Spain…..everyone
in our family seems to be traveling to Spain! My niece and her new husband
honeymooned there last month. Now I find out my in-laws will be traveling to
Spain later this year. With all this talk about Spain in our family my mind
drifted to some of the wonderful wines I have had from Spain, with wine from
the Rioja region as my favorite.
Rioja
is located in the northern interior of Spain. Vineyards can be found running
along either side of the Ebro River for 120 kilometers. The Sierra Cantabrian
Mountains border this region to the north, blocking the harsh northern winds,
and the Sierra de Demanda form the southern border. The first big boom in
Spanish wines began in the 1860’s when the French came to the region in search
of wine at a time when phylloxera was devastating the vineyards in France. Some
of the French even decided to stay and start their own bodegas (wineries). They
began producing wines in the Bordeaux style, aging in small oak barrels. By 1901
phylloxera had made its way to Spain and destroyed 70 percent of the vineyards.
The French went home and tended their own vineyards by grafting native European
vines onto American rootstock which was immune to the phylloxera louse. The
Spanish soon followed this practice, but the wine industry suffered through two
world wars, and the Spanish Civil war. At one point there was so much hunger in
Spain that the government ordered vineyards to be torn out in order to grow
wheat to feed the country. Finally, by the 1960’s financial stability began to
return and bodegas, with the help of some outside investment, began to make a
comeback. Today, Spain is the third largest producer of wines behind Italy and
France.
Tempranillo
is the main grape in wines of Rioja. They are usually blended with garancha
(Grenache) and Mazuelo (Carignane), as well as other native grapes. Rioja wines
have a three tier classification system: Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. A
Crianza is a young, easy drinking wine with vibrant flavors. It is required to
be aged two years with at least one year in an oak barrel. This is generally a
good, but not exceptional wine. Reserva is made with superior grapes, from
superior sights. It is required to have three years of aging before release with
a minimum of 1 year in oak barrels. And last but not least, the Gran Reserva.
As the name sounds, this is a rare, elegant and silky wine. Both the Reserva
and Gran Reserva are only produced in exceptional years.
One
of my all-time favorite Rioja wines is the Reserva from Bodega Beronia. It has
a beautiful garnet appearance with complex fruit on the nose. The mouth is
smooth and silky with just the right amount of spiciness in my opinion. You can’t
beat it for the price either at around $20 a bottle. This wine would work great
with a pizza, but think game, grilled meats, and yum, some Spanish cheese like
Manchego.
A
great Crianza to try, that is readily available, is from Marqués de Cáceres.
You should be able to find this gem for around $15 a bottle. If you get a
chance, grab a friend and a bottle of a Crianza and Reserva. Taste the two next
to each other and see if you can detect a difference. Take notes; see if one is
more powerful than the other. You should be able to see what a difference the
extra aging had on the wine. And if nothing else, have some fun while enjoying
a great wine.
So to
my in-laws, I’ll be a bit jealous when they are in Spain, enjoying the food,
wine, and all the country has to offer, but they deserve it! I will look
forward to hearing all about their adventure.
One
last note~ Happy Birthday to fellow wino Mary Jo. Lisa and I welcome her to the
fabulous forties!
Cheers,
Beth
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