Spain, Brazil
Spain is definitely one of the new-world players to keep an eye on. It is the land of old-vines, american oak and sherry! The main varieties grown in Spain are Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache) in the reds, and Airén, Viura/Macabeo, Verdejo and Albarino for the whites. Lesser grown whites include Palomino. Other reds successfully cultivated include Carignan, Mourvedre and Mencia.
Although Spain can be quite a warm country, the vast majority of vineyards are 600m or so above sea level, so the cooler nights allow the grapes to develop full colour and acidity.
Rioja is undoubtedly the long-standing king of all the Spanish wine regions, where Tempranillo and Garnacha are commonly blended. However more recently many more regions have come to the forefront of interest. Ribera Del Duero is producing excellent Tempranillo blends rivalling those coming out of Rioja. Jerez in the South is the home of the fortified wine Sherry.
Spanish wine laws created the Denominación de Origen (DO) system in 1932 and were later revised in 1970. These include:
Although Spain can be quite a warm country, the vast majority of vineyards are 600m or so above sea level, so the cooler nights allow the grapes to develop full colour and acidity.
Rioja is undoubtedly the long-standing king of all the Spanish wine regions, where Tempranillo and Garnacha are commonly blended. However more recently many more regions have come to the forefront of interest. Ribera Del Duero is producing excellent Tempranillo blends rivalling those coming out of Rioja. Jerez in the South is the home of the fortified wine Sherry.
Spanish wine laws created the Denominación de Origen (DO) system in 1932 and were later revised in 1970. These include:
- - Denominación de Origen Calificada (formerly called DOCa) Priorat calls itself DOQ for Denominació d'Origen Qualificada in Catalan and has a track record of consistent quality and is meant to be a step above DO level.
- - Denominación de Origen (DO)- Used for mainstream-quality wine regions. Nearly two thirds of the total vineyard area in Spain is within the boundaries of a DO region.
- - Vino de Calidad Producido en Región Determinada (VCPRD) - This is somewhat of a stepping stone to DO status.
- - Vinos de la Tierra (VdIT) - A level similar to France's vin de pays system, where the regions are much larger.
- - Vino de Mesa (VdM)- The equivalent of 'table wines' from France or Italy
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An impressively complete and versatile wine suitable for immediate appreciation. Rich, yet elegant with beautiful flavours, softness and very approachable - this is great quality for the price! The nose shows ripe redcurrants, wild strawberries, dried herbs and some savoury ... Learn MoreMarques De Tezona Tempranillo 2019$12.00 Per item -
An impressively complete and versatile wine suitable for immediate appreciation. Rich, yet elegant with beautiful flavours, softness and very approachable - this is great quality for the price! The nose shows ripe redcurrants, wild strawberries, dried herbs and some savoury ... Learn MoreMarques De Tezona Tempranillo 2018$12.00 Per item -
An impressively complete and versatile wine suitable for immediate appreciation. Rich, yet elegant with beautiful flavours, softness and very approachable - this is great quality for the price! The nose shows ripe redcurrants, wild strawberries, dried herbs and some savoury ... Learn MoreMarques De Tezona Tempranillo 2017$12.00 Per itemOut of stock -
A great value tempranillo with an inviting nose of ripe dark berries and plums with hints of smoked spice. An elegant, medium bodied palate with lots of ripe red berried fruit and smoky spice. All supported by fine graphite tannins. ... Learn MoreAltacena Tempranillo 2019$12.99 Per item -
A great value tempranillo with an inviting nose of ripe dark berries and plums with hints of smoked spice. An elegant, medium bodied palate with lots of ripe red berried fruit and smoky spice. All supported by fine graphite tannins. ... Learn MoreAltacena Tempranillo 2018$12.99 Per itemOut of stock -
A fun, fruity wine, perfect to enjoy every day with a snack or any Mediterranean dishes, like rice, vegetable or pasta. This wine is representative of the virtues of the Tempranillo variety: intense floral aromas, very fresh red and dark ... Learn MoreAlegro Rioja Tinto Tempranillo 2020$19.99 Per item -
A fun, fruity wine, perfect to enjoy every day with a snack or any Mediterranean dishes, like rice, vegetable or pasta. This wine is representative of the virtues of the Tempranillo variety: intense floral aromas, very fresh red and dark ... Learn MoreAlegro Rioja Tinto Tempranillo 2019$19.99 Per itemOut of stock -
Selected small vineyards around the winery, in Salnes Valley, in the heart of the Rias Baixas appellation (in Galicia - Northwestern Spain). The soil is granite, quite rich in quartz but poor in organic components, with a sandy texture. The ... Learn MorePazo Cilleiro Albarino 2020$21.99 Per item -
