“Re-engineering Spain
It’s well known that Spain has some 1,300,000 hectares of vineyards: the largest in the world. It’s also well known that Spanish wine production is only a third of that of France or Italy. This clearly demonstrates the effects of a very harsh, dry climate on yields in Spain. In my opinion, however, it’s important to add that analyses of Spanish vineyards are too often confined to these well-known data, which seem to have been established, even fixed, for ever. What’s more, all too often we come across inaccurate or outdated statements about Spanish vineyards, whose importance, both historically and today, should undoubtedly justify a better understanding.
That’s how I read a great British writer defining Grenache as the most important grape variety in Rioja (when, of course, it’s tempranillo by far the most important). I’ve also heard that Cabernet Sauvignon was introduced to Rioja by the French in search of wine after the phylloxera attack. Of course, it was the Marquis de Riscal, a Spaniard if ever there was one, who introduced the great Medoc grape variety in 1862. It’s true that the French imported a lot of Rioja wine after the phylloxera devastation. But these were wines made from tempranillo, graciano and mazuelo, the region’s traditional grape varieties. Even international ampelography can contribute to the confusion, mixing moristel from Aragon with monastrell from the Levant, or perhaps even identifying graciano from Rioja with a little-known variety from the French Midi, morrastel. In the latter case, our dear colleague Carlos Esteva, who has planted graciano and morrastel side by side on his beautiful Can Ràfols dels Caus estate, told me that they are very different grape varieties. Perhaps because almost all the “morrastel” left in France today is morrastel bouschet, a cross made by the famous Henri Bouschet?
Ultimately, we’re a long way from definitive answers about the reality of the Spanish vineyard and its composition, and I’m afraid that until systematic DNA screening of our grape varieties is carried out, we won’t be able to pinpoint this reality with any accuracy. All the same, to the best of our limited knowledge of current events, I’d like to contribute to a better understanding of what our immense vineyard really is at this moment, on the eve of the 21st century. But what makes this exercise difficult is that it is undergoing a major transformation that is constantly changing its face: a vineyard in a state of flux. What’s more, as my colleague Jancis Robinson puts it so well, we Spaniards aren’t the champions of keeping our wine statistics up to date. To put it mildly. The fact is that, despite the limitations imposed by the European Union, the surface area of plantations in some regions is constantly increasing, while in others it continues to shrink.
At the same time, a major re-planting is taking place, correcting the often negative re-planting that took place a century ago in the wake of phylloxera. At that time, our vineyards were replanted according to criteria of yield and ease of production, largely with grape varieties that were foreign to each terroir, and of poor quality. They multiplied over huge expanses of vines what could be compared to the “Aramon effect” or the “vidiguié effect” in the South of France. The entire north-western quarter of Spain, for example, was covered with white palomino and red alicante bouschet. One hundred years later, it’s still struggling to recover. A second important factor is that rainfall is insufficient for most quality grape varieties (300 to 400 mm of rain per year, sometimes less), which has condemned the vast high plateaus of La Mancha to the planting of airén, a white grape variety (currently the world’s largest in terms of planted area, with some 400,000 hectares still planted), of very low quality, whose main virtues are its resistance to drought and its help in the fight against desertification. From an ecological point of view at least, this is not negligible. Most of the must is distilled into industrial alcohol.
A vineyard as extensive as my country’s defies simple definition. There are, of course, all kinds of terroirs in this vast area. But there are two important characteristics. On the one hand, Spain has a very large area of vineyards with limestone soils, since these dominate most of the Castilian high plateau, as well as other historically important areas (“l’albariza” in Jerez, for example). On the other hand, this rainfall is often very low, a generally positive factor for quality wines and a generally negative one. It was in this vast vineyard that, from the 1970s onwards, and very clearly in the 1990s, a phenomenon of re-grape varieties on an uncommon scale took place, as it became clear in Spain that only quality wines still had a future. This is a complex process that cannot be summed up simply as an invasion of “fashionable” grape varieties. It has both positive and negative components. I’d like to take a closer look at its current dimensions. Its four fundamental elements are:
- Recovery of native grape varieties, especially whites in Old Castile (verdejo) and Galicia (albariîio and godello above all, but also loureiro, caiîio, torrontés, treixadura, dona branca, monstruosa, lado among others) and gradual eradication in both regions of the palomino “imported” after phylloxera. Palomino, in the particular climate of Jerez and on the “albariza”, produces remarkable fortified wines. Elsewhere, vinified as a still wine, it produces a perfectly neutral liquid. The same is true of red mencia in Castile and Galicia, and also, but only marginally, of almost extinct red varieties such as brancellao and souson. This is often a difficult rescue: in 1975, there were just 400 godello vines scattered around the Valdeorras region.
