The first wine I ever had, the wine that captivated my imagination and piqued my interest to the wonderful, never ending, and mysterious world of oenology was a glass of red Rioja.

I was in London at the time in my early twenties and I was so over the constant flow of Strongbow and Guinness. I remember sitting alone at a pub and wanting a glass of something different, so I ordered a glass of red wine.

I was immediately captivated by the smell of stewed tomatoes, leather, and crushed dill that came from this beautiful, ruby-red glass of ambrosia. I asked the woman who worked at the pub what kind of wine it was and her face lit up like a kid’s at Christmas time.

“It’s a Rioja.” she said in her British accent.

I think it was the combination of heady aromas and the look of joy on her face that did it for me. It’s the expression so many people get on their face when they find a wine that excites them that motivated me to want to explore the world of wine further. That was the moment I fell in love with wine. Because of this, Spain is a very special place for me.

Spain is about so much more than Rioja, however.

Spain produces so many different wines, ranging from inky and intense Monastrel (or Mourvedre) to floral and light Albariño to the quintessential party wine, Txakolina and a million different types of grapes in between. So for the time being, let’s chat about Spain’s history as a wine region, some key regions to know, and the types of grapes they produce.

THE HISTORY OF SPANISH WINE

The history of Spain as a wine region begins with the Phoenicians in 1,000 B.C.E. Yeah, that’s a super long time ago. Production really began to skyrocket during the Reconquista of Spain in the 12th Century. Around this time, Spain began to produce Sherry, which launched its meteoric success as a region.

During the second half of the 19th Century, Spain began exporting more of its wines, as Phylloxera had taken hold of France, severely limiting its ability to produce good wine. A lot of French winemakers decided to move to Spain, start planting vineyards, and perfecting their craft over there. But not even Spain could be protected from this pesky root louse and eventually, Spanish vines fell victim to it.

It was during this time, Spain’s winemaking industry experienced more than its fair share of setbacks. From powdery mildew to Phylloxera - the future looked grim. The French immigrants who spent so much time planting their vineyards there and teaching Spanish winemakers the tools of the trade packed their bags and headed back home.

The winemakers that remained focused very heavily on producing Cava - a delightfully crisp and refreshing Spanish bubbly wine - and Sherry. The Spanish Civil war happened during the second half of the 20th Century, which was yet another setback - but fear not, Spain would reemerge as one of the top wine regions in the world.

Spain was a child of the 1970s, and it was during this era of drugs, experimentation, and free love that Spain would once again be one of the forefront wine producing regions on a global scale.

Spanish wines - both red and white - are especially unique, because they typically spend some of the longest time in oak of all the wines around the world. Some Spanish wines spend a grand total of 25 years being aged in oak barrels. That’s a heck of a long time.

More modern Spanish producers have tried to change Spanish wine production by creating wines that spend less time in oak and more time in stainless steel - especially for white varietals. Traditionally, Spanish wines are very funky and dusty from their extended periods in oak and to me, that’s a part of their charm. I think there’s a time and place for every style of Spanish wine, but I tend to like my wines from this country a bit more on the, “old school,” “traditional” side of things.

Quality for Spanish wine continues to rise and more and more people are privy to the incredible wines of this region. Below, I’ll be listing some Denominación de Origens or DOs that are must-know wine regions if you’re looking to explore the offerings from Spain.

KEY SPANISH WINE REGIONS TO KNOW

RIOJA - SO ICONIC

HIT UP RIOJA IF YOU LIKE: BORDEAUX BLENDS & CHARDONNAY

Rioja is a stunning, peaceful and high-altitude denomination 60 miles away from Basque Country. There is no body of water to moderate the climate, instead it’s mostly rolling hills and fields of wheat.

Rioja is considered the creme de la creme of Spain’s wine denominations, and though it produces white and rosé wines - that are called Rosados - Tempranillo reigns supreme here. The Tempranillo vines thrive in a mixture of limestone, clay, and sandstone soils. They are often blended with other grapes, such as Garnacha (Grenache) Graciano, and Mazuelo.

White Rioja is typically made from the Viura grape, and aged in oak barrels as well. You can find other white plantings of Garnacha Blanca and Malvasia here as well.

THAT OAK THO…

For a very long time, Rioja was all about that oak. Spanish winemakers who worked at bodegas - wineries - would often use American Oak instead of French Oak to age their wines because it was more budget-conscious.

Traditional Rioja was aged in American Oak for quite some time - some as long as 20+ years - before being released into the marketplace. The same oak aging applied to White Rioja, yielding some very interesting, funky wines.

As time passed, a lot of wineries have ix-nayed their use of oak in favor of a more modern, stainless-steel driven style. And this has caused quite a rift between those in favor of traditional Rioja over the more modern style of Rioja.

