Spain is one of the countries of the world in which the quality and variety of wine is more prominent internationally, especially since, in recent decades, local producers, institutions and numerous appellations of origin have taken care of these areas, traditionally reserved to a few varieties.

Apart from the famous wines -reds and whites- of Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Penedes, to name just a few appellations, the sweet, fortified or 'generous' wines have always been placed among the most consumed varieties, especially Sherry, thanks to the success they have had for centuries in the British Isles and other European countries. 

The retro is trendy and it is quite interesting to see that all those things that were in years ago, are suddenly back into fashion even in a stronger way than originally. I'm not talking about music or neither clothes, I mean the sherry wine which is gaining prominence in the UK, at any party and after work that rules.

By long tradition, the Navarra wine is powerful and leaves a strong imprint on the palate. Its wide variety of wines is due to the large extension of its vineyards, with a total of 18,400 ha. This implies elaborations based on different climates, from Atlantic, Mediterranean and even continental.

The production areas of the wines are in five specific areas: Baja Montaña, Valdizarbe, Tierra Estella, Ribera Alta and Ribera Baja. The grape varieties are also very diverse. Among reds, the Cabernet Sauvignon, red Garnacha or Merlot are quite remarkable, occupying 94% of the total wine production. Among whites, we must highlight the chardonnay, white garnacha and malvasía, with 6% of the total.

A wine for every occasion

The DO Navarra gives wines of every kind, always according to the consumer tastes. Although red wines of Navarra are really the majority, the most renowned are the rosé wines of Navarra, but the region also offers white wines and the famous sweet wines of Navarra, with Muscat grapes.

The white wines are fresh and yellow colored, with fruity notes in mouth. They are ideal with fish, appetizers and light entrees like salads or pasta. The reds are characterized by their strong color with berry flavors and vanilla notes, with an excellent quality, very well considered in restaurants around the world. They are recommended with pates, cheeses, meat and poultry dishes.

Meanwhile, the rosés are those with greater leadership, at least in Spain. They are fresh and taste of strawberries, pomegranate... perfect with any type of rice.

The Muscat grape variety is responsible for the sweet wines of this land. They offer an exquisite aroma and are often consumed with cakes, cookies and sweets, and even with goat and blue cheese.

If you want to discover the best of Navarra, we suggest you to start buying wine from the region. We are sure you’ll like our two recommendations:

Currently no one disputes the Rioja wine differentiation over other wines still be exported and become better known. It consists of three sub-areas with vast vineyards and historic cellars that have made possible this global identification.

One of these subzones is the Rioja Baja, near the Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, which produces wines of great quality and always gifted with personality and great body. The terroirs of Rioja Baja extend over 17,787 ha and have a mostly Mediterranean climate, featuring some dry areas with most extensive vineyards than other subzones that are part of this DO.

This zone extends over several municipalities located between Logroño and Alfaro, such as Calahorra, Arnedo, Autol and San Adrián, among others. It employs about 6,700 farmers in over 24,000 parcels that are committed to the wealth of their land in order to obtain greater vintages each season.

Wines of ripe grapes

This climate results in ripe grape wines, mostly red and elaborated with the Tempranillo variety –prevailing in all Rioja-, with an interesting presence of garnacha grape, which represent about 90% of total production. They are therefore stronger, meaty, with a powerful taste and less acidic than the wines of the rest of DO. They taste of berries and usually have more alcohol. The variety of flavors in the aged wines is remarkable, since they lie in the barrel for a few years, and the great reserves still need more time to finish their development.

Wine Museum of Rioja Baja

In the town of Aldeanueva de Ebro, particularly in the building of the Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Portal, we find one of the most important spots in the area: the Wine Museum of Rioja Baja. It discovers the history of the wines of this region with explanatory panels, focusing on their variety, vintage and scientific research. It also houses a tasting room where you can taste the local varieties.

No doubt that Rioja wine is one of the best in the world. Its elaboration comes from many years ago and each area guards its process in long tradition cellars. The DO Rioja encompasses various areas such as Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa.

In the case of wines from Rioja Alta, as well as wines from the Rioja Alavesa, they have fairly similar climates. In this case, the biggest influence is Mediterranean, leading to tasty wines with body and unquestionable quality. Its vineyards extend for 24,457 ha that comprise a large part of the DO Rioja total area.

With fantastic color and flavor, Ribeiro wine extends throughout the southern Galicia, in the province of Orense, near Portugal. Its production is elaborated out in over 2,700 ha of vineyards owned by historic cellars and other younger ones.

This is because more and more wineries are targeted to the production of this exquisite wine, with pure Galician taste, which achieves important successes, nationally and internationally.

There are different varieties of grapes for this DO. Among whites, we can cite Treixadura, Torrontés, Albariño, Palomino and Macabeo, and among reds, excel Sousón, Mencía, Garnacha and Tempranillo.

Spanish wines offer a great variety and richness in each of the areas where they are produced. Therefore, our review of the Spanish DO gives us an interesting inside of their types, varieties and essential characteristics.

Galician wines are of exceptional quality. Monterrei wine in the province of Orense and near Portugal, is elaborated thanks to a temperate weather with hot summers and relatively cold winters.

This combination makes wines obtained with distinction, both fresh white wines and ripe red wines are recognized quickly by the unmistakable flavor of the vintages of long Galician tradition.

Among the white varieties, highlight godello, treixadura and albariño, and among reds, mencia, arauxa and caiño tinto.

Wines of Castilla y León are among the most recognized in Spain. With an extra flavor and a quality defined by its long experience, history and tradition, they are exported overseas and have an excellent life with outstanding cellars.

This is the case of the wine of Toro, which extends over the community of Castilla y León, mainly in Zamora and a part of Valladolid, with a total of 62,000 ha and a vineyard area of 8,000 ha.

The most important grape varieties are the Tinta de Toro, a Tempranillo uniqueness of unknown origin, although it could date from the Roman age and currently has the certification seal as an autochthonous variety and name. Other varieties of the DO Toro are Garnacha, Verdejo and Malvasia.

The wine world suffers another setback. Too bad especially for Spain just few days after the VAT increase which was already enough bad news. This time, news reaches us from Europe and regarding labeling. Since now on it is prohibited to use statements alluding to health claims on beverages containing more than 1,2% by volume of alcohol.

It all started by a German wine cooperative that marketed its wines under the words "easily digestible". Good for the digestion, exactly as the Spanish traditional yellow herbs shots (“chupitos de hierbas”) but with less alcohol and a different colour.

What a joy! When summer comes to its end, the arrival of Autumn and its routines (including work) start to get back to our lives and it seems that everything good from the year has been left behind us. But some good surprises still await us: one of my current favorite wineries launches two new wines. Take that!

Number nine and ten (“Habla nº9” and “Habla diez”) are Habla winery proposals for this season. It seems like we talk about fashion but the truth is that these wines, plus having a great taste, come with a trend presentation of minimalist inspiration which delights for its white and black contrast and the purity of the lines that discover its name from the first look at the bottle.