- Colonization of many Spanish regions by Rioja’s own grape variety: tempranillo, which gives great quality, is highly flexible and suitable for many types of winemaking (from carbonic maceration to great ageing wines) and adapts very well to different climates, but whose generalization can lead to standardization of wines. So, something similar to the “Cabernet Sauvignon effect”, often denounced in the case of viticulture in the New World, but this time induced by a Spanish grape variety in Spain! There are certainly historical precedents for the presence of tempranillo or its relatives in several regions. But the characteristics that were once specific to these related varieties, such as the very small berries and low yields of jancivera de la Manchuela, have now been lost, with all new plantings coming from Rioja clones (and often from French, Portuguese or Italian nurseries!). What’s more, in vast areas of the eastern half of Spain, such as Carifiena or Jumilla, or in La Mancha, the spread of tempranillo is a very recent phenomenon.
- Invasion of foreign grape varieties, almost always French, which are often planted alongside old native varieties in new replantings. In Rueda, for example, native verdejo and sauvignon blanc from France are gradually replacing palomino and macabeo/viura. (Of the 6,005 hectares of vineyards, 2,790 hectares are currently planted with verdejo, 1,560 with palomino, 1,260 with macabeo/viura, 390 with sauvignon blanc, and a few hectares of “experimental” chardonnay). The largest plantings, however, were in regions where there was a shortage of quality native grape varieties to replace the post-phylloxera plantations. For reds, these plantings have mainly involved Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir (whose adaptation is not generally obvious, given the rather hot, dry climate of most of Spain), Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, and for whites, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Chenin Blanc and Viognier.
This is perhaps food for thought for the Académie, which is rightly opposed to the standardization of viticulture worldwide. However, there often remains the question of regions with terroirs of excellent potential that, for historical or other reasons, are saddled with low-quality grape varieties. This was the case in Languedoc-Roussillon in France, and is still the case in the Castilian highlands. What should be done in such cases? Should we condemn these regions to eternal mediocrity, invoking the defense of their typicality? But when are we talking about true typicity, and when are we merely presenting the economic criteria of the beginning of this century as “the true traditions”? But if we agree to introduce improving grape varieties from elsewhere, as we saw with Syrah in the South of France, where do we stop? Should Tempranillo, which is just as foreign to the Murcia region as Cabernet Sauvignon is, be considered more “acceptable” to this region than the Médoc grape, because it has a “Spanish passport”? Wouldn’t this be an exercise in hypocrisy? These are just a few of the questions I’m leaving on the table, but they might merit a wider debate.
- All this replanting has been encouraged by the legalization, in 1995, of irrigation (generally drip irrigation; more recently, underground drip irrigation), while chaptalization remains prohibited. Irrigation gives regions that don’t meet the minimum rainfall thresholds per year the opportunity to grow grape varieties such as Tempranillo, Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon, with the potential to achieve high levels of quality. Of course, irrigation also entails a serious risk: that of a sudden increase in yields and production, leading to a drop in quality.
It’s a worrying and undeniable phenomenon, which is hardly unrelated, for example, to the fact that Rioja beat its own production record every year from 1995 to 1998, despite major differences in climate from one vintage to the next! (Rioja’s vineyard area rose from 43,000 hectares in 1990 to 48,000 in 1998, while production rose from 161,000 hectolitres to 273,000, and yield per hectare from 34 to 51 hectolitres; or, in reality, to 56.5 hectolitres, if we include vines not in production. Note the leap in yields, from 33 to 43 hl/ha, between 1994 and 1995, in the midst of a severe drought in Spain!) Only much stricter monitoring by the bodies responsible for designations of origin can curb this risk. In view of what is happening in Spain and elsewhere, even in highly prestigious areas such as the Médoc, we mustn’t be overly optimistic about yields.