RIOJA CLASSIFICATIONS

Riojas are classified in three different tiers.

Crianza
Reserva
Gran Reserva

Crianzas are very simple and fruity wines that don’t spend a lot of time in oak. These wines typically have the lowest price point and are very friendly, everyday drinking wines.

Reservas spend a bit more time in oak, and are made with some of the best fruit in the vineyards. These wines have a bit more layers to them and are very serious wines indeed.

Gran Reservas are only made during the best years from the best fruit in the best vineyards. These wines are unicorn wines - very rare and hard to find indeed.

PRIORAT - CUZ ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE INTO IT

HIT UP PRIORAT IF YOU LIKE BIG BOLD, BADASS RED WINE

Priorat has been on the rise as a wine region since the 1990s. Home to some of the most powerful, concentrated and intense expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Carignan - it’s called Carineña - in Spain, wines from Priorat sure do pack a punch.

Some wines from Priorat can be a bit on the pricier side - even more expensive than Riojas. If you’re one of those people who loves big red wines, Priorat will be your jam.

PENEDÈS - FOR THE BUBBLY TYPES OUT THERE

HIT UP PENEDÈS IF GOOD VALUE SPARKLING WINE GIVES YOU LIFE

About 30 miles away from Barcelona lies the rural DO of Penedès. Gently sloping hills planted with vines of white grapes like Chardonnay, Macabeo, Xarel-lo thrive in the climate that is moderated by the Mediterranean Sea.

Spain started making Cava in the late 1800s after Spanish winemakers traveled to France and studied how Champagne was made. A small group of Spanish winemakers started making Cava in hopes of turning the Penedès into Spain’s Champagne region.

The process of making Cava is exactly the same as Champagne, where the secondary fermentation process has to take place in the bottle. Unlike Champagne, Cava is made strictly from white grapes and tends to have a fresher taste. A great value everyday bubbly!

RIAS BAIXAS - A PLACE THAT BOTTLES SPRINGTIME

HIT RIAS BIAXAS UP IF YOU LOVE FLORAL, FRESH, WHITE WINE

Home to some of the most elegant plantings of Albariño, this stunning coastal wine region specializes in producing white wine that will knock your friggin’ socks off. The misty vineyards benefit from being exposed to the cooler ocean air, and some of the vines will be planted amidst fossilized sea shells.

Albariño tastes like nectarines and grapefruits, kissed by the sea. This refreshingly crisp white wine is the perfect go-to beverage for warmer Spring and Summer months. Fortunately for you Thurstqueens, Albariño is usually priced at a steal, making it a great wine to bring to parties or dinners with friends.

There are so many other DOs I could post about in Spain - such as Jerez for all those Sherry lovers out there, but I wanted to do a separate post on that.

I hope this post was informative and scratched just the surface of Spain’s amazing wine producing regions. And now, let’s chat about the—

PICK OF THE WEEK: VIÑA SANTURNIA RIOJA $20.00 @ Stanley’s Wet Goods

They don’t make ‘em like they used to - except this one.

As a category, I’ll admit it: Rioja is oversaturated. When I worked as a wine rep I often found myself swimming upstream in a sea of modern, fruity, stainless-steel Riojas. I worked with importers who would have five or six different Riojas to hawk. They would always push these Riojas as, “fresh,” and “new,” different from the traditional oaky Riojas of yore. But these Riojas never moved. A lot of buyers would complain that they had no personality.

As far as personal tastes go, I’ve had the fruitier, fresher, more “modern,” style of Rioja and in my humble opinion, sometimes modern doesn’t necessarily mean “better.” Sometimes when we go out of our way trying to improve, buff, and polish a wine and the process to make it, the soul of that wine gets lost. Sometimes, things are perfect just the way they are and don’t really need to be improved.

The Viña Saturnia Rioja stylistically leans towards the Riojas of bygone days, which is why I liked it so darn much. It has the comforting softness of brushed suede and rich, toasted coconut aromas from the significant period it spends - 24 months- in a majority of American Oak barrels. It doesn’t have the angular, graphite characteristics of a heady Bordeaux, but make no mistake - this wine has a comparable level of complexity.

With aromas of black plum, dill, sun-dried tomato and tobacco, this wine is soothing - yet serious. It is a wine meant to be enjoyed over a long period of time, as with time, the aromas elegantly unfold, layer after layer. Silky yet powerful, the Viña Saturnia Reserva Rioja is an excellent value at $20.00.

Enjoy it with lingering conversation during a dinner party with friends, as I believe that is what the winemaker intended it for.

THURSTQUEEN WORLD TOUR: SPAIN