Selected small vineyards around the winery, in Salnes Valley, in the heart of the Rias Baixas appellation (in Galicia - Northwestern Spain). The soil is granite, quite rich in quartz but poor in organic components, with a sandy texture. The ... Learn MorePazo Cilleiro Albarino 2018$21.99 Per itemOut of stock -
The Finca Nueva Rosado is made for easy and enjoyable drinking. From the creator of Finca Allende, these wines over deliver on expectations. Miguel Ángel de Gregorio, one of the great revolutionaries pushing for modernity in Rioja, is the man ... Learn MoreFinca Nueva Rioja Rosado 2016$23.99 Per itemOut of stock -
A representative wine of the new Rioja style, interpreted from modernity. Elegant, balanced and reliable on any occasion, with classic aromas of red fruit and vanilla and subtle hints of liquorice and toffee. Versatile with all kinds of Mediterranean dishes ( ... Learn MoreAlegro Rioja Crianza 2018$24.99 Per item -
A representative wine of the new Rioja style, interpreted from modernity. Elegant, balanced and reliable on any occasion, with classic aromas of red fruit and vanilla and subtle hints of liquorice and toffee. Versatile with all kinds of Mediterranean dishes ( ... Learn MoreAlegro Rioja Crianza 2017$24.99 Per itemOut of stock -
Classic ruby red with a terracotta hue. Lifted aromas of red berries, cola, vanilla and subtle garden herbs. Ripe fruit flavour is pulled elegantly firm with fine sandy tannins and perky, refreshing acidity. This is an expressive yet refined Tempranillo ... Learn MoreVina Muriel Rioja Reserva 2015$25.99 Per itemOut of stock -
This is very much the modern face of Spain, being picked into small baskets, de-stemmed, must chilled and fermented in stainless steel. Biological viticulture, and no additions in the winery just perfectly balanced sugar/acid/tannin in the berry which ... Learn MoreTelmo Rodríguez ‘Basa’ Verdejo 2019$29.99 Per itemOut of stock -
Pérez's entry-level Mencía comes from multiple remote parcels of 30- to 60-year-old vines dotted around the slate-rich hillsides of Valtuille and Villafranca del Bierzo. The blend also takes in a splash of Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) for added ... Learn MoreMengoba Bierzo Brezo Mencía 2019$29.99 Per item -
A creamy, full-bodied red with plum and berry character. Nice purity of fruit to this. Its full-bodied and layered with polish and beauty. Lovely tannins here. - James Suckling Exopto is Latin for to long for or to desire greatly ... Learn MoreBodegas Exopto Rioja Bozeto de Exopto 2019$29.99 Per item -
Unpronounceably excellent dry white from the Basque country with crisp citrus and lemon sherbet flooding the palate. Wild yeast fermentation adds texture and interest, as does some time on lees, but it is the seafood-loving cool acid-jazz citrus tang that ... Learn MoreArtomaña Txakolina ‘Xarmant’ Txakoli 2019$31.99 Per item -
From the stellar Equipo Navazos stable, this Manzanilla comes from a 60-strong cask selection made by Navazos founders' Jesus Barquin and Eduardo Ojeda that was plucked from the production of La Guita, one of the most famous (and finest) Manzanilla ... Learn More -
Pale straw-green; a mown grass, hedgerow, nutty bouquet. The palate is vibrant, fresh and crunchy, with a classic dry finish, lingering long, with no phenolics, and a fresh breeze aftertaste. - James Halliday From the stellar Equipo Navazos stable, this ... Learn MoreEquipo Navazos I Think Manzanilla Saca de February de 2020 375ml$32.99 Per itemOut of stock -
A clear example of the elegance and silkiness of Rioja Reservas but with a more modern profile. With the complexity of long ageing in the barrel and bottle, and the delicateness of the Tempranillo. A wine with intense aromas of ... Learn MoreAlegro Rioja Reserva 2015$34.99 Per itemOut of stock -
A family owned finca or single vineyard of 22 hectares at the village of Moja, near Vilafranca del Penedes in the centre of the main zone of production for quality Cava. Cava is an anomaly within the world of wine appellations, ... Learn MoreTorreblanca Cava Brut 2018$34.99 Per item -
A clear example of the elegance and silkiness of Rioja Reservas but with a more modern profile. With the complexity of long ageing in the barrel and bottle, and the delicateness of the Tempranillo. A wine with intense aromas of ... Learn MoreAlegro Rioja Reserva 2014$34.99 Per itemOut of stock -
It all began in 1885 when an ancestor of the Prada family, passionately believing in the nobility of the Godello grape variety, planted the first vines on the high, slatey hillsides of the Sil valley. Fashioned from the Estate's younger vineyards ... Learn MoreValdesil Montenovo Blanco 2019$36.99 Per item -
Alejandro Fernandez's Dehesa La Granja is a striking 100% ungrafted, 'old-clone' Tempranillo. Highly aromatic, there are plenty of dark cherry, cola, and anise notes and hints of blood and earth as well. Although gorgeous right now, this has the depth and ... Learn MoreDEHESA 'LA GRANJA' TINTO 2007$37.99 Per itemOut of stock -