It’s also worth noting that the European Union has abandoned its plans for massive vineyard grubbing-up, and new plantings are now proceeding apace. Legal or illegal. As recently as four or five years ago, the EU’s objectives called for the grubbing-up of 300,000 hectares in Spain, provoking widespread protests. The abandonment of these plans illustrates just how fast the wine panorama is changing in Europe, and suggests that we should avoid making too many predictions about the near future – in any direction! To complete this rapid overview of the profound changes taking place in Spanish viticulture, I have tried to make up for the lack of sufficiently up-to-date statistics to pinpoint the quantitative importance of this phenomenon of re-encépagement. It should be noted that the data I have compiled, which you will find in an appendix, only take into account the 54 Spanish appellations of origin, which control just over 600,000 hectares of vineyards, i.e. half of the total. I regret as much as you do that the data is more complete for some appellations than for others.
However, the other half cannot be identified with marginalized or residual areas. It’s certainly not negligible in terms of quality and quantity potential. In fact, less than 7,000 hectares have so far been registered under the new Ribera dei Guadiana appellation, while there are still some 81,000 hectares of vines in the region that will eventually be entitled to the Denominacion de Origen (or DO). Another example: next year we’ll have a DO for the potentially interesting terroirs of the hilly highlands of La Manchuela, at the eastern end of New Castile, where there are some 75,000 hectares of vines. Please forgive my bias towards this little-known region, but it’s precisely where I’m a winemaker! So, potentially, over 150,000 hectares should soon be added to the list of Spanish vineyards with DO.
This lack of homogeneous statistics makes it difficult to pinpoint the full dimensions of the Spanish re-planting phenomenon. However, we can compare the area planted with tempranillo in 1992, which was 88,000 hectares in Spain, according to a study by Patrick W. Fegan of the Chicago Wine School, with the area reached in 1998. Fegan of the Chicago Wine School, with the area reached in 1998. According to our own calculations, tempranillo exceeded 120,000 hectares last year. An increase of 36% in just six years, and on such a large area as this, is something quite extraordinary in Europe. The growth of tempranillo is obviously due to the replacement of certain grape varieties, notably airén in the Castilian highlands. If we add the surface area that this variety occupies in Portugal, Argentina, France and California, where it has long existed under the name Valdepenas, we approach 135,000 hectares worldwide, which places tempranillo amply among the world’s top ten grape varieties in terms of planted area.
It should also be pointed out that trade sources estimate that the area dedicated to tempranillo has grown even more, and could currently reach 45,000 hectares: an increase of over 50%! According to these sources, the surface area of illegal or at least unregistered plantations is substantial. However, I am unable to verify the accuracy of these assertions. Re-planting of autochthonous white varieties has been more limited, but there has been a marked increase in the use of what are perhaps the three highest-quality varieties, albarino and godello in Galicia and verdejo in Castile, with a net gain of over 5,000 hectares since 1975. Even more significant is the advance of Cabernet Sauvignon, which is now the most widespread foreign grape variety in Spain.
According to the data I’ve been able to gather, the total planted area rose from 4,500 hectares in 1994 to 8,000 hectares in 1998: an increase of 44%. Of course, from the point of view of cold percentages and statistics, Cabernet Sauvignon still only occupies 0.6% of Spanish vineyards. On the one hand, 100% of Spain’s Cabernet Sauvignon and 90% of its Tempranillo are used to produce bottled wines; on the other, the vast majority of vines for three white grape varieties – Airén in Castilla, La Mancha and Pardina and Cayetana in Extremadura – produce musts that will never be bottled, but will be automatically distilled. Depending on the year, between 400,000 and 500,000 hectares of Spanish vineyards are used for distillation. This puts the surface area dedicated to winemaking into more realistic perspective. To put it another way, Spain now produces almost two million liters of Cabernet Sauvignon a year, which is mostly part of blends, and therefore ends up in a significant number of bottles: five million a year, perhaps. As for tempranillo, pure or in blends, we’re talking about at least 400 million bottles!
On the other hand, there’s a parallel phenomenon that’s not without interest, and which one of the wines we tasted illustrates well. It’s a trend that can be found in several Spanish regions: the recovery of lost respect for Grenache, a grape variety that wasn’t as popular with winemakers as it was in France, because it was deemed “too easily oxidized” after the revolution in winemaking in the 70s and 80s, and everyone shunned it. In Navarre, for example, Grenache was increasingly reserved for the production of unambitious rosés. Then came the great success of Priorat wines, and the tide began to turn. This change in attitude towards this grape variety is now playing a role in the re-growing process: on the one hand, not so many Grenache vines are being uprooted; on the other, some are even beginning to be replanted. And we’re finding more and more Grenache in “serious” reds. Re-planting is beginning to have a major impact on the style, market and image of Spanish wines. Positive or negative? That’s for you to decide.
