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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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