Spain has a rich history of viticulture dating back to 4000 B.C.E., with more than 135 official wine regions and more acres under vine than any other country in Europe, according to the latest State of the World Vine and Wine Sector from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine.
And yet, if you’re like most people, you can name one wine region from Spain (Rioja) and maybe a few more if you’ve done your homework. But when it comes to Italy or France, place names roll off your tongue much more easily: Tuscany, Sicily, Abruzzo, Veneto, Provence, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône Valley… What’s so different about Spain?
Why Is Spanish Wine Still Such a Mystery?
In the age of the internet, it seems downright bizarre that a country with 6,000+ years of viticultural history and a large chunk of the population (11.4%) and GDP (8%) reliant on tourism hasn’t managed to become a big player on the world wine stage. But the reasons for Spain’s long-term underdog status are a complex stew of politics, economics and immigration patterns.
“It’s really complicated,” says Emily Nevin-Giannini, beverage director at Barcelona Wine Bar, which has its flagship location in New Haven, Connecticut. “But it basically boils down to Spain being really far behind in entering the U.S. with its wines.”
Francisco Franco, the dictator who ruled Spain from 1939 to 1975, banned all religions save Catholicism, forbid labor unions and instituted a terrifying nationalist program of concentration camps and forced labor known as the White Terror that killed an estimated 200,000 citizens, essentially halting economic progress during his reign.
“The Franco era happened right at the same time that Americans were really discovering wine and falling in love with wines from all over the world,” Nevin-Giannini says. “Franco suppressed exports, so Spanish wines really just weren’t known on the global market.”
Plus, there was a massive influx of immigrants to the U.S. from France and Italy, she explains, which inevitably helped promote the country’s viticulture. Today, less than 1 million people in the U.S. can trace their origins to Spain, whereas more than 9.3 million and almost 16 million people can trace their origins to France and Italy, respectively.
That representation is felt keenly in restaurants, where wine is served, often to pair with the cuisine, she adds.
“Up until very recently, pretty much all Spanish wines were seen as two distinct categories: red wine from Rioja or sherry wine,” Nevin-Giannini. “But it is an extremely diverse country with multiple distinct regional languages, cuisines and a massive range of climates, soil types, elevations and indigenous grape varieties.”
If you’re curious to explore Spain through the glass, read on for a few of the regions proving that Spain is well worth tapping for everything from classic, opulent red blends to daring viticultural experiments.
Priorat: A Rising Star
Priorat has an increasingly strong presence in the U.S., so if you do know a wine region beyond Rioja, Ribera del Duero or Navarra, chances are, it’s Priorat. Wine has been made here for thousands of years, but when Carthusian monks came to the region from Provence in the 12th century, they brought along France’s winegrowing and viticultural know-how.
The Denominació d’Origen Qualificada Priorat is a mountainous region located about an hour and a half from Barcelona in the heart of Tarragona. The Montsant Mountains protect Priorat from the north, while the Sierra de la Figuera dominates the landscape to the west. The Siurana River, which flows to the Ebro, has created a series of valleys, ridges and hillsides that provide a diverse range of microclimates and soils.
“Priorat is quite unique,” says Jesus Haras, CEO of the Stein Group, which just opened Gran Hotel Mas d’en Bruno, a Relais & Chateau property nestled amid Priorat’s lush vineyards and the first luxury hotel in the region. “The soil has a volcanic origin with a special slate called llicorella. This allows the roots of the vines to go deeper. The result is a strong wine with a clear minerality but smooth, powerful and a balanced taste.”
The phylloxera epidemic in the late 19th century and the ensuing political and economic chaos of wars and Franco’s rule during the 20th century halted progress in Priorat for more than a century. In the 1980s, though, farmers and vintners became serious about rehabilitating old vines and infusing the traditional culture of winegrowing there with modern techniques.
With about 43,562 acres of space within its bounds and 5,345 acres under vine, more than 500 growers across 23 municipalities thrive in Priorat. There are more than 100 official wineries in the region, the vast majority of which are small and family-owned.
“Every year… we are seeing more wine getting exported from Priorat, and it is gaining recognition worldwide as a great travel destination, with wine masterclasses, olive tastings, outdoor adventures and other activities,” Haras says. Visitors to Priorat and those who explore it virtually by the glass “love the red wine, but are surprised about the white too, which is less well-known. Priorat wines are known for their powerful concentration, full tannins, balanced acidity and smooth, long finish.”
Recommended red varietals: Grenache and Carignan, the most widely planted, and native reds. Recommended white varietals: White Grenache, Macabeu and Pedro Ximénez.
Empordà: An Under-the-Radar Gem
Empordà is a region that’s relatively unknown in the U.S., but one winery is leading a push to change that. Empordà is a DO at the tippity-top northeastern corner of Spain, right on the border of France, with the Mediterranean lapping its eastern shores. Winemaking has existed in this remote region—set at the foot of the Pyrenees—since the 6th century B.C.
“The Empordà is the cradle of viticulture in Spain, with a history spanning thousands of years,” says Delfi Sanahuja, director of oenology at Perelada, the largest winery in the region, and its unofficial cheerleader, with a 1.85 million-bottle production annually. “In this small corner of the earth, we benefit from a diversity of exceptional soils and landscapes, from slate slopes to sandy valleys. This diversity is key to producing grapes with abundant nuances in the 150 hectares [371 acres] of vineyards in Perelada.”
The microclimate is defined by a strong wind, dubbed the tramontana, which blows into Empordà from the Pyrenees. The tramontana reduces disease pressure and tempers the often hot temperatures during the growing season, locking in bright flavors.
