The Enthusiasts! NYC Wine Club: Viva Espana!

"I have enjoyed great health at a great age because every day since I can remember I have consumed a bottle of wine except when I have not felt well. Then, I have consumed two bottles." (Bishop of Seville)

I'm not one to mix wine with religion - but this Spanish bishop really had the right idea about wine. This quote is pretty much my favorite. quote. ever. So what better place for the wine club to cover than a country home to such old school wine Enthusiasts -- Spain! 

History of Wine in Spain

As is true with most wines from Europe, it all goes back to the Romans. During Roman rule, Spanish wine was widely exported and traded. However, after the fall of the Romans, the Moors conquered much of the wine-making region and practically banned the production of wine as a low priority. During the first century A.D., the Moors were overthrown (Reconquista) and Spanish wine was exported again.

As time moved forward, Spanish wine was popular, but its development lagged behind due to additional obstacles like slow industrialization, phylloxera and several wars. Eventually, with acceptance into the European Union in 1986 and the influence of the "flying winemakers", Spanish wines slowly began to reclaim their prestige on the international market.

The Basics in Spanish Wine

Major Native Grapes, Wine Regions and the Appellation System of Spain

Native White Grapes 

-- 

Albariño

; Verdejo; Macabeo; 

Cariñena

Native Red Grapes

 -- Temperanillo; Garnacha; Monastrell (aka 

Mourvèdre)

Wine Regions at a Glance

If you are looking for Spanish wine in the United States, you are most likely going to see wine from the following regions (listed with the primary grapes grown there):

1. Rioja - Temperanillo (Tinto Fino) and Garnacha
2. Ribera del Duero - Temperanillo
3. Priorat - Garnacha, Cariñena
4. Penedés - Macabeo, Caberbet Sauvignon, Carinena, Garnacha
5. Rías Baixas - Verdejo, Albariño
6. Sherry (Jerez) - Palomino

Appellation System:

The wine regions of Spain are regulated under the Denominacion de Origen (DO) laws, similar to the French AOC system, updated as of 1982. Currently, there are 71 DO regions and 2 DOC regions (Priorat and Rioja). The ranking hierarchy is as follows:

• DOC (formerly DOCa) - Denomenacion de Origen Calificada, the highest category.
• DO - Denominacion de Origin, the mainstay of Spain's wine quality control system. Each region is goverend by a Consejo Regulardor, who decides on the boundaries of the region, permitted varietals, maximum yields, limits of alcoholic strength and other quality standards or production limitations pertaining to the zone. 

If you are searching for Spanish wines in the U.S., you will likely only see wines from the

above

 categories, however the appellation system also includes the following:

• VCIG - Vinos de Calidad con Indicacion Geografica. 
• VdlT - Vino de la Tierra, a mid level regional wine that conforms to local norms without qualifying for DO status, the equivalent of the French Vin de Pays.
• VdM - Vino de Mesa, the catch-all at the bottom of the pyramid that for all wine from unclassified vinyards and wine that has been declassified by blending. 
• VP - Vino de Pago, a special term for high-quality, single-estate wines (Pago is the Spanish term for a vinyard) which in some cases also belong to DO or VdlT appellations.
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Wine Regions in Detail

Photo Source: http://www.efow.eu/vineyards_of_the_month/

rioja_the_strength_of_a_name_with_a_historic_reputation

Wines from Rioja

Rioja is known as the powerhouse of Spain. The key thing to remember when buying wine from Rioja are the three levels (or styles):

Crianza,

2 years of aging, minimum 1 year in oak barrel;

Reserva,

3 years of aging, minimum 1 year in oak barrel; 

and Gran Reserva

, 5-7 years of aging, minimum 2 years in oak barrel.

Grapes?

Temperanillo

, known for producing complex wines worthy of aging. It's name comes from the Spanish word "temprano" or "early" because the grape typically ripens several weeks earlier than most red grapes in Spain.

Garnacha

(aka Grenache in France), known for its spicy berry flavors and producing wines that are rich, warm and alcoholic - so its commonly blended.

Wines from Penedés

If you love sparklers, the first thing you should think when you think Pened

és is Cava. However, this region is also known for making some quality red table wines. If you are looking for quality wines from these region, check out Torres or Jean Leon (producers).

Wines from Ribera del Duero

Stay on the look out for wines from this wine region. It is known as an up-and-coming region of Spain. The major red grapes grown here are Tinto Fino (Temperanillo), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Garnacha.

Wines from Priorat

Given that most of the vineyards in this region were historically farmed by Monks, Priorat was traditionally known for sacramental wine. However today, if you are looking for a quality (and pricey) bottle of red wine - Priorat is another great place to go.

Photo source: http://www.theworldwidewine.com

Wines from Rueda & 

Rías

 Baixas

FYI - not all the wine worth drinking in Spain is red! These two regions are known for the production of white wine. The modern style of wine made in Rueda is dry, fruity and fresh. These wines are made from Verdejo, Viura and occasionally Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The native Verdejo are generally harvested at night to reduce the risk of oxidation from the hot day-time. It is also known for making aromatic but full-bodied wines.

