Spain Wine: Grapes, Style and Bottles

Signature grapes

Producers listed

Sub-regions

Bottles to find

Spain is a wine-producing country.

Growers build the wines around Tempranillo, filling out the blend with Garnacha, Bobal, Monastrell and Airén, plus two more.

The ground underneath is calcareous, clay and sand.

The climate is varied, running arid, humid and mediterranean.

The vineyards themselves read as riverside.

Red wine, white wine and rosé wine, plus two more is what the region is known for, and in the glass it shows fruit-driven and often oaked, showcasing floral notes or citrus, vibrant and fruity and made with garnacha or tempranillo, plus four more.

Labels here fall under the DO (Denominación de Origen) and the IGP (Indicación Geográfica Protegida).

Inside it sit Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Rias Baixas and Cava.

Names to look for on a shelf: Alvaro Palacios, Bodegas Muga, Marqués de Murrieta and R. Lopez de Heredia.

At the table these bottles work with tapas, paella, grilled meats and seafood.

Serve chilled.

Rewards decades in the cellar.

Soil

CalcareousClaySandSlate

Climate

VariedAridHumidMediterranean

Terrain

Riverside

Styles

redwhiterosésparklingfortified

In the glass.

Red: Fruit-driven and often oaked.

White: Showcasing floral notes or citrus.

Rosé: Vibrant and fruity, Made with garnacha or tempranillo.

Sparkling: Cava, Spain's answer to champagne, Its freshness and zest.

Fortified: Includes sherry.

Grapes planted here.

01 TempranilloDominant Read → 02 GarnachaBlending Read → 03 BobalAuxiliary Read → 04 MonastrellAuxiliary Read → 05 AirénDominant Read → 06 AlbariñoAuxiliary Read → 07 PalominoAuxiliary Read → 08 Airen Read →

09 Viura/Macabeo

10 Hondarrabi Zuri Read → 11 Marmajuelo Read → 12 Zalema Read → 13 Grenache (Garnacha) Read →

Classifications.

DO (Denominación de Origen)
IGP (Indicación Geográfica Protegida)

Producers worth knowing.

01 Alvaro Palacios

02 Bodegas Muga

03 Marqués de Murrieta

04 R. Lopez de Heredia

05 Vega Sicilia

Bottles to look for.

Alvaro Palacios L'Ermita Velles Vinyes, Priorat DOCa, Spain
Bodegas Aalto, Ribera del Duero, Spain
Bodegas Faustino I Gran Reserva, Rioja DOCa, Spain
Bodegas Muga 'Prado Enea' Gran Reserva, Rioja DOCa, Spain
Bodegas Roda 'Roda I' Reserva, Rioja DOCa, Spain
CVNE 'Imperial' Gran Reserva, Rioja DOCa, Spain
Dominio de Pingus 'Flor de Pingus', Ribera del Duero, Spain
Dominio de Pingus 'Pingus', Ribera del Duero, Spain

At the table.

Tapas
Paella
Grilled meats
Seafood
Cheese platters

Serving and cellaring.

Serve chilled.
Rewards decades in the cellar.

Inside the region.

01 RiojaSpain Read → 02 Ribera del DueroSpain Read → 03 PrioratSpain Read → 04 Rias BaixasSpain Read → 05 CavaSpain Read →

Nearby regions.

01 RiojaSpain Read → 02 Ribera del DueroSpain Read → 03 PortugalPortugal Read → 04 Castilla-La ManchaSpain Read → 05 Rias BaixasSpain Read → 06 CavaSpain Read → 07 PrioratSpain Read → 08 SherrySpain Read →

Spain: common questions

01.

What grapes is Spain known for?

Tempranillo is the signature grape of Spain. Garnacha, Bobal, Monastrell and Airén are also planted here.

02.

What kind of wine does Spain make?

Spain produces red wine, white wine, rosé wine and sparkling wine, plus one more.

03.

Where is Spain?

You will find Spain in Spain, where it is a wine-producing country.

04.

What food goes with Spain wine?

Try tapas, paella, grilled meats, seafood and cheese platters.

05.

How long does Spain wine age?

Rewards decades in the cellar, though it varies by producer and vintage.

More from here: every wine region in Spain.