Appendix
54 designations of origin (Denominaciones de Origen – DO) in Spain
- Abona – Canary Islands (1)
- 780 ha. Grape varieties: Listàn blanco (70%), Listan negro (20%), Malvasia (1%), Negramoll (5%), Verdello (2%), Gual (2%).
- Alella – Catalonia (2)
400 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chenin blanc, Garacha tinta, Macabeo, Merlot, Pansa blanca (Parellada), Sauvignon blanc, Tempranillo, Xarel-Io.
- Alicante – Valencian Community (3)
14,815 ha. Grape varieties: Airén (2%), Bobal (0.8%), Cabernet sauvignon (0.4%), Chardonnay (1%), Garnacha tinta (1.6%), Garnacha tintorera (4.6%), Macabeo (0.1%), Merlot (0.1%), Merseguera (6.9%), Monastrell (66.2%), Moscatel romano (3.8%), Pinot noir (1%), Tempranillo (11.5%).
- Almansa – Castilla-La Mancha (4)
7,600 ha. Grape varieties: Airén (5%), Cencibel (Tempranillo) (5.6%), Garnacha tintorera (69.7%), Monastrell (19.7%).
- Bierzo – Castilla y León (5)
3,620 ha. Doña blanca (Dona Branca) (10%), Garnacha tintorera (5 ,5%), Godello (1 ,5%), Malvasia (3%), Mencia (65%), Palomino (15%).
- Binissalem – Balearic Islands (6)
320 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon, Callet, Chardonnay, Macabeo, Mantonegro (70%), Moll, Monastrell, Moscatel romano, Parellada, Tempranillo.
- Bizkaiko TxakolinalChacoli de Vizcaya – Basque Country (7)
120 ha. Grape varieties: Folle blanche, Hondarrabi beltza (30%), Hondarrabi zuri (65%), Riesling, Sauvignon blanc.
- Bullas – Murcia (8)
2,200 ha. Grape varieties: Airén, Cabernet sanvignon, Garnacha tinta, Macabeo, Merlot, Monastrell, Syrah, Tempranillo.
- Calatayud – Aragon (9)
7,300 ha. Grape varieties: Garnacha blanca (2%), Garnacha tinta (62%), Mazuela (Cariñena) (1%), Tempranillo (10%), Viura (Macabeo) (25%).
- Campo de Borja – Aragon (10)
6,270 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon (2%), Garnacha tinta (73%), Macabeo (10%), Mazuela (Cariñena) (0.5%), Moscatel romano (0.5%), Tempranillo (14%).
- Cariñena – Aragon (11)
17.135 ha. Cabernet sauvignon (1%), Garnacha blanca (0.5%), Garnacha tinta (55%), Juan Ibáñiez (Moristel) (1%), Macabeo (20%), Mazuela (Cariñena) (6%), Moscatel romano (1.5%), Tempranillo (15%).
- Cava (Non-geographical appellation for sparkling wines made by the traditional method; distributed in four different areas of Spain) (12)
32,905 ha. Grape varieties: Chardonnay (4.6%), Garnacha tinta (0.2%), Macabeo (36.6%), Monastrell (0.5%), Parellada (28.6%), Pinot noir (1.1%), Subirat parent (Malvasia riojana) (0.4%), Trepat (2.3%), Xarel-Io (25.7%).
- Cigales – Castille and Leon (13)
2,710 ha. Grape varieties: Albillo, Garnacha blanca, Garnacha tinta, Tinta del pais (Tempranillo), Verdejo, Viura.
- Conca de Barberà – Catalonia (14)
5,880 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon, Chardonnay, Macabeo, Merlot, Parellada, Trepat, Ull de llebre (Tempranillo), Viognier.
- Condado de Huelva – Andalusia (15)
6,000 ha. Grape varieties: Garrido fino (4%), Listàn (4%), Moscatel romano (1%), Palomino fino (4%), Pedro Ximénez (1%), Zalema (86%).
- Costers del Segre – Catalonia (16)
3,960 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon (8 ,7%), Cariñena (0,7%), Chardonnay (12,4%), Garnacha tinta (0,6%), Macabeo (39,3%) , Merlot (2,2%), Monastrell (3,5%) , Parellada (16,5%) , Pinot noir (3 ,6%), Trepat (3 ,6%), Ull de llebre (Tcmpranillo) (5,7%), Xarel-Io (3%).