But the region—with just 4,636 acres under vine and 57 small wineries that are members of the DO—is a drop in the bucket when compared to giants like Rioja, or even Priorat, with its hundreds of wineries.
The Mateu family, which has owned Perelada since 1923, is pouring millions of dollars into the elevation of Empordà from a beloved wine consumed mostly by locals to a player on the world stage.
“Over 20 years ago, we embarked on the adventure of building a winery that would reflect our passion for crafting exceptional wines and our commitment to innovation,” Sanahuja explains, adding that environmental and economic sustainability was a foundational priority.
In addition to opening a long-planned LEED Gold winery in 2022, Perelada has transformed its winemaking practices.
“We have invested in processes that minimize mechanical intervention in winemaking and allow us to carefully select the grapes from our estates in Perelada,” he says. “Innovations such as the Oresteo System and our 188 tanks facilitate this meticulous selection process. We maintain strict control over temperature and humidity at all stages, from the moment of grape harvesting to aging, to preserve the characteristics of each wine.”
But more to the point, Sanahuja says, is Perelada’s investment in experimentation writ large.
“We have been meticulously studying the grape varieties and terroir here now for decades,” Sanahuja says. “This has allowed us to create exceptional and unique wines.”
These wines serve as a loud calling card for a humble region, with plenty of other reasons beyond the glass to explore. Perelada is a modern winery, yes, but it’s attached to a 14th-century castle with a Michelin-starred restaurant, a monastery with a Gothic church and cloister brimming with valuable art (including an El Greco!), a museum, a five-star hotel, a wine spa, a golf course—and it serves as a setting for the International Castell de Peralada Festival, a popular opera and dance festival held every summer.
Recommended red varietals: Carignan, Grenache, Syrah and Cabernet Franc. Recommended white varietals: White Grenache, Macabeu and Carignan Blanc.
Serranía de Ronda: A Progressive Powerhouse
Serranía de Ronda has a winemaking tradition that dates back to when the Phoenicians arrived in Cádiz in the eight century B.C., bringing the practice of viticulture to the region, which is set in southern Spain’s Andalucia region, which hugs the Mediterranean Sea.
The mountainous region of Serranía de Ronda boasts altitudes of 675 to 950 meters above sea level. Hot days and cool nights, along with the altitude, mean that grapes get long days of ripening with colder nights that ensure wines retain their acidity and develop complex flavors. That varied terrain, rich array of soils and Mediterranean climate create outstanding conditions for viticulture.
But like most other regions in Spain, phylloxera, world wars and general economic malaise suppressed production and innovation. In recent decades, though, producers like La Melonera and Cortijo de los Aguilares have set out to leverage the region’s history and infuse it with new life.
In 2003, La Melonera embarked on an extensive research project to recover a native grape variety, Andalusian Melonera, that was essentially wiped out by phylloxera. While they only have about 2.5 acres of the grape under vine, it constitutes the largest surface area in the world dedicated to the grape.
At Cortijo de los Aguilares, meanwhile, winemaker and technical director Bibi Garcia says that she and her team have spent the past 20 years nurturing vineyards in a region decimated by phylloxera, growing a mix of French and Spanish grapes.
The experimentation and investment has not gone unnoticed, and tourists visiting the broader region are finally dipping into the region’s unexplored wineries, most of which are increasingly investing in sophisticated hospitality programs.
“The number of visitors we’re getting, especially from the U.S., is growing in an extraordinary way,” she says. “They are drawn to the hiking, picnics in the vineyard and local food pairings we offer.”
Recommended red varietals: Grenache, Andalusian Melonera and Tintilla de Rota. Recommended white varietals: Doradilla and Pedro Ximénez.
Hope for the Future of Spanish Wine
While Spanish wine is still not nearly as familiar to U.S. consumers as French or Italian wine is, many say we are turning a corner.
“We have only just begun to tap into Americans’ interest in Spanish wines,” says Nevin-Giannini. “A few years ago, only the major U.S. cities had Spanish restaurants, and you could count on one hand how many they had. Now, you can find a tapas bar or Spanish cuisine restaurant in just about every medium to large city. I think over the next few decades, this will evolve into more regionally focused Spanish restaurants, just like you can commonly find with Italian food, so the thirst for Spanish wine will follow that lead.”
Monica Marin, director of The Wine House in L.A., concurs.
“The image of Spanish wine in the U.S. is really improving,” she says. “The average price per bottle is up, and the availability of a broad range of high-quality wines is way up.”
Marin also serves as a Spanish wine ambassador and is working with Grandes Pagos de España, a collection of 35 wineries across eight wine-growing regions in Spain, all of which are committed to creating single-vineyard wines à la Grand Cru wines.
“Americans embrace the Grand Cru concept, especially because the single-vineyard winemaking movement has really taken hold in Napa,” Marin explains. “They understand that it signifies top-notch quality and a commitment to excellence and terroir.”
In a bid to broadcast their group’s—but more importantly, Spain’s—excellence, Grandes Pagos has created a global education program that debuted in the U.S. this year, called The Terroir Workshop.
The crash course in Spanish wine will focus on the leading single-vineyard designate wines, and will include discussions about viticulture, history, geography and people. There will, of course, be plenty of tasting. Classes will be held in person with notable Spanish wine experts, including Marin, leading them in major cities.
“I’m happy to see more sommeliers, restaurants and stores highlighting and offering some of Spain’s more obscure grapes and regions,” Marin says. “I hope the Terroir Workshop will draw even more wine lovers who are curious to learn more.”
Bring on the long-lost, recently rediscovered Andalusian Melonera!