TOM
BLACK
WINE
Spanish Wine
Well, I just returned from Spain where no one had heard of Zorro. I asked several people who might know and no one
had a clue. Definitely an urban myth! Pepe my driver had heard of Zorba, but he said, “He was Greek.”
Seriously I fell in love with some Spanish wines. I had turned my nose up because most restaurants in America have
very few and none of my collector friends besides one weird guy in Ohio had any old Spanish wines. Well here is
what I discovered.
In Spain there are 64 official D.O.s. That’s recognized wine regions like the Stag’s Leap district in Napa. There are
three regions that have a higher designation called D.O.C. Spain also has more land planted to grapes than any other
country. I visited several of these D.O.s and D.O.C.s but what I learned about Spanish aging requirements was more
important. If the wine says “Crianza” it spent at least one year in the barrel and one year aging in the bottle. If it says
“Reserva” it spent at least one year in the barrel and two years in the bottle. If it says “Gran Reserva” it spent at least
two years in the barrel and three years in the bottle. This distinction became important as we tasted and ordered wine.
Crianzas in the states are usually under twenty dollars a bottle.
Another thing I discovered was that Tempranillo is approachable at a younger age than most other red wine grapes.
Tempranillo is grown mostly in the Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. However, you may find it in other regions as
well. Look at the label, it usually has the type of grapes the wine has in it.
If you want to move up from Crianza, the next level is Reserva. Reserva wines by law must be at least three years old
before release. One of those years must be in barrel but it can be more. These wines are usually more approachable
than Crianzas. They are older and more mature and they are more expensive. Again, my preference for wines in this
category were predominantly Tempranillo. Also contrary to what I am saying is that some people are making Reservas in an international style. If so, what I am saying about an immediate and delicious wine to drink may not be true.
(Ask your sommelier or your retailer.) I tasted a Reserva made with a second pressing of the grapes. It was so harsh
that it took my name for future punishment.
Finally, there are Gran Reservas. These wines must be five years old. At least two of those years must be in the barrel.
If these wines are the old style Spanish wines made with mostly Tempranillo they are a treasure. If you get these they
will probably be a bargain for what you get. I fell in love with several of these in Spain.
By the way, you should know there are some synonyms for Tempranillo that you may see on the labels. It is the same
grape so no worries. They are: Tinto de Madrid, Tinto de Pais, Tinto de Toro, Tinto Fino and Ull de Llebre. It is
confusing, but worth knowing if you get into these Spanish wines. Another term worth knowing is Bodega. It simply
means “winery” but can be applied to wine shops or cellars.
But enough about red wine. I also found Cava. Cava is made in exactly the same way as the finest Champagnes, but it
cannot be called Champagne because it does not come from Champagne. These were less expensive alternatives to
Champagne and some were quite good. Our group felt like these were different than most Champagnes. A little more
fruity and a little less acid in most cases.
I did not drink many white wines on my trip, but I would mention that Albarino based wines (yes, that is a grape
variety) are fantastic with most any fish or shell fish. Although some may not agree, I like it with chicken too. Albarino will smell like limes and apricots, sometimes oranges, sometimes nutmeg and cinnamon. It has a round apple and
pear mouth sometimes notes of honey and lemon. They are inexpensive, so try one.
Well, anyway that was Spain and on my trip I found a great quote at one winery from an American. Harvard
Psychologist William James said, “The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will out last it.”h.”