- El Hierro – Canary Islands (17)
235 ha. Grape varieties: Babosillo blanco, Babosillo negro, Bremajuelo (Bermejuelo) (3%), Burra blanca, Listàn blanco (40%), Listàn negro (15%), Uval (GuaI) , Verijadiego (Vijariego) (38%)
- Empordà-Costa Brava – Catalonia (18)
2,475 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon, Cariñena, Chardonnay, Garnacha blanca, Garnacha tinta, Macabeo, Merlot, Tempranillo.
- Getariako Txakolina/Chacoli de Guetaria – Basque Country (19)
95 ha. Grape varieties: Hondarrabi beltza (15%), Hondarrabi zuri (85%).
- Jerez-Xéres-Sherry y Manzanilla de Sanlùcar – Andalusia (20)
- 350 ha. Grape varieties: Moscatel romano (3%), Palomino (95%) Pedro Ximénez (2%).
- Jumilla – Murcia-Castilla-La Mancha (21)
42,655 ha. Grape varieties: Airén (9%), Cabernet sauvignon (0.1%), Cencibel (Tempranillo) (1.3%), Garnacha tinta, Garnacha tintorera (2.1%), Macabeo (0.1%), Merlot, Merseguera, Monastrell (88%), Pedro Ximéncz, Syrah.
- La Mancha – Castilla-La Mancha (22)
188,685 ha. Grape varieties: Airén (81.9%), Cabernet sauvignon (2%), Cencibel (Tempranillo) (7.3%), Chardonnay (0.5%), Garnacha tinta (4%), Macabeo (1.5%), Merlot (0.8%), Moravia (2%), Pardillo, Syrah.
- La Palma – Canary Islands (23)
965 ha. Grape varieties: Albillo, Almuñeco, Bastardo blanco, Bastardo negro, Bermejuelo, Bujariego (Vijariego), Burra blanca, Forastera blanca (Gomera), Gual, Listàn blanco, Malvasia, Malvasia rosada, Moscatel romano, Moscatel negro, Negramoll, Pedro Ximénez, Sabro, Tintilla, Torrontés, Verdello.
- Lanzarote – Canary Islands (24)
2,260 ha. Grape varieties: Breval, Burra blanca, Diego, Listan blanco, Listan negro (15%), Malvasia (75%), Moscatel romano.
- Málaga – Andalusia (25)
950 ha. Grape varieties: Airén (22.8%), Doradilla (8.6%), Moscatel romano (11.9%), Pedro Ximénez (56.7%).
- Méntrida – Castilla-La Mancha (26)
13,020 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon, Cencibel (Tempranillo), Garnacha tinta (94.5%).
- Mondéjar – Castilla-La Mancha (27)
750 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon (1%), Cencibel (Tempranillo) (39%), Macabeo (5%), Malvar (50%), Torrontés (5%).
- Monterrei – Galicia (28)
500 ha. Grape varieties: Alicante (Garnacha tintorera), Dona branca (Valenciana, Moza fresca), Gran negro, Jerez (Palomino), Merenzao (Maria Ardoñia, Bastardo), Monstruosa (Blanca de Monterrei), Tempranillo, Verdello (Godello), Verdello louro (Treixadura).
- Montilla-Moriles – Andalusia (29)
10.195 ha. Grape varieties: Lairén (Airén) (15%), Moscatel romano (5%), Pedro Ximénez (75%), Torrontés (5%).
- Navarra – Navarre (30)
13,945 ha. Cabernet sauvignon (8.9%), Chardonnay (1.5%), Garnacho (Garnacha tinta) (45.3%), Graciano (0.5%), Mazuelo (Cariñena) (1 ,8%), Malvasia (0.3%), Merlot (4.2%), Moscatel de grano menudo (0.6%), Tempranillo (26.5%), Viura (Macabeo) (7 ,9%), Other ronges (2.5%).
- Penedés – Catalonia (31)
26,685 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon (3.5%), Cariñena (1.5%), Chardonnay (3.25%), Garnacha tinta (0.26%), Macabeo (25%), Merlot (2%), Monastrell (0.06%), Moscatel romano (0.7%), Parellada (24%), Pinot noir (0.5%), Riesling (0.12%), Sauvignon blanc (0.25%), Subirat Parent (Malvasia Riojana) (0.6%), Ull de llebre (Tempranillo) (3.7%), Xarel-Io (32%).
- Pla de Bages – Catalonia (32)
500 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon, Chardonnay, Garnacha tinta, Macabeo, Merlot, Parellada, Picapoll, Ull de llebre (Tempranillo).