From a solera approaching a century in production, this rich yet almost fully dry Oloroso averages 15 years of age. Fleshy, with a round and velvety texture and a long, vibrant finish. Unfortified again, the nose throws hints of caramel, orange ... Learn MoreToro Albala Oloroso (500ml)$39.99 Per item -
This is as elegant an example of Garnacha as you are likely to find. Catalan winemaker Marc Isart Pinos is taking old vines, applying excellent viticultural work, fermenting in foudre (with some whole clusters used, as well as long maceration ... Learn More -
That said, the appeal of this release is easy to see. Rich dark fruit, plenty of roasted spices, fine tannin, earth and admirable mix of primary and secondary flavour. It’s both fresh with fruit and leathery at once. The ... Learn MoreVina Muriel Reserva Tempranillo 2011$44.99 Per itemOut of stock -
A clear example of the elegance and silkiness of Rioja Reservas but with a more modern profile. With the complexity of long ageing in the barrel and bottle, and the delicateness of the Tempranillo. This Gran Reserva spends an incredible 24 ... Learn MoreAlegro Rioja Gran Reserva 2012$54.99 Per item -
The Equipo Navazos P.X. Gran Solera is the result of ageing the pure, very sweet, fortified must of Pedro Ximénez raisins - harvested from vineyards located in the towns of Montalbán, Montemayor and Puente Genil. It's as ... Learn MoreEquipo Navazos PX Gran Solera 25+ YO 375ml$55.99 Per item -
Made from 100% Pedro Ximénez, the dominant grape variety in Montilla-Moriles. It's a fino that differs from its Jerez counterparts on two counts: firstly it is made from 100% Pedro Ximénez and secondly it is not fortified (as the grapes ... Learn MoreToro Albala Fino Electrico Bombilla 750Ml$58.99 Per itemOut of stock -
It's naturally fermented, vinified in concrete vats and aged in low toast French and Russian oak for just 12 months. Forest fruits on the nose with some cherry aromas. There are also some earthy notes and hints of liquorice. Has liquorice, ... Learn MoreValenciso Reserva Rioja 2012$59.99 Per item -
Toro Albalá put aside select lots of their best vintage wines for later release under this label. These rich and complex Pedro Ximénez wines are destined for very long ageing in oak barrels. After filling and sealing, these barrels ... Learn MoreToro Albala Don Px 1994 (Half Bottle 375Ml)$62.99 Per item -
The wine that marks the beginning of a new stage in the history of this great Rioja classic interprets the personality of the old Tempranillo vines that grow in the surroundings of the town of Ollauri in a fresh and ... Learn MoreBodegas Ollauri Conde De Los Andes Tempranillo 2013$70.00 Per itemOut of stock -
100% Tempranillo sourced from an estate-owned vineyard in Rioja. ... Learn MoreLa Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva ‘Vina Alberdi’ 2012$70.00 Per item -
Great for a Caipirinha cocktail, just crush limes and sugar over ice and top up the glass with this Brazilian cane spirit. Ideal for those who like a lighter product, a favourite by Brazilian women.Awarded VIP status on many ... Learn MoreCachaca Germana 2 Years In Oak Cask (Amber Colour)$74.99 Per itemOut of stock -
Santamanía's unique choice comes from the highest Mountain in Spain, the volcano of Mount Teide in Tenerife. The water that makes its way through the underground volcanic galleries of Tiede derive from the humid trade winds that come off ... Learn MoreSantamania Premium Grape Vodka (700Ml)$79.99 Per item -
A juniper-driven London Dry style, with a distinctive Spanish accent. A beautifully balanced contemporary gin. The nose shows pungent rosemary and fresh citrus aromas. The flavour profile is both zesty and sappy with delicate floral notes and of course the ... Learn MoreSantamania Madrid Dry Gin 700Ml$79.99 Per item -
The Tempranillo grapes (80%) come from the 30-year-old La Cuesta and Montecillo vineyards, located in Fuenmayor y Cenicero. For the first time in the blend of this brand, the Garnacha (20%) comes from La Pedriza vineyard in Tudelilla (Rioja Baja) at an ... Learn MoreLa Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva ‘Vina Ardanza’ 2008$80.00 Per itemOut of stock -
The Tempranillo grapes (80%) come from the 30-year-old La Cuesta and Montecillo vineyards, located in Fuenmayor y Cenicero. For the first time in the blend of this brand, the Garnacha (20%) comes from La Pedriza vineyard in Tudelilla (Rioja Baja) at an ... Learn MoreLa Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva ‘Vina Ardanza’ 2009$80.00 Per itemOut of stock -
In honour of international Albarino days just past, let's take a look as some Spanish white wines from the original source and locally grown here in Australia. We're seeing more and more of these varietals popping up in our ... Learn More
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