KEY POINTS:
One of my first expeditions to Spain quickly confounded many expectations about the country and its wines. On this and subsequent visits, I discovered a massive and geographically diverse winegrowing nation - it has more land under vine than any other - starting to realise its equally immense potential.
While many still associate Spain solely with rough reds or rioja, recent years have witnessed Spain's wine styles and regions undergo a revolution. The introduction of technology like stainless steel vats and temperature control has helped retain fruit and freshness; there has been a move away from excessive ageing in oak; while a new generation of skilled and well-travelled winemakers are guiding quality to new levels.
"There's still an association with Spanish wines being cheap and cheerful, but Spain's rediscovering the importance of making individual wines rather than bulk," says prominent Australian winemaker, Chris Ringland, who's involved in high-end winemaking projects in the emerging regions of Campo de Borja and Jumilla. Presenting his wines in Auckland last month, he spoke of his excitement in finding plentiful parcels of old vines that give depth and complexity to wines.
Old vine fruit also finds its way into more modest bottles, which as well as being wonderfully ripe are often chock-full of flavour and some of the best value everyday drinking in the world.
Its white wines are also charging ahead and rare beasts indeed are the tired, oxidised specimens that used to be seen. Cooler northern regions such as Rias Baixas and Rueda have emerged as eminently suitable for making fresh aromatic whites: in Rueda these are made from the local varieties verdejo and viura, plus sauvignon blanc, while Rias Baixas is home to intriguing whites from the crisp and minerally albarino grape.
In its red wines, tempranillo remains king. They range from light strawberry fruited affairs to muscular blockbusters, complemented by Mediterranean varieties such as garnacha (grenache) and monastrell (mourvedre).
While Rioja is the region that first springs to mind when most people think of Spain, Ribera del Duero and Priorat have been biting at its heels in terms of quality, with the reinvented region of Bierzo, my next tip for the top.
As wine stores stock an increasingly wide range of this new wave of Spanish wines, more wine drinkers are exploring its characterful everyday examples to its impressive top wines, and are having their own misconceptions overturned.
SPANISH HIGH FLIERS
OLD VINE VALUE
Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines Calatayud 2006 $16.99
Some very old vines have found their way into this rich ripe wine, which, with its sweet mouthfilling but fresh blueberry and blackberry fruit, peppery spice, mocha and attractive earthy undertones, is a great example of what Spain's doing at its lower end.
From Caro's.
NEW WORLD MEETS OLD
Cune Rioja Crianza 2005 $29.90
Tradition meets modernity in this rioja, where plush strawberry and plum fruit is underpinned by evident but integrated vanilla oak. Added complexity comes from gamey and mineral notes in its rich but fresh palate.
From Point Wines, Village Winery, Wine Direct, Wine Vault.
A BEAUTY FROM BIERZO
Descendientes De J Palacios Petalos Del Bierzo 2006 $39
The up-and-coming cooler Bierzo region is producing some stunning wines from its native Mencia grape, which can taste like a cross between syrah and pinot noir. This enthralling example has finesse and purity in its intense silky blackcurrant fruit, threaded with violets and supported by vibrant minerally acidity.
From Glengarry.
