Spanish Wine Reviews
Understanding Spanish Wines
The red wines of Rioja and the sherries of Jerez
are the most famous of Spanish wines but a whole range of other quality wines
are available from its diverse and individual regions. In fact at many
international wine fairs it is the reds of Ribera del Duero that take the prizes
as the top Spanish wine.
Spanish wines:
Classifications
Spain was the first country to have laws defining
quality, yet its quality wine market is still very young.
Vino De Mesa
Equivalent of France’s Vin De Table - lowest level
DO
(Denominacion De Origen) - equivalent of France's Appellation Controllee -
regulating grape variety and region of origin.
DOC
(Denominacion de Origen Calificada) - this is the newest category. In 1991 Rioja
was the first region to be promoted to DOC.
The heartland of the great Spanish reds is
Rioja,
Ribero del Duero and Navarra, while the top whites come from Rueda and Penedes
in Catalonia which is home to the Cava industry (Spanish champagne).
Spanish
wines: Vintage Table
(1993-99) |
| |
93 |
94 |
95 |
96 |
97 |
98 |
99 |
|
|
Rioja |
G |
* |
* |
E |
G |
E |
G |
|
|
Penedés |
E |
G |
G |
E |
E |
E |
E |
|
|
Ribera
del Duero |
f |
E |
* |
* |
G |
E |
* |
|
|
Valdepeñas |
G |
G |
E |
E |
G |
E |
G |
|
|
Rueda |
G |
G |
G |
E |
E |
E |
E |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ratings: |
f=Fair, G=Good,
E=Excellent, *=Outstanding |
Spanish
wines: What
to look for
Look for
these quality designations on the Spanish wine label.
Crianza:
Crianzas spend between 6-12 months in oak casks.
Reserva:
Reservas are aged a minimum of 1 year in oak casks and 2 years in bottles or a
combination of both with a minimum of one year in casks.
Gran
Reserva: These wines are only made in exceptional years, undergo
extensive ageing, with a minimum 2 years in oak and 3 in the bottle.
The
periods of ageing vary according to the local regulatory body. For
example, look at the requirements for the Rioja region:
Rioja
wine labels
... for
red Rioja:
Sin Crianza -
this means no wood ageing or less than 1 year in wooden casks
Vino De Crianza
- minimum of 1 years ageing in oak casks and cannot be sold before its 3rd year.
Reserva -
must have a minimum of 3 years ageing of which 1 must be in oak casks and 2
years ageing in bottle.
Gran Reserva
- must have a minimum of 5 years ageing of which 2yrs must be in oak casks and
3years ageing in bottle.
... for
white Rioja:
Crianza -
must be aged for 6 months in oak casks.
Reserva -
must have 2 yrs ageing with a minimum of 6 months in oak casks.
Gran Reserva
- must have 4 yrs ageing with a minimum of 6 months in oak casks.
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