Spain: A Destination You Never Reach

regions tasted

Spain has always been one of my favourite countries for wine, food, and its general appreciation of life. William Gaddis, the American postmodernist novelist, once wrote that, "Spain is a destination you never reach," an observation I've always liked. A country whose full character is impossible to grasp completely, Spain is edgily placed between the slow-paced, conservative, Catholic past and the fast-paced, outgoing, urban present. This is true of its wines too; the oxidative wines of sherry and Rioja must still taste much like they did in the nineteenth century and other regions and producers adhere to winemaking traditions of the past. At the same time, coinciding with the transition to democracy after Franco, Spanish wine has been transformed in the last thirty years, with modern, clean, crisp whites emerging from Rueda, Rías Baixas, and elsewhere and even conservative regions such as Rioja producing fruity, oaky reds that appeal to contemporary drinkers.

Over the last couple of months, my wife and I have been indulging in a series of Spanish wines to refresh our appreciation of the varied styles of wines being made in the world's third biggest wine-producing country. Here's what we've been drinking and have learnt about Spain.

regions & wines 

Arabako Txakolina

Txakoli (translated into Spanish as Chacolí) is a light, acidic white wine produced in the Basque country; it's often slightly fizzy, especially when poured from a height from the long, thin-necked bottle. There are three DOs, one of which is Arabako Txakolina. It's tiny, just 50ha, lying off the wet Atlantic coast and receiving 1,500mm of rain a year. The cool summers make grape-growing even more difficult but local growers are determined to preserve the historic tradition of txakoli. The Arzabro Txakolina winery is new, established in 2009, run by a local farming family based in the area for generations. Their txakoli ($19) is made from Hondarribi Zuri, which accounts for 85% of the grapes grown for txakoli production, and Izpiriotza Txikia (which is Petit Manseng across the French border). The wine's very zesty and acidic, with pronounced lemon and lime aromas: a good summer aperitif. ✪✪✪✪

Rioja

Part of Rioja lies within the Basque country, but on the other side of the Cantabrian mountains where it's drier (500mm of rain) and warmer. Rioja is the most famous of Spain's wine regions and is known for its red wines, but white wine is made too. Traditionally, the whites are oxidative, oaky, and mature, but an increasing number of modern wines are made, usually from the Viura grape (called Macabeo elsewhere in Spain) alongside a form of Malvasia, Garnacha Blanca, and Tempranillo Blanca. The Acodo Blanco 2010 ($30) from Basilio Izquierdo is a nice combination of old and new: it's five years old but still has fresh green and citrus fruits; it hasn't seen any oak ageing but has been left on its lees for eight months, giving it a nutty, yeasty character traditionally associated with white Rioja. ✪✪✪✪

Rioja is traditionally a blend of vineyards from different parts of the region and of different grape varieties - which is why this blend of the four major black grape varieties interested me. 75% of the grapes planted in Rioja are Tempranillo, which produces wines of red fruits and firm tannins. Garnacha is grown in the warmer Rioja Baja, and adds alcohol and red fruit, liquorice aromas. Mazuelo (Carineña eleswhere in Spain and Carignan in France) gives black fruits and tannins, while Graciano, plantings of which have increased since its lowpoint in the 1970s, has attractive floral, perfumed aromas. The Colección Vivanco 4 Varietales 2010 ($70) from Dinastía Vivanco - which is not just a winery but also a museum and educational centre - combines all these fruity, perfumed elements with a powerful structure from its sixteen months in French oak. ✪✪✪✪✪

Priorat

Inland from Barcelona in Catalunya, Priorat had all but been abandoned by the 1980s although wine has been made there since the 12th century. It's hilly with very steep slopes and stony slate soils (called llicorella), all of which makes growing vines there incredibly difficult. A group of winemakers took on the challenge of making wine there in the late 1980s which led to a revolution in quality, and now some of Spain's most exciting red (and white) wines are made in Priorat. Garnacha and Carineña, with small proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, produce intense, concentrated high-alcohol wines. Planetes de Nin is the project of young female dreadlocked winemaker Ester Nin. This is a classic Priorat (70% Garnacha, 30% Carineña; $45): deep red and black fruits, spice and French oak, and a fearless amount of brett with farmyard, earth, and animal aromas. ✪✪✪✪✪

