Following Spanish Varieties Around The World

At first glance, it may seem that Spanish varieties aren’t that important outside the country even though it’s the third biggest producer of wine in the world. Tempranillo may be Spain’s signature variety, but it’s surprisingly not planted in many other countries. The most planted white variety, Airén, is low quality and mostly used for brandy. Despite spreading the vine across the Americas, Spain hasn’t influenced the development of wine across the world that much.

Except it has. We may know Grenache, Carignan, and Mourvèdre by their French names, but they are originally Spanish varieties still grown in Spain and elsewhere around the world. Through these varieties, we see the importance of Mediterranean influence in so many regions from California to Australia.

And, of course, to understand Spanish wine we have to Spanish varieties because so many are indigenous. The latest series of my podcast, Followingbtge Variety, focuses on Spanish varieties and is available exclusively on Patreon.com/mattswineworld Here’s a summary of what you’ll hear and learn.

white varieties

Until the 1980s, Spanish white wine was heavy and oxidative, far removed from the fresh styles emerging in Italy and Australia. That changed as producers returned to local varieties which had been abandoned after phylloxera, and installed stainless steel tanks which prevented oxidation.

The first to become trendy was Albariño, from the wet Atlantic region of Rías Baixas. Trained in pergolas, the thick skins of Albariño are perfectly suited to the humid climate, the wines floral and aromatic. It’s also grown across the Portuguese border, called Alvarinho, where the wines have ripping acidity because there’s no malolactic fermentation.

Following the lead of Rías Baixas was high-elevation Rueda with the Verdejo variety. The wines had been made in a sherry-like style, but a new more international style emerged, not dissimilar to Sauvignon Blanc (with which it’s sometimes blended).

In Rioja, the main white variety is Viura which is made in three different styles: fresh and youthful; aged in French oak; or more traditional, oxidative, aged wines. In Catalunya, it’s called Macabeu becoming Maccabeo in Roussillon in Catalan France. It’s blended with Xarel•lo and Parellada in Cava, the main component due to its high acid and relatively neutral, green apple aromas.

Spanish white varieties aren’t planted that much internationally, but there’s a little bit of Albariño grown in California, Long Island, and Uruguay.

black varieties

tempranillo

There are over 200,000ha of Tempranillo across Spain, of which there are 65,500ha in Rioja, making it by far the most important quality variety in Spain. Its historical significance is seen in the number of names it has: Tinta Fina, Tinto del País, Tinto de Madrid, Tinto de Toro, Cencibel, Ull de Llebre, as well as Tinta Roriz and Aragonès in Portugal. All these names point to different styles according to climate and local winemaking history.

Given the concentration of plantings in Rioja, this is the region in which the varied styles of Tempranillo are most apparent: youthful and fruity, sometimes with carbonic maceration; aged for a short or long time in American oak; aged in French oak; or a combination of the two. Tempranillo means early ripening, leading to dilute flavours and a soft mouthfeel, which is why it has historically been blended with Garnacha. But better vineyard management has led to more consistently substantial wines, and therefore more single-varietal wines.

Outside of Spain—and Portugal—there isn’t that much Tempranillo planted internationally but there are 6,500ha grown in Argentina, mostly for domestic consumption. And then there’s the unheralded Umpqua Valley in southern Oregon, where the Abacela winery make the finest Tempranillo outside of Spain

garnacha

Garnacha has often been neglected in Spain, seen as a grape that provides body, alcohol, and weight to a Tempranillo-based blend. However, it’s now taken more seriously particularly old vines from regions such as Priorat and the now fashionable Sierra de Gredos east of Madrid. There is a range of wines made from Garnacha, from big and robust to light and pale, to rosado (especially in Navarra), and in Cava too.

But it’s in the south of France that Garnacha—or Grenache as it’s called—becomes most important. Plantings spread from Roussillon (for great fortified wine as well as table wine) into Languedoc and then into the southern Rhône and the prestigious appellation Châteauneuf-du-Pape and its neighbours. It’s rarely single-varietal, usually blended with Syrah and another Spanish variety, Mourvèdre. It’s these wines which have influenced styles across the world, particularly in Australia where old-vine Grenache in Barossa and McLaren Vale are some of the most exciting red wines as well as the base of GSM blends.

cariñena

The extent of Cariñena’s reputation can be seen in the fact that the Spanish appellation of the same name doesn’t actually make wine from the variety. It’s high-yielding and those yields lead to low-quality wines with astringent tannins. However, when those vines get old there’s a wonderful concentration to the wines. It’s also very useful in blends, adding tannins, acidity, and earthy, black fruit aromas.

In Spain, it’s used in blends in Rioja (where it’s called Mazuelo) and is a substantial element in Priorat alongside Garnatxa. It’s then found all across Roussillon and Languedoc, where appellation rules vary on its use. Alongside Garnacha (called Cannonau), it’s important on the island of Sardinia where it’s called Carignano. Outside of Europe, there are small pockets of old vines in California and Chile, producing light, varied wines which express the history of those regions.

monastrell

Another Spanish variety which has various names. The two main Spanish names refer to the Mediterranean coast from which it originates: Mataró, a small town north of Barcelona, and Monastrell, named after a monastery between Barcelona and Valencia. In France, it’s called Mourvèdre, after another Spanish Mediterranean town.

A grape variety which produces full-bodied, tannic wines, yet which is ideal for rosé, Monastrell is found along the coast before moving into France where it’s an important blending grape with Syrah and Grenache and then becomes the base of the great wines of Bandol in Provence. It was taken to California and Australia in the mid-nineteenth century, when it was still known as Mataró—some producers, such as Ridge in California, call it by that spelling. There are some pockets of old vines in California, but most of the modern plantings come from cuttings brought in by Tablas Creek from Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

These are just some of varieties mentioned in the podcast series, which also takes in Godello, Mencía, Bobal, and the rediscovered Listan Prieto. A variety that doesn’t produce especially memorable wines, it is nonetheless extremely important as Spanish missionaries brought it from mainland Spain and then the Canaries to the Americas. Used solely for religious purposes, it’s the starting point for the modern wine industries across the two American continents: Misión in Mexico, Mission in California, País in Chile, and Criolla Chica in Argentina.

The infuence of Spanish grape varieties on the rest of the world has been direct and indirect. The French did not plant Grenache et al because they were Spanish, but because they were perfect for the Mediterranean climate of the south of France. From there, they travelled to emerging wine regions across the world which also had Mediterranean climates. In all that time, they’ve also stayed in Spain (and some in Portugal) to give a unique perspective to the styles, culture, and history of wine on the Iberian peninsula.