- Priorat – Catalonia (33)
970 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon (8.5%), Cariñena (42%), Garnacha blanca (4%), Garnacha tinta and Garnacha peluda (37%), Macabeo (3%), Merlot (1.5%), Moscatel romano (0.2%), Pedro Ximénez (0.7%), Syrah (3%).
- Rias Baixas – Galicia (34)
2,085 ha. Grape varieties: Albariño (96%), Brancellao, Caiño branco, Caiño tinto, Espadeiro, Godello, Marqués (Loureiro) (1.6%), Mencia, Pedral, Picalpollo (Picapoll), Rabo cordeiro, Retinto, Torrontés, Treixadura (1.6%).
- Ribeira Sacra – Galicia (35)
1,550 ha. Grape varieties: Albariño (1%), Alicante (Garnacha tintorera) (34%), Godello (5%), Mencia (47%), Jerez (Palomino) (11%).
- Ribeiro – Galicia (36)
2,700 ha. Grape varieties: Albariño, Albillo, Alicante (Garnacha tintorera), Brancellao, Caiño blanco, Ferron, Godello, Jerez (Palomino), Lado, Loureira (Loureiro), Macabeo, Mencia, Souson, Tempranillo, Torrontés, Treixadura.
- Ribera dei Duero – Castile and Leon (37)
13,530 ha. Grape varieties: Albillo (1%), Cabernet sauvignon (1%), Garnacha tinta (2.3%), Malbec (0.1%), Merlot (0.6%), Tinto fino/Tinta dei pais (Tempranillo) (95%).
- Ribera dei Guadiana – Extremadura (38)
6,995 ha. Grape varieties: Alarije, Bobal, Borba, Cabernet sauvignon, Mazuela (Carinena), Cayetana, Cencibel (Tempranillo), Chardonnay, Eva, Garnacha tinta, Garnacha tintorera, Graciano, Macabeo, Malvar, Merlot, Monastrell, Montuo, Pardina, Parellada, Pedro Ximénez, Syrah, Verdejo, Viura (Macabeo).
- Rioja (DO Calificada) – La Rioja-Basque Country-Navarre (39)
52,265 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon, Chardonnay, Garnacha blanca (0.2%), Garnacho (Garnacha tinta) (18%), Graciano (1%), Malvasia riojana (0.3%), Mazuelo (Carinena) (4%), Merlot, Tcmpranillo (62%), Viura (Macabeo) (14%).
- Rueda – Castilla y León (40)
6,005 ha. Grape varieties: Palomino (26%), Sauvignon blanc (6.5%), Verdejo (46.5%), Viura (Macabeo) (21%).
- Somontano – Aragon (41)
2,020 ha. Grape varieties: Alcanon (1.5%), Cabernet sauvignon (21.5%), Chardonnay (7%), Garnacha tinta (2%), Macabeo (11.5%), Meriot (9.5%), Moristel (12.5%), Parraleta (0.3%), Pinot noir (3%), Tempranillo (24%), Gewürztraminer (1.5%), other grape varieties (4.7%). (Chenin blanc and Riesling, which were planted in the 80s and 90s, are no longer included in the DO).
- Tacoronte-Acentejo – Canary Islands (42)
1,385 ha. Grape varieties: Forastera blanca (Gomera), Gual, Listan blanco, Listan negro, Malvasia, Marmajuelo (Bermejuelo), Moscatel romano, Negramoll, Pedro Ximénez, Tintilla, Torrontés, Verdello.
- Tarragona – Catalonia (43)
10,990 ha. Grape varieties: Cabernet sauvignon, Chardonnay, Esquitxagos, Garnacha blanca, Garnacha tinta, Macabeo, Malvasia, Mazuela (Carinena), Merlot, Moscatel romano, Parellada, Sumoll, Ull de llebre (Tempranillo), Xarel-Io.
- Terra Alta – Catalonia (44)
8,170 ha. Grape varieties: Carinena (9.2%), Garnacha blanca (42.6%), Lledoner pelut (Garnacha peluda) (4.1%), Garnacha tinta (2%), Macabeo (34%), Parellada (3.5%), Syrah (1%), Ull de llebre (Tempranillo) (2%).
- Toro – Castilla y León (45)
3,020 ha. Grape varieties: Garnacha tinta (10%), Malvasia (25%), Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo) (60%), Verdejo (5%).
