to learn Spanish.
How is it possible to translate these sensations;
to express the colour, the aroma and flavour of a wine? We have
enlisted the help of the wine experts at VINOTEMPO to introduce
you to the best Spanish wines.
TYPES OF GRAPES AND WINES
The grapevine was brought to the Iberian Peninsula
in 2 BC by the Phoenicians in the geographic region called Xera,
currently Jerez. During the Roman era the cultivation of grapevines
extended throughout the Peninsula and it became an important commodity.
Spanish wines are at the forefront of the international
market. Their main attraction for overseas markets is their excellent
value for money. Apart from the Spanish Cabernet Sauvignons and
Chardonnays, there are also the more traditional wines made from
Tempranillo, Garnacha and Albariño grapes.
The Palomino, omnipresent in the Jerez area,
functions unlike any other variety when it is transformed into
finos or amontillados. Pedro Ximénez, which in Jerez is
used only for sweet wines, is the main variety in Montilla, where
it occupies 70% of the vine growing area.
The grapes typically used for sparkling wines
are the Macabeo, Xarel.lo & Parellada varieties, in order
of predominance. The Macabeo is a grape with a fine skin and tight
bunches, which gives a delicate colour to the must and a lightness
and fragrance of aroma.
The Verdejo, typical of Rueda, has a pale straw-yellow
colour and is notable for its delicate vegetable aroma of aniseed
and hay. Its characteristic bitter after-taste adds a touch of
elegance to this white grape. Much has been said of the supposed
central European origin of the grape varieties typical of Galicia,
such as Albariño, Treixadura, Lado & Loureiro.
The Albariño is a small grape, which yields
less juice than others; this is the secret of its concentration
and density. The Tempranillo variety, characteristic of La Rioja,
is the most noble of the Spanish red grape varieties. Tinto Fino
or Tinta del País, from Ribera del Duero, is a close relation
of the Tempranillo variety.
The majority of the cellars in this area base
their quality strategy on the enormous possibilities of this noble
variety.
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Learn Spanish
in Seville and visit cities such as
- Cordoba and the Mezquita (mosque)
- Granada and the Alhambra
- Trekking on the Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos (route
of the White Towns): Ronda and Grazalema
- San Fermines in Pamplona
- Weekend in Morocco.
- Get to know Madrid and the Prado Museum
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