From Cheap To Good – Wine From Spain | Free

From Cheap To Good – Wine From Spain

Regular visitors to Spain know that her wines have improved a lot recently – no longer a cheap alternative to French wine but a wine of choice for many.

In some ways the Spanish countryside is a bit like California’s Napa Valley and Sonoma County. It is hard to drive for more than a few minutes in any direction without seeing vineyards. The same is true for most regions of Spain.

Spain has been producing wine off and on for nearly 3,000 years. Excepting a big gap between 711 A.D. and 1492 A.D., when conquering Islamic Moors outlawed wine production, it has mostly been on. In fact Spain introduced vineyards to the Americas. Spaniards sent the first cuttings to Mexico in the 16th century. By 1701 vines and cuttings were sent to Baja, Calif. It took until 1830 for the vineyards to work their way up to Sonoma County, thanks largely to the Spanish missionaries who also built a series of missions from south to north in California.

The American wine industry might have taken root and established itself then. The problem was that the grapes being grown were so high quality that Spain, fearful of losing out to the upstart vineyards, ordered all cuttings to be uprooted. Wine making in California ceased abruptly and did not resume until the late 19th century.

Spain clearly has an illustrious history of wine production. Despite its efforts at self preservation, it did early on nurture growth in the New World. It is surprising that it lagged for so long in producing wines that rival the best that Europe and America have to offer. Spanish wines remained fairly provincial well into the 20th century. One reason is that while the Spanish exported its vines and cuttings and even imported varietals from other countries, it took new methodologies in wine production that just had to be developed. In some cases, one or two key vintners in various wine regions according to specialist informative articles in Spain completely transformed the types and quality of wines coming out of the region, thanks to the new methodology.

About 10 years ago everyone began to notice that Spanish wines were beginning to look quite good. More to the point, some regions were producing very high quality wines. An American vintner of Spanish ancestry, Jean Leon, was among the first in Catalonia to grow foreign grapes in the region. With 275 acres of cabernet and chardonnay grapes, Leon produces about 25,000 cases of long lasting intense wines. And Leon’s story is being repeated in region after region.

The proof of the pudding lies in a trip to the local wine store regardless of where that store is located. There are of course the good standby wines that Spain has always produced, what might be referred to as good table wines. They are fairly inexpensive but suitable. In addition, however, more and more outstanding Spanish wines can be found on the shelves.

In the past few years notable Spanish wines that have wine lovers talking include the following:

* Vitas Terrarum winery in the La Mancha region that has produced a top of the line red. A 2001 Vitas Terrarum sells for $75 a bottle and is considered a good rival of other higher priced reds.
* Reserva Oro Seco from the Penesdes region is a crisp dry bubbly that has garnered a good bit of attention, perhaps because it is both very good and very inexpensive.
* From the same vineyard, 1998 Gran Reserva Hill is a full bodied red produced with a blend of cabernet sauvignon, tempranilla and syrah grapes that is a steal for about $26.
* Vina Mambrilla in the Ribera del Duero region produced an outstanding red, their 2000 Alidas Crianza, to which the Wine Spectator gave an 89 rating. Many believe it was underrated; at about $22 per bottle it is a steal.

There are other measures of where Spanish wines are going. Spain’s tourist destinations, like Tenerife, have always featured Spanish wines in hotels and restaurants. In the past, most of the Spanish wines offered were good enough but not the outstanding quality that fine dining often requires. Now it can pair extraordinary Spanish wines with inventive cuisine. The wine recommendation, still imminently affordable, elevates both the food and the dining experience. The result is a memorable event that sends patrons in search of fine Spanish wines in their local wine stores back home and increases knowledge of just what Spain can produce from her vineyards today.

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