Recently I assisted with wine selections for a function in preparation for the recent visit of the Spanish Royals to our shores. It was a bit challenging to find great Spanish wine to meet certain budgets in a very short period of time.

With the number of Spanish hotels on the island you would believe that finding a wide selection would be an easy job. Subsequently I had the great opportunity to visit the Spanish wine pavilion at the 2009 South Beach wine festival, where we tasted a quantity of wonderful Spanish wines at all price ranges. I thought I would share some information from my wine education sources on the wines of Spain.

Spain shares the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal and Gibraltar and has by far the most land dedicated to wine production in the world. Due to its dry, hot climate, it has low yields and is the third largest producer of wine in the world behind Italy and France. Near half of all Spanish Vineyards are located in the centre of the country in a region called Castile-La Mancha which is the world’s largest wine- producing area. Airén (eye-REN) is the white wine grape that is Spain’s most widely planted varietal. Its vineyards cover over 800,000 acres of land, making it the most widely planted varietal in the world. I will bet you have never ever even heard of it.

Brief wine history

Research has shown that modern Spain occupies land where wine grapes have been cultivated for more than 5000 years!

When the Romans conquered the area, exports of Spanish wine reached Rome and a number of neighbouring countries including England. The scrolls show that the Moors conquered the country in 711. While the Moslem holy book prohibits wine, the Moors permitted Spanish Christians and Jews to produce wine, and the wine industry thrived during the years of Moorish rule. By 1250, the Christians had retaken most of Spain, and England was already importing substantial quantities of Spanish wine.

Then, in 1492, the Moors were defeated at their last stronghold in Granada. Spain became a united Christian country. Columbus discovered the New World including Jamaica. The Jews were expelled from Spain. And foreign merchants began a thriving trade in Spanish wine.

During the centuries that followed, Spain’s winemaking fortunes fell. In 1533, King Henry VIII of England divorced Catherine of Aragon. Relations between England and Spain deteriorated, resulting in the Spanish wine industry losing its principal export customer. It took a disaster of epic proportions to revitalise the Spanish wine industry. In the 1860s, powdery mildew and a root louse known as phylloxera devastated the French wine industry. French wine growers fled from Bordeaux to Spain, they brought French winemaking practices with them including introducing the 225-litre (60 gallon) oak barrels that became known as barricas. These barrels become an important component to Spanish wine making. (To be continued next week Thursday.)

On the wine rack

A great Spanish wine available on our supermarket shelves is the Campo Viejo Crianza. This wine is ruby red in colour with sweet cherry aromas and silky oaky flavours. It has a light, smooth, velvety texture. This is a typical Rioja wine with great fruit concentration. The sweet berry aromas of the Tempranillo grape mingle with the vanilla imparted by the oak.

Cheers! Now go forth and try a few new wines. Please send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com . DeVine Wine Services is operated by Chris and Kerri-Anne Reckord and its mission is to improve wine appreciation through wine education and events. Both are members of the Society of Wine Educators and the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.