6 Easy Steps to enjoying a Vino Tinto from Spain!

This is a simple guide to enjoying red wines of Spain…

CHOOSE YOUR:

1. Price

You can find delicious wines in Spain for under 10 euros, but the range of price and quality is immense. Decide how much you are willing to spend first, so you can narrow down your choices from there.

2. Region

In Spain, food and wine quality is regulated by its Denominación de Origen (designation of origen), based on the region from which it comes. The most famous regions for red wine are:

Rioja
Ribera del Duero
Priorat (Catalunya)

The differences between the wines of these regions has a lot to do with the micro-climates of the areas and different wine-making processes, but I encourage you to experiment with them to understand the what distinguishes their tastes.

3. Grape

100% Tempranillo
Blend
Granacha (if you choose Priorat)

The rockstar grape of Spain is Tempranillo. You will find some blends of varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Granacha (Grenache), Merlot and more. There are certainly more grapes than these listed in Spain, but these are the most common, and a great start.

4. Classification

Joven: very little aging
Crianza: aged at least for 1 year, at least six months of which in oak
Reserva: aged for 3 years, at least 1 year of which in oak (and the rest in bottle)
Gran Reserva: aged 5 years, 18 months of which in oak

The younger wines are not necessarily worse, but have a different flavors, complexity, and structure. Gran Reservas usually only come out during “excellent” harvests.

5. Vintage

Spanish vintages are rated on this best-to-worst scale: Excelente, Muy Buena, Buena, Regular. The following recent years are considered “Excellent:”

Rioja: 2001, 2004, 2005, 2010
Ribera del Duero: 2001, 2004, 2009, 2010
Priorat: 2001, 2004, 2005

6. Food pairing!

The Tempranillo grape is a wonderful food wine because of it’s medium body. Two keys to food pairing: flavors that you find in the wine & foods from the region the wine originates. A few safe options for most Spanish red wines: