The Scrumptious Story of Spanish Red Wine

Rioja: Spain's Most Popular Wine Region

Spain is known for its long history of winemaking. One of its most popular offerings are red wines from the Rioja region. In spite of its fame, Rioja is actually a small region by comparison. Other wine regions produce high-quality wines as well; however, not all of the wines produced in large quantities in other regions are anything to write home about. On the whole, when compared to the rest of the world, Spain dedicates the largest portion of its land to viticulture. Unfortunately, the white grape produced on the widespread airen vines results in wines that are somewhat disappointing to most wine lovers, but the reds produced in Rioja are excellent choices.

Red Wines in Spain are typically labeled as Gran Reserva, Reserva, and Crianza. In Rioja, for instance, two-year-old Crianza wines spend at least one year in the cask, though this may be restricted by law to six months in other regions. Reservas refer to wines that are three years old and spend one year in the cask, while Gran Reservas are five years old and spend two of those years in the cask and the other three in the bottle.

Rioja is found to the east, and for generations, it has produced the epitome of Spanish red wines. The styles used for wine production here vary, from easy-to-drink Crianzas and Reservas to Gran Reservas stored in the wine cellars of the best estates, improving over the years. One of the most important grapes is the tempranillo, though Rioja also offers lesser grapes such as garnacha tinta. Rioja is divided into three smaller regions: Rioja Baja, Rioja Alavesa, and Rioja Alta, the main sub-region. Rioja Alavesa produces relatively drinkable wines, while Rioja Baja produces the least amount of good wines among the three.

There are a number of wine regions along the Spanish Mediterranean coast as well, including Penedes, Somontano, and Priorato, the latter offering few memorable wines in its portfolio. The La Mancha region dominates central Spain and produces red wines from Cencibel (a synonym for tempranillo) and Garnacha Tinta vines. The Valdepanas region is located south of La Mancha and focuses on red wine production. The best producers in this region age their wines in oak to increase the appeal, and a few good value wines can be found here. Regions further east include Almansa, Alicante, Yecla, Valencia, Jumilla, and Utiel-Requena, all offering some good wines. Southern Spain is known for sherry, a wine produced in a small region around the town of Jerez. East of Jerez are Malaga and Montilla-Moriles, and Condado de Huelva is found west of the town.

Castillo de Monjardin Deyo Merlot

The Bodegas Castillo de Monjardin Winery is found in the Villa Mayor de Monjardin. The vineyard was restructured in 1986, but it was producing wines even prior to that time. The winery, which was established by Victor Del Villar and Sonia Olano, underwent its official inauguration in the year 1994. The objective behind the winery was to bring about a unique approach to the winemaking and wine-aging processes. The wines are produced in buildings that occupy an area of 4,000 square meters, a building dedicated to each step in the winemaking process. The wines are provided with the best humidity and temperature as they move from one building to the next.

The winery is always seeking out new and innovative ways to create wine of unique character. The innovation and technology that go into each process play a crucial role in the final product. The winery prides itself in being dynamic, never settling for producing the same wines year after year. Innovation and dedication has allowed the winery to produce a number of unique, unforgettable wines, with a bevy of very impressive qualities.

Castillo de Monjardin Deyo Merlot is just one of the Spanish reds produced by the winery. The grape harvest takes place at the start of October. The juice from the grapes is placed in stainless steel vats for fermentation. Around fifteen days later, the wine is transported to oak barrels for malolactic fermentation, followed by another eight months of aging. In order to prevent oxidation, barrels are topped off every fifteen days.

The result is a great wine with a robe of a dark purple cherry and an intense nose, carrying the aroma of sugar-roasted beans and exotic woods. The mouth feel carries flavors of blackberries, cinnamon, and dried apricots. The wine offers a fine balance between its structure and tannins. If you are a fan of merlot, then you should definitely try this wine for yourself, especially since it differs from the common California style that you might be used to. The wine challenges some of the common perceptions that many have about merlot, yet it still manages to maintain the quality of the grapes that make it lovable. The wine is generously oaked and offers layers of fruit and a fresh vanilla bouquet, cassis, and cherry. It is full and savory in palate and has a nice, spicy, slightly oak touch, leading to a lengthy, velvety finish.

Camarron Seleccion

Francisco Casas Gomez founded the Bodegas Casas Winery in 1942 in Toro, a dynamic and progressive region. Today, Bodegas Francisco Casas boasts decades of experience in winemaking, with four generations of winegrowers and producers in its history. The wines here were revered even during Roman time, so esteemed that they could be found in the wine cellars of Spanish Royals. They eventually made their way into the modern world over the centuries with the help of maritime explorers from Spain. With two warehouses located in two famous wine regions of the country, Bodegas Francisco Casa has been able to adapt their wines to the predominant preferences of today while maintaining their original genuineness.

The wines from this particular producer are known for their intense colors, fruity aromas, and good structure that speaks of the terroir. The persistence of the wines does not go unnoticed, and all are prepared with utmost care, producing fine enough wine to compete in the most famous world wine markets. The winery has grown in popularity in the country and around the globe due to its reputation of producing vintages of the highest quality.

The Camparron Seleccion is oaked for 4 months in American casks. Selection of the grapes for the wine is done in the vineyard, with cold maceration performed for one0 days at a temperature of 24°C. Once aging is completed, the wine remains in the bottle for three months before it is slightly filtered and bottled for distribution. The wine has a robe of red cherry, with a complex nose that offers hints of young aromas and half-aging. The palate is beefy with tannins, a nice balance followed by an easy finish. It is a full-bodied, dry wine with an alcohol concentration of 13.5 percent. It pairs well with roasted red meats and cheeses and is best served at temperatures between 14-16°C.

Ergo Tempranillo

Bodegas Martin Codax, founded in 1986, is the namesake of a famous Galician troubadour. The poems written by the troubadour pay tribute to the sea and love and are the oldest medieval works preserved in the Galician-Portuguese language. Since it was founded, Bodegas Martin Codax continues to grow and develop, supporting the people, the land, and the culture and promoting them in more than 40 countries worldwide. The project was sparked by the dream of a number of winegrowers and has come to fruition thanks to the efforts of many. Bodegas Martin Codax is now a symbol of Galician wines, and they are found both inside and outside of Spanish borders.

The winery is located in the Salnes Valley and was founded by winegrowers who wanted to establish a winery that belonged to the people. In fact, the winery is dependent on 300 families of grape suppliers, and much work and effort goes into ensuring that the wines are of the best possible quality. The enterprise is environmentally conscious and always looks for sustainable, greener options to reduce their carbon footprint. One of the objectives of the staff is to promote sustainability, a priority of every member in the enterprise.

Bodegas Martin Codax winemakers Katia Alvarez and Luciano Amoeda both hold degrees in agricultural engineering, and Luciano is credited as one of the winery’s founders. The vineyards are located in small parcels, using the emparrado system to yield high-quality products. Harvest time begins in the month of September, when grapes are picked by hand and clusters are gently placed in twenty-kg. crates to prevent them from being crushed, which would decrease their quality.

Once the grapes reach the winery, they are inspected to be sure they meet the essential requirements. If they are acceptable, they are moved along to a de-stemmer, where the berries and stems are separated. Finally, they move to a pneumatic press, from which the juice is produced. Once the juice is attained, the next step is the alcoholic fermentation, which occurs in stainless steel vats. The malolactic fermentation soon follows, allowing malic acids to be converted into lactic acids, while preventing excessive acidity. The wine is then stabilized and ultimately bottled.

Although the northwestern region of Spain is known for its quality white wines, Martin Codax Ergo Tempranillo 2007 was also produced in a La Rioja. The wine teems with modern-day fruit notes and spices, accompanied by the more traditional influences of wood and many food-friendly tannins. The vibrant wine is medium in intensity and comes in a ruby-red robe. It gets its decadent aromas from red fruit, as well as a floral bouquet blended with hints of toasty oak and cedar. The wine is food friendly and will go down well with a wide variety of foods, from pork chops to paella.

Vilosell

Tomas Cusine is a popular winemaker in Coster del Segre in Spain, where he worked on his family’s estate, Castell del Remei. The estate is responsible for drawing international interest to the Catalan wines throughout the last two decades. Tomas left his family business in 2002 to set up his own winery, and he now crafts his own fresh wines using a host of grape varieties. He mixes up fruits that have been picked early with fruitier berries harvested in the later seasons of the year. Cusine makes it a point to be involved in every process of production, from viticulture to viniculture to packaging; his phenomenal attention to detail plays an integral role in the success of his wines. Tomas Cusine is definitely one of the top blenders the world over, using a wide range of grape varieties to achieve natural acidity, as well as an unforgettable and unique aromatic intensity.

El Viloselli, the village where Cusine set up his winery, enjoys high altitude and dramatic temperature differences between night and day. Rainfall is quite low here, nearly nonexistent during summer months. Cuisine employs the same techniques he learned from his family, albeit in a microclimate that is completely different, requiring more time for the grapes to mature. Tomas also utilizes partial aging processes in oak to add some layers of complexity to his wines.

One of the wines Tomas is known for is Vilosell 2006, a mix of tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, Grenache, and carinera. The wine is opaque ruby in color, with a big nose of violet, cassis, and cured meat, as well as hints of oak spices. Mineral notes and licorice gain strength as they are hit by the air and continue into the palate, leading to an added complexity of blackcurrant and sweet cherry flavors. The finish has a good grip and medium tannins and lingers with notes of dark berry. The wine is worth its price and is so wonderful that you may want to pick up a second bottle for storage, as this wine only improves with time.

Tempra Tantrum Tempranillo/Cabernet

Tempra Tantrum is the name given to a wide selection of luscious fruit-forward red wines crafted by Rocio Osborne, part of her family’s sixth generation of winemakers. From the time she was a little girl, Rocio aspired to join the family business; the Osborne Group has been creating fine sherry, wine, brandy, and liqueur since 1772. In fact, the Osbornes are considered to be the founders of Spanish sherries, and they maintain a heritage of excellence, tradition, and remarkable passion for wine. Osborne strives to push the boundaries in Spanish winemaking, creating stylish, modern varieties. The tempranillo grape is blended with others, including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz, and Grenache, resulting in vibrant, original, plush wines.

The wines are produced in Tierra de Castilla, about one hour away from the capital city of Madrid. Wine production has gone on for millennia in this location, with its new appellation giving winemakers the flexibility to experiment and come up with wines that are not hindered by tradition. Grapes for Tempra Tantrum are grown at the 2,500-acre family estate in Malpica de Tajo. The winery uses some of the latest technology and innovations, such as satellite and computer monitoring of vine conditions. There is also an onsite weather station, and irrigation is computer controlled.

The grapes used to prepare Tempra Tantrum Tempranillo/Cabernet grow on the family estate, and they are harvested at the break of dawn, while temperatures are still cool. They are carefully fermented at low temperatures in order to bring out the fruity character and soft tannins of the wines. After fermentation, the wine goes through a short aging process using a technique known as micro-oxygenation that softens the wine and brightens the fruity flavor. The wines do not require extensive bottle aging and come ready to drink. Bright flavors of cherry and raspberry are added to Tempranillo’s typical blackberry flavors and classic plum, resulting in a lively, juicy, balanced blend with a good structure and a pleasant acidity. It pairs well with grilled steak, vegetarian chili, and eggplant sandwiches, and it makes the perfect accompaniment for any picnic basket.