- Utiel-Requena – Community of Valencia (46)
38,550 ha. Grape varieties: Bobal (83%), Cabernet sauvignon (0.2%), Cencibel (Tempranillo) (8.2%), Chardonnay (0.1%), Garnacha tintorera (1.7%), Macabeo (4.6%), Merlot (0.1%), Merseguera (0.3%), Planta nueva (1.8%).
- Valdeorras – Galicia (47)
1,500 ha. Grape varieties: Alicante (Garnacha tintorera), Godello, Grao negro (Gran negro), Dona branca (Valenciana, Moza fresca), Jerez (Palomino), Mencia, Merenzao (Bastardo).
- Valdepenias – Castile – La Mancha (48)
28,245 ha. Grape varieties: Airén (77%), Cabernet sauvignon (0.2%), Cencibel (Tempranillo) (21.6%), Garnacha tinta (1%), Macabeo (0.2%).
- Valencia – Community of Valencia (49)
17,355 ha. Grape varieties: Bobal (11.5%), Bonicaire, Cabcl’Ilct sauvignon, Chardonnay, Forcayat, Gal’llacha tintol’el’a, Macabeo, Malvasia (7.2%), MCl’lot, Merseguera (29,4%), Monastl’clI (9.2%), Moscatel romano (13.8%), Pedro Ximénez, Planta tina, Planta nova (Planta nueva), Tcmpl’anillo (11.5%), TOI-tosi, Verdi!.
- Valle de Güimar – Canary Islands (50)
615 ha. Grape varieties: Listan blanco (82.5%), Listan negro (13.5%), Negramoll (1%), Malvasia, Vijariego (3%).
- Valle de la Orotava – Canary Islands (51)
505 ha. Grape varieties: Bastardo blanco, Bastardo negro, Gual, Forastera blanca (Gomera), Listan blanco (45%), Listan negro (43%), Malvasia, Malvasia rosada, Marmajuelo (Bermejuelo), Moscatel romano, Moscatel negro, Negramoll, Pedro Jiménez (Pedro Ximénez), Tintilla, Torrontés, Verdello, Vijariego, Vijariego negro.
- Vinos de Madrid – Madrid (52)
11,760 ha. Grape varieties: Airén (5%), Albillo (5%), Cabernet sauvignon, Garnacha tinta (35%), Macabeo, Malvar (30%), Merlot, Parellada, Tinto fino (Tempranillo) (20%), Torrontés.
- Ycoden-Daute-Isora – Canary Islands (53)
950 ha. Grape varieties: Bastardo blanco, Bastardo negro (Bastardo) , Bennejuelo, Forastera blanca (Gomera), Gual, Listan blanco (70%), Listan negro (20%), Malvasia, Malvasia rosada, Moscatel negro, Moscatel romano, Negramoll, Pedro Ximénez, Sabro, Tintilla, Torrontés, Verdello, Vijariego, Vijariego negro.
- Yecla – Murcia (54)
3,800 ha. Grape varieties: Airén (3%), Cabernet sauvignon (2%), Cencibel (Tempranillo) (10%), Garnacha tinta (5%), Garnacha tintorera (5%), Macabeo (2%), Merlot (2%), Merseguera (1%), Monastreli (68%). (Areas in hectares correspond to 1998). (In bold, red grape varieties).
Glossary: Foreign names of grape varieties present in Spain
Alicante bouschet: Garnacha tintorera
Aragonêz: Telllpranillo
Bual, Boal: Guai
Cannonau: Garnacha tinta
Carignan, Carignane: Cariî\ena
Gouveio: Godello
Grand noir: Gran negro
Grenache blanc: Garnacha blanca
Grenache noir: Garnacha tinta
Hairy Grenache: Garnacha peluda, L1edoner pelut
Jaen (Portugal): Menc1a
Maccabeu, Macabéo: Macabeo
Malvasia: Malvasia
Mataro: Monastrell
Mourvèdre: Monastrell
Muscat of Alexandria: Moscateirolllano
Muscat blanc à petits grains: Moscatel de grano menudo
Pcdro: Pedro Ximénez
Picpoul blanc: Picapoll
Roriz, Tinta Rori z: Telllpranillo
Terrantez: Torrontés
Tinta negra mole: Negramoll
Valdepenas: Tempranillo
Verdelho (Gouveio): Verdello (Godello)
WINES TASTED:
Arsenio Paz, Gomáriz, DO Ribiero:
Vilerma Blanco 1998
Vilerma Tinto 1997
Arsenio Paz, a lawyer from Ourense, owns a very small vineyard in Vilerma, on the hills overlooking the Avia river. The soil is very poor and sandy. He cultivates five hectares of white grape varieties and two of red. Paz is one of the pioneers in the recovery of indigenous grape varieties in a region struggling to emerge from its prostration, where palomino and alicante bouschet still reign supreme. It produces less than 25,000 bottles a year. Fermented in steel tanks in the traditional way, these wines seek to express the terroir and classic grape varieties of the region in their own delicate style. In keeping with Ribeiro tradition, Arsenio Paz makes blends (whereas in other parts of Galicia, single-varietal wines are the norm). Half of the white is treixadura, with the remaining 50% coming from torrontés, albariño, godello and lado planted together. Similarly, the red is dominated by the brancellao grape (50%), accompanied by ferron, caiño and souson. In the case of reds, only a few hectares of these varieties remain in the region.
