Spain Wine Region

With its 4,000-plus wineries, sunny skies, meaty olives and leisure-first reputation, Spain is undoubtedly one of the world’s premier wine destinations. Geography works to its favor, ranging from deserts to alpine to oceanic climates, allowing the country’s 103 Denominaciones de Origen (DOs) to produce a stunning biodiversity of grapevines. Unique soil conditions yield characteristic terroirs, while centuries of winemaking tradition link the sensitivities of the land to the diverse peoples who’ve called it home over the millennia. 

History of Wine in Spain

The wine grape first arrived in Spain with the Phoenicians more than 3,000 years ago. The seafaring Semitic people blossomed in the 12th century B.C., carrying grapes from their Levantine homelands throughout the Mediterranean.  

Their descendants constructed the limestone wine presses at the Solana de Las Pilillas, in Valencia, which dates back to the 7th century B.C.. After the Romans took control of the region 500 years later, the following centuries saw Spanish wine traded throughout the Empire. During the Muslim period in the Middle Ages, Christian monks were permitted to make wine despite Islam’s strict prohibition of alcohol. 

Following the Christian Reconquista of 1492, wine became a key trade commodity between the Crown and the American colonies. In the 1870s, the European phylloxera plague arrived in Iberia. But unlike their French counterparts, Spanish growers had time to prepare, and were thus able to utilize grafting techniques with American rootstock to initiate a swift recovery.  

After the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, Spain began its long transition to democracy and unification with the nascent European Union, which it joined in 1986. The subsequent trade freedom and economic support provided by the EU significantly boosted the quality and prominence of Spanish wine, with the creation of common agricultural markets in 1999 implementing wine quality rules and giving financial support to Spanish winegrowers, all of which contributes to the high reputation and profitability of Spanish wine today.

Geography and Climate of Spain

At 195,365 square miles, Spain is Europe’s fourth-largest country, occupying the majority of the Iberian Peninsula on the continent’s Southwestern frontier. Its interior is defined by the vast, dry plains of the Meseta Central, while semi-arid badlands traverse the southern region of Andalucia. Mountain ranges like the Pyrenees, the snow-capped Sierra Nevada and the jagged peaks of the Cantabrian mountains along the Atlantic coast divide climatic zones.

Much of Spain enjoys a hot Mediterranean climate with dry, scorching summers and chilly winters, although the country’s varied geography gives it a diverse array of climatic zones making it difficult to generalize. 

The Tabernas Desert, located in the southern province of Almeria, complete with scorpions and extreme temperatures, is Europe’s only true desert. The grapes from this Andalusian region, cultivated under the Indicación Geográfica Protegida (IGP) “Desierto de Almería,” are subject to extreme temperature fluctuations which produce fruity wines with aromas of jam and raisins.  Up north, the landscape more closely resembles that of Ireland than of southern Spain. This region, known as “Green Spain,” is marked by heavy rains and lush forests and encompasses the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia. Wines from here are acidic and vibrant, fed by salty soils and sharp Atlantic breezes.

Grape Varieties of Spain

Spain offers an immense variety of wine grapes, with more than 150 native varieties actively cultivated, though there are some that dominate the market. As far as reds, Tempranillo—also known as Tinta del Pais in Ribera del Duero, Tinta de Toro in the Toro region of Castilla y Leon and Cencibel in Castilla La Mancha—takes the prize, covering around 500,000 acres in 2021.  

Garnacha and Bobal are the next most cultivated reds, while the fruity and drought-resistant Airen is the most cultivated white, used mainly for brandies and table wines, covering 494,000 acres. Viura—also called Macabeo—is a balanced white preferred for bubbly Cava along with Xarello and Parellada, which are traditionally grown in the Catalonia region. Other notable mentions include the acidic Albariño from Galicia and Verdejo, a rare white grape endemic to the dusty flatlands of the Rueda region, known for its prime pairing opportunities. 

Wine Production in Spain

Spain produced some 36.4 million hectoliters of wine in 2022, according to the Spanish Wine Federation, making it the world’s third biggest wine producer, after Italy and France, and its 2.3 million acres of vineyards account for 13% percent of the world’s wine-growing terrain.  Many of the country’s wineries prioritize sustainability, using drones to collect crop data and smart irrigation systems for maximum water efficiency. Some also conduct research to identify lesser-known varietals better suited to droughts and heatwaves. 

Famous Wines of Spain

Each region in Spain is known for its specialties, including the medium to full-bodied reds of Rioja, the Tempranillos of Ribera del Duero, the Albariños of Rías Baixas and the Cavas of Catalonia. 

As for Spain’s emblematic wineries, the Rioja-born Marques de Riscal comes to mind, ranked the world’s second best vineyard three years in a row and known for its stunning “Ciudad del Vino” campus in the Basque town of Elciego, complete with a Frank Gehry-designed hotel and a “wine-therapy spa.” 

Other recognizable winemakers include Ramon Bilbao, a Riojan company recently ranked among the world’s most admired wine brands, and Bodegas Muga which, in addition to superb wines, has been highlighted for its vineyard’s high-quality enotourism and sustainability, with a third of its operations powered by the sun. 

The list of noteworthy winemakers could extend for pages, but a discussion of Spanish wine would be incomplete without mentioning the wine empire of Familia Torres, a family operation stretching back to establishment of its first winery in Catalonia’s Vilafranca del Penedes in 1870. Since then, subsequent generations have expanded the business to include additional projects in Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Rioja and Rias Baixas, producing renowned wines like the Reserva Real and Mas La Plana, both made in the Penedès region. The family is also noted for its cutting-edge research in rare varietals, among Spain’s first to experiment with largely unknown grape varieties better adapted to rising temperatures. 

In Andalusia, Sherry reigns supreme. Named for the town of Jerez de la Frontera (“Sherry” is an anglicization of the Spanish pronunciation of “Jerez”), the fortified wine is produced almost exclusively in the surrounding Sherry Triangle. In the village of Montilla-Moriles, a grape called Pedro Ximenez is sun-dried into raisins then pressed, fortified with grape spirits and barrel-aged to produce a rich, ebony drink that can reach 22% ABV and is known to be among the sweetest wines on Earth.

Wine Tourism in Spain

While popular Rioja wine tours can be great, unique experiences can also be found in Spain’s lesser-known wine regions. In the Ribeira Sacra, for example, visitors can observe a rare type of mountain winemaking known as “heroic viticulture,” in which workers traverse steep slopes, taking care not to tumble hundreds of feet into the river below.

What we now call Spain is a collection of many distinct historical kingdoms with their own unique customs, languages and gastronomies. Paella, for example, is native to the Valencian Community and not traditionally eaten elsewhere. In Asturias, the colder climate is better suited to apples than grapes, so cider is preferred to wine. 

Many restaurants won’t start serving dinner until after 9 p.m.. Begin acclimating to local mealtimes before your trip, so as to not be caught famished and searching for a hearty meal at 6 p.m., when most locals are only just rising from their afternoon siesta.