Rías

 Baixas, on the other hand, makes delicious white wines with mostly the 

Albariño

 grape. 

Albariño

 (synonym for "Alvarinho") is one of my personal favorites from Spain! Known as the classic Vino Verde grape - the grape is known for its distinctive peach and apricot aroma. It produces light but highly acidic wines.

Phew! So that covers the basics of Spanish wine. If you are searching for a take away - it seems Spain is a powerhouse of reds and not really well known for whites - similar to Italy.  However, the white wines of Spain are not to be ignored! I know I will be looking for a aromatic and crisp white from Spain next time I hit the local wine shop.

Cheers!

Spain: Bienvenidos a Madrid!

Third and final post from Spain - Madrid!

 We finally made it to our final destination - Madrid - after a crazy car ride from Barcelona and a lovely stop in Zaragoza. Today's topics include: history on Madrid, Museo del Prado, food and wine (of course!) and final thoughts on the Vis Competition for team Cardozo overall!

Starting with my usual favorite - history! One of the cutest pieces of history (and of course history can be

cute!

) was Madrid's coat of arms (pictured below). The shield is a bear sable supported on a strawberry tree. This coat of arms can trace its foundation back to the Battle of Law Navas de Tolosa in 1212, where the troops sent in support of the Christian King carried a flag with the statant bear on a silver field. For those who want to get really nerdy about coat of arms, statant refers to the

attitude 

(yes, attitude!), or position, of the animal on the shield. Specifically, statant means that the animal is standing (either on 2 or 4 feet).

A statute of the the coat of arms is located in the Puerta del Sol which is the famous center of Madrid. Interestingly, this busy city center is also the center of the radial network of Spanish roads (thus the literal center of Spain).

After walking through the Puerta del Sol, the group headed to Mercado de San Miguel. This place is a definite must see (or must eat-at rather) because everything, and I mean literally, everything in here looked delicious. Then, the group headed to the Royal Palace of Madrid and I was surprised to learn that this is still the resident of the Spanish Royal family. Yes, Spain still has a monarchy, similar to that of England. The current monarchy is led by King Juan Carlos I and his wife Queen Sofia. Preserving the monarchy is very popular in Spain, with approximately 75% of the population in support.

After we walk around the courtyards of the Palace (again we did not go in because the line was way too long) we headed to the Museo del Prado. This museum was established in 1819 and is the primary national art museum of Spain. While it houses a staggering amount of European art from the 12th-19th centuries, it is known for its Spanish art collection. 

The most famous collection of Spanish art features Fransisco de Goya. It was very exciting to see the masterpieces in person, including Goya's Saturn painting. However, (and without getting to political on art) Goya's Black Paintings are... well depressing. Other notable artists include: Rubens, Rembrandt, and Titian. After the museum, we headed across the street to relax with a bottle of wine. Service was relatively slow... I mean Spanish ... I mean slow. Though we didn't care because we were only interested in drinking wine. Eventually, the wait staff decided we were all so charming that they poured us shots on the house. These shots were more like digestifs, or digestive liquers served after the meal. They are usually taken straight (which they were) and typically include brandy, bitter liquers (which I received) or sweet liquers. I never had a chance to write down the brand names, but one was an apple liquer, the second taste like Jagermeister (bitter in taste, brown in color) and the third like chartruese (herbal in taste, yellow in color). I would definitely recommend the yellow disgetif. After our drinks, we took a quick stroll through Retiro Park and then headed back into the city center.

Most importantly, we stopped at the famous Chocolateria San Gines for hot chocolate and churros. This is the place for churros in Madrid. The hot chocolate is dark chocolate and served much thicker than anything available in the U.S. Similarly, the churros are different because they are not covered in cinnamon and sugar. This was the perfect snack after a day of touring. Though, I wouldn't have hated the addition of a little cinnamon to the hot chocolate or the churros.

That night we also headed to a great Paella restaurant, called La Barraca. There, we ordered some traditional paella and arroz negra (black rice). Both were excellent and this restaurant is worth visiting when in Madrid. 

And as usual, a discussion of food would not be complete without a discussion on wine. I wanted to briefly introduced the wine region that received the most attention during my visit to Spain - Rioja.

Rioja is one of Spain's major wine region. Specifically, it is the principal red-wine producing region. One of the most important grapes for rioja is tempranillo. Tempranillo is known for producing long-lived and complex wines. Another principle grape in rioja is garnacha. If you are looking for rioja, be sure to look the differences in the three major levels: (1) crianza - 2 years of aging, minimum 1 in oak barrels; (2) reserva - 3 years aging, minimum 1 in oak barrels; and (3) gran reserva - 5 to 7 years of aging, minimum 2 years in oral barrels. 

And those were some of the key highlights from our day in Madrid. It was a great trip full of awesome memories, wine and food. Until next time!

Cheers!