Spain is one mad country, in a good way of course. I may not understand many things about the Spanish - their love for killing animals, their refusal to effectuate the ban on smoking in public places, their belief that ham is fat-free and even curative, and their denial that Tempranillo can often exhibit an oxidised edge!
I am the first to admit that I know nothing about Spanish wines (or wines in general, or anything else for that matter). Quite a miracle then how I make it through my days. The recent trip was quite helpful. I visited quite a range of wineries - from the nice and boutique family-owned to the industrial giants. Here then are some wine styles, grapes or regions I suggest you look out for. They will be big very soon. What? They are big already, you say? Well, I told you I know little about (Spanish) wines.
1. Alvariño: Write this Albarinho and you risk a small Iberian Civil war, all over again. Like Whisky and Whiskey, the Spanish and the Portuguese don't write it the same. But one thing for sure, the white wines from this grape are superb, or, if you prefer a more fancy word, yummy! Aromatic, fragrant, floral and crisp: think of it like a Pinot Grigio, but with an aromatic difference (not that PG is a bad un-aromatic unappealing grape). The lovely wines come from Galicia, the NW region of Spain, bordering Portugal.
2. Cava: This is perhaps the last of the sparkling wines that are still affordable. Sure Prosecco is affordable but then it isn't "Method Traditional" (I write this in English to not irk any of the countries who use this method of production. Political correctitude since Euro came together, I tell ya'!)
3. Castilla La Mancha: This region is big. I had no idea how big and flat this region was till we started moving around in a bus to visit wineries after a huge and successful wine show in the region called, Fenavin.
4. Rioja: First of all, it isn't as expensive as people make it out to be. Sure it has the pricier boys sitting there but let's not generalise. If anything, I found more expensive wines in Priorat than I did here, which is, as word goes, a more fashionable area.
5. Sangria: No matter what they say, it is a fun wine to share with friends. I can't think of a better way to have a generally good time in light-hearted company. There are no rules with wine and this wine reminds us just that.
Lastly, here is a wine you needn't try from Spain - the heavily oaked ones which taste like caramel and nut milkshakes. Say no to obvious oak.
Following in the footsteps of Super-Italy and Jammy Australia and Cult California, a lot of Spanish producers are making these heavily oaked, and as I like to term them, No-World style wines - the kind that taste like ‘flying winemakers' is all I will say - and I urge you to spit such out with much fervour and force. They taste nothing like Spain, I assure you. So what if a hint-oxidised Tempranillo makes the wines taste a bit funky, it is what Spain does and the way I see it, when done well, it makes for a nice evolved appreciable taste. It also makes for a taste that is unique to Spain and you could pick it in a blind tasting with both lips tied behind your back. Why then fund the vacation homes of winemakers who only stop by to tell you how much more oak to soak your wine in as they hop off for a game of golf?
The trouble often when experimenting with the wines of a new or lesser explored country is finding good producers as there always exist a lot of ‘commercial' producers. Sure I could name some very highly respected winemakers and wine houses but that would take the fun out of your searching for it, not finding any and then offering me all sorts of favours to have some good names in return.
Apart from the good wine I get to drink regularly, this is my other, even if so tad perverse, megalomaniac joy...
Just,
Magan.
