Wine Regions in Spain

Spain is the largest wine-growing country in the world in terms of vineyard area, but in terms of the quantities of wine produced it ranks only third behind Italy and France. One of the reasons for this is that traditions still play a major role in Spain, despite today's very dynamic and modernised viticulture.
Many vineyards are still bush trained, so there are far fewer vines per hectare than in France or Italy, for example, which combined with the warm, dry climate, makes for lower yields than elsewhere.
Historically, it is one of the oldest wine-producing countries in Europe, with wine history dating back to about 3000 to 4000 B.C. Under the Phoenicians, Spanish viticulture experienced its first heyday about 200 B.C., which the Romans continued. Under Arab rule a few centuries later, viticulture stagnated, but the new rulers in the country tolerated the production of wine.
In the second half of the 20th century viticulture really took off; cellars as well as vineyards were modernised or repaired, and Spain developed into a dynamic, modern wine-growing nation. But traditions have remained, and the interaction with modern developments can be observed in no other region as excellently as in Rioja, where traditional wineries such as Lopez de Herredia or Marques de Murrieta meet modern interpretations of this famous wine style.
A good 960,000 hectares are now under vines, from the north in the foothills of the Pyrenees and Galicia, down to Andalucia, home to one of Spain's most famous wines, sherry. Modern and highly committed winemakers such as Telmo Rodriguez or Alvaro Palacio shape the image of Spanish viticulture, as do large family wineries such as Torres, which send clear signals with their commitment to the environment and sustainable viticulture.
The most famous region of the north is Rioja, which provides perhaps the most famous wine of the country, produced mostly as a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Marzuelo and Graciano varieties. The region's winemaking history is largely influenced by winemakers from Bordeaux, who moved to the other side of the Pyrenees at the time of the phylloxera disaster. Neighbouring Navarre also produces wines from a comparable mix of grape varieties, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon. Northwestern Spain, on the other hand, is very cool due to the Atlantic influence, so crisp, fruity and lively fresh white wines are produced here, such as in Rias Baixas, from the Alvarinho variety.
Red wines from the Mencia variety also deliver exciting and promising red wines here today. Penedes, the region on the Mediterranean coast near Barcelona, has a wide range of grape varieties and, with the best Cavas, provides attractive alternatives to Champagne.
Priorat, further south, has stood for spectacular red wines from 80 to 100-year-old vines, especially of the Carignano variety, for at least 30 years. This also applies to the Ribera del Duero region, located about 200 kilometers north of Madrid, which also delights the hearts of wine lovers with Vega Sicilia, one of the world's great cult wines.
Many other regions vie for the favour of wine lovers, the most famous of which is perhaps the Toro region, which also brings a spicy, fruity white wine to the table with the Verdejo from neighbouring Rueda. But the most famous product, apart from the wines of Rioja, remains sherry, which continues to enjoy great popularity in English-speaking countries.
Spanish cuisine is also enormously varied. In addition to fish and seafood, the famous tapas plays a major role, and of course the Spanish national dish, paella. Star restaurants, such as "El Bulli" in Barcelona have made history. Today it is restaurants such as the "Celler de Grand Roca" in Girona, or the "Sublimotion" on Ibiza, which together with numerous restaurants in Barcelona, Madrid or Cordoba set the accents.

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Castile and Leon

Castile and Leon, or Castilla y León as it is known in Spanish, forms the northern part of Spain's central plateau with the Spanish capital to the south. Castilla y León is home to several wine-producing regions, including already very well-known ones such as Ribera del Duero, Toro and Rueda (all...

La Rioja

Rioja is the most famous, traditional and certainly one of the best wine growing regions of Spain, the wines enjoy global recognition. Rioja is also one of the nuclei of quality Spanish viticulture, because it was also from here that the first bottled wines of the Iberian Peninsula were exported in...

Ribera del Duero

Catalunya

Catalonia, with its vibrant capital Barcelona, comprises various wine-growing regions, both near the coast and inland. The largest and best known region is Penedès, south of Barcelona, with a vineyard area of over 26,000 hectares. Penedès is the heart of the Spanish sparkling wine production, the...

Balearic Islands

Little remains of the former greatness of viticulture in the Balearic Islands, especially on the island of Mallorca: The approximately 15 million litres of wine produced in the 19th century is today perhaps just three million litres. Nevertheless, viticulture has undergone a quite astonishing...

Penedès

Andalusia

The southernmost wine-growing region of Spain includes several sub-regions, which produce a range of wines, from dry to sweet. The most famous of these is undoubtedly Jerez, which produces sherry, but other regions include Malaga, Montilla-Moriles and Condado de Huelva. The climate at the southern...

Galicia

Rias Baixas is the most important wine-growing region in northwestern Spain and lies - at least in part - directly on the Atlantic coast. The climate here is cool and humid, but made for growing white wine. The wines from Rias Baixas were among the first wines of Spain to be sold outside the...

Castile-La Mancha

If we add up all the vineyard areas, both from controlled and non-controlled origins, Castilla-La Mancha represents the largest area of vines in Europe. Located south of Madrid, the plateau has become famous not only for its wine but also for a world-class literary figure: Don Quixote of La Mancha,...

Priorat

Priorat is the Catalan name for the Priorato region, one of Spain's most amazing and exciting wine producing regions. This region, where monks in the seclusion of the hinterland of Tarragona in southern Catalonia had been making wine since the 12th century, was largely forgotten - cooperatives were...

Aragon
The province in northeastern Spain, which today is not exactly blessed with streams of tourists,...
Rueda
The regions of Toro and Rueda in Castile and Leon could hardly be more different; what both regions...
Murcia
The province of Murcia, in the hinterland of Valencia, is home to three controlled origins:...
Valencia
The landscape around the port city of Valencia in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula is one of...
Navarre
Navarre is an important Spanish vine-growing region and is located directly to the northeast of the...
Toro
The regions of Toro and Rueda in Castile and Leon, which are located in the immediate vicinity,...