Javier Sanz Cantalapiedra, La Seca, DO Rueda:
Villa Narcisa Verdejo 1998
This Castilian winegrower owns 104 hectares of vines, the oldest of which are at Villa Narcisa, near the village of La Seca (home to arguably the appellation’s best terroirs of coarse gravel). These are 54 hectares of verdejo planted in 1975, when this grape variety was making a comeback, boosted by the arrival of Rioja’s Marqués de Riscal in the region. Prior to fermentation at 18° for 15 days, this wine undergoes pellicular maceration: a “fashionable” technique in the area, but one that doesn’t mask the grape variety’s very distinctive personality, which is very present in this wine: surprising structure, aromas of fresh hay, slight bitterness. Jacques Lurton advised on the vinification in 1998, and the resulting wine has good verdejo typicity.
Guelbenzu family, Cascante, DO Navarra:
Guelbenzu Jardin 1998
The eight Guelbenzu brothers and sisters own 42 hectares of vines planted on the limestone and stony soils of the Queiles valley in southern Navarre, including 2 ha. only of garnacha tinta (black grenache). They also buy Grenache from neighboring growers. Specializing in wines made from tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon and merlot since the 1980s, the Guelbenzu family only later began to reclaim grenache, Navarra’s first grape variety, long scorned and often confined to the production of rosés. Their Cuvée Jardin, 100% Grenache, is fermented at a controlled temperature (18°) in steel vats, and spends a few weeks in large vats (20,000 liters) of Allier oak, but is not aged otherwise. This is a wine that seeks to express the fruit of Navarrese Grenache.
Castell del Remei, La Fuliola, DO Costers del Segre
1780 Crianza 1996
Castell del Remei is one of two estates (established in 1780) owned by the Cusiné family in this inland Catalan appellation. There are 36 hectares of vines, planted with a variety of white and red grape varieties. This wine is a prototype of a trend that is widespread in Spain today, as it is a blend of..:
a) a French grape variety (70% Cabernet Sauvignon)
b) a Spanish grape variety introduced to the region (20% tempranillo)
c) an indigenous grape variety (10% Grenache noir)
A true sample of the re-vatting process. It’s a powerful wine, 140 proof, aged for 12 months in American white oak barrels. The tempranillo and grenache come from the Cusiné’s second estate, at La Pobla de Cérvoles, on very poor rocky slopes, while the cabernet is grown on alluvial plain soil at La Fuliola.
Marqués de Griñon, Malpica de Tajo, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla
Dominio de Valdepusa Petit Verdot 1995
Carlos Falco, Marquis of Griñon and Grandee of Spain, owns an agricultural estate between the River Pusa and the Tagus, 100 km southwest of Madrid, which has belonged to his family since the Middle Ages. The clay-limestone “tosca” soil (similar to Australia’s “terra rossa”) is excellent for vines, but viticulture had never been practiced here until the 1970s, and there are no vineyards in the surrounding area. The Marquis, an agricultural engineer who had studied viticulture at the University of California-Davis, decided to introduce vines from scratch, as in the New World. He was one of the first to introduce drip irrigation to this arid area of La Mancha. His two hectares of Petit Verdot (out of 35 ha. devoted to French grape varieties) had been planted to support the estate’s Cabernet Sauvignon in blends. But the single-varietal wine proved its worth on its own. In the sunny highlands of Spain, where it can ripen well, this grape variety is transformed, rather like Malbec in Argentina or Tannat in Uruguay. The grapes undergo a very long maceration, and the wine is always full-bodied and colorful. It is aged for 12 months in American and French barrels, only some of which are new.