Montsant

The small hill of Priorat is surrounded by Montsant ("Holy Mountain"), which produces similar but less expensive wines. Finca l'Argata are a fairly new producer, but they practise some old-fashioned techniques: they're biodynamic, they crush the grapes by foot, only partially de-stem, mainly use old oak and concrete tanks, and don't fine or filter. The 2012 is 85% Garnacha and 15% Syrah ($30). It's quite taut and restrained, with red fruits and liquorice, and surprisingly different from the powerful bombshell of Priorat. ✪✪✪✪

Ribera del Duero

For a century and a half, Ribera del Duero was only known for one producer, Vega de Sicilia. That changed in the 1980s, when a wave of new producers started making wines on the high-altitude slopes above the river Duero, making it one of the most sought-after regions in Spain. Becoming part of the establishment doesn't suit everyone, however, and Alfredo Maestro refuses to work within the DO regulations. A self-taught winemaker since 1998, Maestro feels that contemporary Ribero del Duero producers use too much oak and limit themselves to one grape variety, Tinto Fino (Tempranillo). Instead, he seeks out old vines from traditional local varieties such as Garnacha and Albillo (a white variety), as well as Tinto Fino. He also refuses to use any chemicals in the making of his wine, including even sulphur. In the beautifully-labelled Lovamor ($28), the absence of sulphur is a little too noticeable. Made from one-hundred-year-old Albillo vines, it's a deep golden-yellow colour, heavily oxidative, and tastes much more like a cider than a wine. ✪✪✪ The Castrillo de Duero ($25) is much more successful; from seventy-year-old Tinto Fino vines and aged in neutral oak for 12 months, the wine has a deep, intense, tannic and fruit structure which is classic Ribera del Duero while refusing to call itself so. ✪✪✪✪✪

Castilla y Leon

Many producers in Ribera del Duero and neighbouring Rueda also classify their wines under Castilla y Leon Vino de la Tierra (the IGT level of classification which has more flexible rules). La Fábula Cebreros ($30) - another wine with a beautiful label - is made from one-hundred-year-old Garnacha (which isn't permitted in any of the local DOs) and is a wonderful expression of that grape. It's an intense, powerful, old-school Spanish wine that needs decanting. Leather, mushrooms, and quite a bit of brett eventually give way to dried strawberries, raspberries, and roses. ✪✪✪✪✪

Ribeira Sacra

Many of the wines we tasted are from areas with a long history and old vines, but made from young producers rediscovering the area. Ribeira Sacra ("holy riverbank") is another region undergoing a revival, although it's still small. The major grape is Mencía and again the vines can be up to one hundred years old, grown on steep, stony slopes, battered by rain from the Atlantic. There's an obvious Priorat connection in this revival and Dominio do Bibei's winemaker Javier Domingues has enlisted the help of Priorat producers used to difficult soils and slopes. Lalama ($30) is 90% Mencía, with a handful of Garnacha and other local grape varieties Brancellao and Mouraton. The 2011 is a very attractive wine, with floral, herbal, and red fruit aromas. ✪✪✪✪✪

Monterrei

Near Ribeira Sacra on the Portuguese border, Monterrei is another newly emerging region drawing on old, local varieties. Quinta da Muradella are one of the leading producers of this still small DO, and the Alanda ($33) is a blend of four varieties of different degrees of obscurity. Doña Blanca (which is called Síria in Portugal from where it probably originates) gives intense floral and orange aromas. Treixadura (Trajadura in Portugal) has apple and pear aromas and is best in a blend as it has low acidity. The wonderfully-named Monstruosa is even rarer and was rescued from extinction by Muradella; it has aromas of wild, alpine flowers. Finally, the wine also has Verdello (Verdelho in Portugal and Madeira), which is in the blend for its acidity. The wine itself has extraordinarily intense citrus aromas of oranges and lemons, along with orange blossom. A refreshingly high acidity means that it is a very good food wine - we drank this with a chicken, carrot, leek, and turnip stew. ✪✪✪✪✪

sherry

All of the above wines come from north-central Spain, where either the sea or altitude moderate the climate. Once as far south as Madrid and beyond, the climate is generally too hot for quality wine production. The area around Jerez in hot, dry Andalucia is one historic exception. Close to the Mediterranean, more rain falls than in northern Rioja; most of it is during the winter, with the irrigation system introduced by the Moors over a thousand years ago storing the water for the dry summer months. Sherry is one of the contradictions emblematic of Spain. One of the country's best known wines, it was for the most part created for the British (who still drink almost as much as the Spanish). With its oxidative aromas, it's old-fashioned and out of time; nonetheless the region is now creating some of the most vibrant, evocative, and affordable wines of anywhere in the world. I would say that, because I am a huge sherry fan - regardless, I dare anyone to resist the attractive aromas of lightly baked apples, salt, and almonds of this fino, priced at under $20. ✪✪✪✪✪✪

