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 An
Introduction to
Spanish Wine & Gastronomy
There are few wine producing countries that can boast such
a diversity of landscapes, wine styles and gastronomy as Spain.
The Celtic north -western region of Galicia, with its delightful,
fresh white Albariño wines and drizzly weather, starkly
contrasts with the lusty, velvety red wines being made in the
flat, hot Castillian plains of Ribera del Duero. The delicious
cold garlic soups, freshly caught seafood and zippy “Fino” style
wines of Andalucía have virtually nothing in common
with the wonderful (and heavy) meat dishes, winter vegetable
stews and luscious, full bodied red wines of Castilla y Leon.
Thanks to its diversity and quality, Spain is a fascinating
and rewarding destination for the gourmet traveller.
You could roughly separate the regions of Spain into: North,
Central, Mediterranean, South, and the islands. The north encompasses
the green valleys, ancient monasteries, dolmens and bagpipes
of Galicia; the lovely Cider producing area of Asturias, with
its quaint fishing villages; the ancient cave paintings and
elegant coastal resort towns of Cantabria; Gourmet Basque country,
including the two important cities of San Sebastian and Bilbao;
picturesque Navarra, famed for its Rosado wines and exciting
experimenting with French varietals for the reds; and of course
the world famous wine producing area of La Rioja. La Rioja
is spiritually part of the Basque country, but is its own autonomous
region, politically. The wines are usually red, full bodied
and aged in American and French oak barrels, giving the wines
distinct nuances like vanilla, cedar and tobacco.
The wines in Galicia and Basque Country are light, usually
white and accompany the abundant, fantastic seafood perfectly.
Wines include Albariño (Martin Codax, is great and widely
available), Valdeorras (light reds similar to Chinon, and fresh
whites) and Txacoli (Basque white wine, a bit obscure and slightly
sparkling). The other great wine areas are Navarra and La Rioja.
Navarra was once only known for its Rose wines, but is now
regarded as an excellent source for good value reds (top producers
are Chivite, Ochoa and Guelbenzu). La Rioja has numerous outstanding
producers, our favourites being: Marqués de Murrieta,
Martinez Bujanda and Marqués de Riscal. Basque country
is particularly famous for its cuisine and has some of the
most famous restaurants in the country, including Michelin
starred Arzak, in San Sebastian. The gastronomy from the north
is famed for its tender Galician beef, spicy peppers from Navarra,
seafood from the Atlantic coastline and a host of artisan cheeses.
In between the Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean, you hit
the Pyrenees Mountains. There are a few wine producing areas
in this beautiful region, most famously Somontano and Costers
del Segre. The wineries in the area, including Enate, Castell
del Remei, Bodegas Pirineos and Viñas del Vero, are
world class and making some of the Best wines from the country.
The local cuisine is exactly as you would expect from an Alpine
region, based on cheese and meat dishes, washed down with luscious
red wines.
Mediterranean Spain includes Catalonia, Tarragona, Valencia
and Murcia. The most important wine regions are Penedés
(famous for its Cava, traditional method sparkling wine, and
also for excellent still reds and whites) and Priorat (famous
for its elegant, expensive red wines). North of Barcelona is
a tiny appellation called “Alella”, where Bodegas
Parxet produce a wonderful, zesty white wine under the Marqués
de Alella brand. Penedés is renowned internationally
for its quality and innovation. The region’s winemakers
are also spearheading the fashionable Organic Wine campaign,
with Albet I Noia, a fantastic winery, leading the way. Other
great producers are Freixenet, Juve y Camps, Codorniu and Carmenet
(for Cava) and Miguel Torres & Jean Leon (for still reds
and whites). Priorat is most famous for a certain winemaker
named Alvaro Palacios, known for his family’s roots in
la Rioja. His wines have met loud applause internationally,
particularly in America. The food in the Mediterranean is famous
worldwide, for its health value. The olive oils, bright vegetables,
pasta, seafood and red wine common in the “Med Diet”,
are said by doctors to contribute to longevity. There are many
celebrity chefs in the area, the most famous (or infamous)
being Ferran Adria at El Bulli restaurant in the Costa Brava.
The central area of Spain is a massive flat plain, full of
crusader castles and Unesco world heritage towns. The earth
is quite dry, the seasons marked by freezing winters and punishing
summers. Luckily for winemakers, there are many microclimates
and the lifeblood of the Duero River, enabling quality wine
to be produced. “Denominaciones de Origin” (The
Spanish equivalent to the French Appellation quality control
system) include Ribera del Duero (well known for rich reds,
and class wineries like Vega Sicilia, La Pesquera and Emilio
Moro), Rueda (a fabulous source of delicious white wines made
with the local Verdejo grape and frequently blended with Sauvignon
Blanc) Toro (coined, “the new Ribera del Duero”,
offering good value reds), La Mancha (historically a bulk wine
area, but receiving millions of euros in investment, with a
fantastic new winery called “Finca Antigua” owned
by the Martinez Bujanda group) and Valdepeñas (again,
known for its rather cheap red “vino de la casa” type
wines, but receiving much investment and quality improvements,
with a great new winery called “Vega Ibor”). The
gastronomy from this massive area is meat based, domestic and
game, particularly wild boar, pheasant, and venison. Manchego
cheese and Saffron are other unique products from the region.
 The south of Spain, Andalucía, is known for its fortified
wines, Sherry, Montilla and Malaga styles, and for its diverse
gastronomy. The main wine areas are Sherry (based around the
town of Jerez de la Frontera, with styles ranging from dry
Manzanilla to sweet Amontillados), Montilla-Moriles (next to
the Moorish town of Cordoba, making sherry style wines, aged
in Ali Baba clay amphorae called “tinajas”) and
Malaga (sweet wines, waning in demand). Most of the wineries
in Sherry Country were founded in the 1800’s, by English
and Irishmen. Many of the cellars are absolutely beautiful
with decorative vaults. The gastronomy in the south includes
delicious fried fish, “Gazpacho”, prawns cooked
in garlic and a multitude of fish dishes.
The islands of Spain include the Mediterranean Balearics,
and the Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa. The Balearics,
including Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera, have a similar style
of cooking to Catalonia. Recently, many new wine grape varietals
have been discovered in Mallorca, where a lot of research is
being carried out. The DO is Binissalem, with mainly red wines
being made. The Best local grape is called Manto Negro, often
blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo. Our favorite
winery, producing surprisingly elegant wines, is Finca Son
Bordils. The Canary Islands have more in common with Latin
America than Spain. The accent resembles a Cuban accent, and
the cooking includes many Caribbean dishes like fried plantains
and spicy sauces. The most famous sauce is a fabulous piquant
sauce called “Mojo Picon”, always served with potatoes,
called “Papas”, as in Latin America. The most famous
wine is a light, dry white wine made in Lanzarote, called “El
Grifo”, with the Malvasia grape.
No matter which part of Spain you are heading to, it will
be an exciting food and wine experience!
Read about Tempranillo,
Spain’s Noble Grape - in Part 2.
Related links
Cellar Tours - Unforgettable
wine tours through some of the most charming, untouched wine
regions
in the world.
Cellar
Tastings - Detailed information on gourmet and culinary
activities, wine and winery information, food and wine tours
and other forms of unique travel for the Gourmand, and various
fun and educational events related to the world of food and
wine. |
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