The Wines of Spain

It goes without saying that an ancient land such as Spain has a long history of wine production. After all, Spain was a vital part of the Roman Empire even before the time of Christ. Since the country has always been decentralized into small kingdoms and small towns, over the years unique artisan wines have been developed to meet the tastes of each region. For example, Galicia has wonderfully delicate sparkling Albariño white wine. Yet, until recently it remained only in Northwest Spain because it needed special care in transport.

Not very far away is the medieval town of Toro, where the local people developed a full bodied red wine stored in oak barrels. Across the peninsula the people of Catalunya -- who live in the mountains and the Mediterranean coastal planes -- produced many flavorful red wines, as well as cava, a sparkling white wine that is more distinctive and dry than most champagnes. Across the middle of the country are countless expressions of wine, many of them using the unique tempranillo grape, which is native to Spain. Many of you are familiar with the "sherry triangle" of Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda which makes distinctive wine from Palomino and Pedro Ximenez grapes, among others.

Recently wine connoisseurs have begun to appreciate the wines of Spain, and concurrently venerable wine estates have adjusted their wines to appeal to a broader palate. Perhaps you would like to become more familiar with the wines of Spain (which produces 30% of the wine of the world). We have assembled a small selection of representative Spanish wines, some of which are the personal selection of Jorge Ordoñez, the celebrated Spanish wine connoisseur, who is familiar with many classic family vintners.

It is not a complete list, and I am sure if you are in a large cosmopolitan area you can find many of them. But bear in mind that many in our La Tienda community do not have this opportunity, so we have included some old favorites, such as La Gitana Manzanilla, which is not generally available. I hope you enjoy this touch of Spain.