World Cup of Wine Round Three

The final set of group matches saw Italy and Portugal crash out, and Luis Suarez bite an opponent for the third time in his career. Sadly, these will be the last Italian, Spanish, and (less surprisingly) Australian wines of this World Cup, but the next blog will feature the first Argentinian wine as well as beers from Belgium and the USA.

Spain v Australia

Spain: I'm never going to stop banging the sherry drum, as I firmly believe it's the greatest drink in the world: for variety of styles, value for money, and sheer quality, there is no other drink that can rival it. Its problem is that it's not well understood, and drinkers are easily put off by their lack of knowledge of what sherry actually is. In a nutshell, sherry is a fortified, usually dry, wine that spends a long time ageing in permeable old oak casks; the style of sherry depends on how long the wine has spent ageing. Fino and manzanilla are young, delicate, and fresh; amontillado a little older and rustier in colour; oloroso older again, darker, with lots of dried fruit character; palo cortado a complex wine that combines the fresh nuttiness of amontillado with the mature aromas of oloroso; Pedro Ximenez is made from grapes that have been dried to the point of raisins, making the wine intensely sweet. Simple, right?

Valdespino Manzanilla Deliciosa En Rama (c.£12 for a half bottle)

I had an accident this week: I broke a bottle of this wine in the back of the shop van. It's painful to think of such a waste, but the van smelt so beautiful. Manzanilla is very similar to fino, but the wine has to have been aged in the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda which gives it saltier qualities. This manzanilla, from one of sherry's most historic producers, is classic: fresh, delicate, yet with a woody structure from 5-6 years' ageing, with aromas of apples, salt, and almonds.

Australia: Australia too has a long history of making fortified wine, though it makes far less than it used to. Both "sherry" and "port" have long been made, although those names cannot be used for wines sold within the EU - red fortified wine, often from Shiraz, is instead called "Tawny." Its most famous fortified wine is Rutherglen Muscat, from the hot inland town of Rutherglen in Victoria. Like sherry, it's aged and blended in a solera system, and like Madeira, it ages in hot conditions, together creating a rich, intensely sweet wine quite different from any other.

Stanton and Killeen Rutherglen Muscat, 12 years old (£16 for a half bottle)

Australians refer to their sweet fortified wines as "stickies," which is the perfect term for this mature, lusciously sweet, treacly, Christmassy wine. An ideal accompaniment to Christmas or sticky toffee pudding.

wine result a thrilling contest between two of the world's great fortified wines. Spain just comes out on top, as the Muscat is just so richly sweet it demands the further indugence of a pudding. Spain 4-3 Australia

actual result with both teams being eliminated and Australia missing their star player, Tim Cahill, this was a rather one-sided and inconsequential match. Spain 3-0 Australia

Italy v Uruguay

Italy: besides being home to some of the most famous wine names in the world, such as Valpolicella, Chianti, and Barolo, interesting wines from non-Italian varieties are being made in Italy. Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot (both cheap and higher quality) are found in the Veneto region in the north east, Pinot Noir (or Nero) in the Alto Adige, and Merlot in Lazio around Rome.

Marchesi di Grésy Monferrato Merlot 2007 (c.£20)

Marchesi di Grésy is one of the top producers in the Piemonte region of Barbaresco, and they also make this exceptional wine from Merlot in the small DOC of Monferrato, a hilly area where non-Italian grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are grown. This wine has spent several years in old oak casks to mature, only released when ready to drink. It has a lovely balance of oak and fruit, with sweet spices and dried fruits coming through too. For such a good wine, this is great value.

