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Spanish Wine
Spanish Wine Spanish wines are wines produced in the southwestern European country of Spain. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over 2.9 million acres (over 1.17 million hectares) planted--making it the most widely planted wine producing nation but it is only the third largest producer of wine in the world, the largest being Italy and France.[2]. This is due, in part, to the very low yields and wide spacing of the old vines planted on the dry, infertile soil found in many Spanish wine regions. The country is ninth in worldwide consumptions with Spaniards drinking, on average, 10.06 gallons (38 liters) a year. The country has an abundance of native grape varieties, with over 600 varieties planted throughout Spain though 80 percent of the country s wine production is from only 20 grapes--including Tempranillo, Albariño, Garnacha, Palomino, Airen, Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel·lo, Cariñena and Monastrell. Major Spanish wine regions include the Rioja and Ribera del Duero which is known for their Tempranillo production; Jerez, the home of the fortified wine Sherry; Rías Baixas in the northwest region of Galicia that is known for its white wines made from Albariño and Catalonia which includes the Cava and still wine producing regions of the Penedès as well the Priorat region.Spanish labeling laws
Spanish wines are often labeled according to the amount of aging the wine has received. When the label says vino joven ("young wine") or sin crianza, the wines will have subjected to very little, if any, wood aging. Depending on the producer, some of these wines will be meant to be consumed very young-often within a year of their release. Others will benefit from some time aging in the bottle. For the vintage year (vendimia or cosecha) to appear on the label, a minimum of 85% of the grapes must be from that year s harvest. The three most common aging designations on Spanish wine labels are Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva.
What the labels mean
Crianza red wines are aged for 2 years with at least 6 months in oak. Crianza whites and rosé must be aged for at least 1 year with at least 6 months in oak.
Reserva red wines are aged for at least 3 years with at least 1 year in oak. Reserva whites and rosé must be aged for at least 2 years with at least 6 months in oak.
Gran Reserva wines typically appears in above average vintages and with the red wines requiring at least 5 years aging, 18 months of which in oak. Gran Reserva whites and rosé must be aged for at least 4 years with at least 6 months in oak.
Cava or Spanish sparkling wine
Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional method of the French sparkling wine Champagne. It originated in the Catalonia region by the Codorníu Winery in the late 19th century. The wine was originally known as Champaña until Spanish producers officially adopted the term "Cava" (cellar) in 1970 in reference to the underground cellars in which the wines ferment and age in the bottle. The early Cava industry was nurtured by the phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th that caused the destruction and uprooting of vineyards planted with red grape varieties. Inspired by the success of Champagne, Codorníu and others encouraged vineyard owners to replant with white grape varieties like Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel·lo to use for sparkling wine production. These grapes are still the primary grapes of Cava today though some producers are experimenting with the use of the Champagne wine grapes of Chardonnay and Pinot noir.
For most of existence, the production of Cava was not regulated to a particular region of DO but rather to the grapes and method of production. Upon Spain s acceptance into the European Union in 1986, efforts were undertaken to designate specific areas for Cava production. Today use of the term "Cava" is restricted to production around select municipalities in Catalonia, Aragon, Castile and León, Valencia, Extremadura, Navarra, Basque Country and Rioja. Around 95% of Spain s total Cava production is from Catalonia with the village of Sant Sadurní d Anoia being home to many of Spain s largest production house.