Uruguay: the fourth-largest wine-producing country in South America, with much of its exports going to neighbouring Brazil. There's a strong Italian influence, which is why many growers are small farmers, as well as from the Basques, who introduced the Tannat grape to the country in the 1870s. More than a third of plantings are of Tannat, a grape which, as it name suggests, is high in tannins and is found in Madiran, in south-west France. The wines produced are quite different, however: whereas Madiran is heavy in tannins and ages over many years, Uruguayan Tannats are softer and fruitier, and drunk younger.

Alto de la Ballena Tannat-Viognier 2011 (c.£20)

A very unusual blend of Tannat and Viognier, a white grape which is used in the northern Rhône and Australia to soften and give fragrant aromas to Syrah. It performs a similar function here, with floral, perfurmed aromas overlaying the spicy oakiness.

wine result two high-quality wines offering power with a touch of finesse. A close victory for the Italians, with just a touch more sophistication and maturity. Italy 3-2 Uruguay

actual result a bitty game won by Uruguay, which saw them qualify from the group at the expense of Italy but will be remembered more for Luis Suarez's actions than the football. Italy 0-1 Uruguay 

Germany v USA 

Germany As mentioned in the first round of matches, Germany may not be particularly known for its red wines, but it produces high-quality Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder). The grape, which in Germany produces generally earthy, gamey wines, is grown in the regions of Rheingau to the west of Frankfurt (particularly around the wonderfully-named village of Assmannshausen), sunny, dry Pfalz near the border with Alsace, and Baden in the Black Forest, Germany's warmest and most southerly region.

Franz Keller Spätburgunder Ahr 2011 (c.£20)

An earthy, smoky, spicy wine from Baden, with red cherries and plums, which goes well with hearty meat dishes. Franz Keller is a family-run winery that's been making wines for several generations, and also owns several highly-regarded restaurants in the area, including the Michelin starred Schwarzer Adler. Matching this wine with the local food in the beautiful surroundings of the Black Forest would certainly be a heavenly experience.

USA the region of the USA most known for Pinot Noir is Oregon. Until the 1960s, virtually no wine had been made in the state, but a small number of intrepid oenologists started wineries in Willamette Valley south of Portland during the decade, including David Lett, a young student and avid fan of the wines of Alsace and Burgundy and convinced that Willamette Valley had the ideal conditions for the same grapes. His 1975 Pinot Noir was entered into a competition in Paris in 1979, where it performed so well that Joseph Drouhin, a noted Burgundy producer, invited Lett to enter the wine into another, more formal competition in Beaune in 1980, where it came second. All of a sudden, this unknown state became the centre of attention for Pinot Noir lovers.

Domaine Drouhin Cuvée Laurène 2010 (c.£40)

Drouhin was so impressed by the Pinot Noirs being produced in Oregon that he persuaded his daughter Véronique to visit there, where she became winemaker at the newly-established Drouhin Oregon off-shoot in 1987. Oregon is the one New World region that makes Pinot Noir comparable in style to Burgundy, as this wine proves: red fruits, integrated oak, an earthy nose, a gamey texture, and plenty of ageing potential.

wine result two exceptional wines, but the quality, longevity, and class of the Drouhin wins the day. Germany 2-4 USA

actual result another close run thing, the US competing gamely, but Germany's class was ultimately too much. Germany 1-0 USA

in the next blog, the competition expands to include the beers of Belgium and the USA, as well as featuring Argentina v Switzerland.

World Cup of Wine Round Two

The second round of fixtures saw some dull games, but there were some thrillers too and Costa Rica provided the biggest upset by qualifying from a group featuring three previous World Cup winners, including England, after just two games. Just the three wine match-ups in this round; let's see how the wines fared compared to the football.

Spain v Chile

Spain: classic European wine-producing country, famous especially for its aged, oaky reds from Rioja. There's plenty more to the country than Rioja, though: aromatic Albariños from Rías Baixas in the north-west, zesty Txakoli from the Basque country, muscley Monastrells from Jumilla in the south-east. Recently, Spain has been producing too much bulk volume wine at too low a price, undermining its reputation and the industry, but once you get above the £10 mark Spanish wine can punch its weight with any in the world.

Raimat Blanc de Blancs Albariño-Chardonnay 2013 (c.£10)

Raimat takes up a third of the Costers del Segre DO, inland from Barcelona, where the Cava giant Codorníu has since 1914 experimented with making sparkling wine from non-traditional grapes, in particular Chardonnay. This unusual, but well-balanced, wine combines the floral freshness of Albariño with citrus and tropical fruits from Chardonnay.

Chile: as featured in the first round of matches against Australia, Chile is a young wine-producing country still learning its trade. The challenge for Chile is to produce wine that is genuinely good value for money and not just cheap.

Tabalí Reserva Especial Chardonnay 2012 (c.£10)

This is a terrific example of Chilean wine punching above its weight - creamy apple flavours with the use of neutral oak to produce a wine that's both refreshing but with plenty of body and substance to give the wine a satisfying structure.

wine result two interesting uses of the Chardonnay grape, to produce good-value wines that provide a great deal of complexity for the price. Spain 2-2 Chile

actual result a disappointingly flat performance from Spain which saw the World Champions crash out against a vibrant, exuberant Chile. Spain 0-2 Chile

Japan v Greece

Japan: I wrote about Japanese wine in a recent blog, but the country is far more known for sake than wine. Sake is made from rice (meaning it can't be called wine, which has to be made from grapes) in a wide range of styles, from dry to sweet, fresh and crisp to oaky and full bodied. This number of styles can make sake a confusing drink, but it also means there's always a sake to suit different occasions or palates.

Akashi-Tai Daiginjo (c.£35 for a 72cl bottle)

The style of sake in part depends on how much the rice is milled or "polished." As this delicate sake has been 60% polished, it is light in colour, and it has refreshing floral and peach and melon aromas. Another factor in the style is the proximity to water - Akashi is near the sea and this sake has a definite salty character.

Assrytiko vines in Santorini are protected from the wind by wooden baskets

Greece: It is easy to mock Greek wine, but wine has been made there for millenia and there is high-quality wine to be found if you know where to look. The best whites come from the Assyrtiko grape, especially on the island of Santorini, and reds from Xinomavro in northern Naoussa. (Greek grape names may be hard to pronounce but, as the maker of the wine below pointed out to me, names of grapes are always hard to pronounce if you don't already know how to say them.)

Gaia Assyrtiko Wild Ferment 2013 (c.£20)

From Santorini, this an intriguing, complex example of Assyrtiko. It's made using indigenous yeasts which are allowed to develop and ferment without any interference, giving the wine a slightly funky, barnyard quality. With the slight use of oak as well as acacia, it would be difficult to tell this apart from a quality Burgundy white.

wine result two drinks full of local character, demonstrating the best of their tradition to the outside world, though only one can be classed as a wine. Japan 1-2 Greece

actual result a forgettable game between two poor teams who most definitely did not demonstrate the best of their traditions to the watching world. Japan 0-0 Greece

USA v Portugal

USA: a wine-making powerhouse that's just going to get bigger and bigger. The industry is concentrated in California, which makes more than 90% of the country's wine. However, each of the 50 states does make wine of some sort. Washington is the second largest wine-producing state, followed by New York and Oregon. The latter produces Pinot Noir that rivals Burgundy in both style and quality, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Washington are a bridge between Bordeaux and Napa Valley.

Clos du Val Merlot 2010 (c.£30)

Merlot is a grape that gets a bad press, but in the hands of a quality winemaker it remains one of the world's great grapes. Clos du Val, founded by Frenchman John Goelet in the early 1970s, are one of the generation of Napa Valley producers that gained international acclaim following the famous 1976 Judgement of Paris. This is a classy but inviting Merlot, with ripe black fruits and a lovely spicy toastiness from the use of oak.

Portugal: as mentioned in the first round of matches, Portugal is more famous for its fortified wines than its still. However, it now produces high-quality whites and reds, especially in the Douro (the area where grapes are grown for port production), Dão, and, increasingly, Alentejo further south. There are over four hundred indigenous grape varieties found in this small country, giving Portuguese a unique identity.

Julia Kemper Touriga Nacional 2009 (c.£25)

Touriga Nacional is the most important grape for the production of port, and it also produces the most distinctive of Portugal's red wines, with floral, perfumed aromas. This rich, powerful, oaky wine from one of Dão's up-and-coming producers is a great example, and one which will get better and better over the next five years.

wine result a clash between two high-quality, powerful, ageworthy wines. USA 3-3 Portugal

actual result an open, entertaining game, with a surprisingly strong performance from the USA, who were denied victory by a last-minute Portuguese equaliser. USA 2-2 Portugal

The next round of matches will feature Italy v Uruguay, Australia v Spain, and USA v Germany