No-one can sniff at Spain’s stats. As countries go, it has the largest area under vine on the planet and is the third largest producer in the EU after France and Italy. But as we all know only too well, size isn’t everything in the world of wine, right?
Like other major wine countries, Spain is undergoing significant changes for a variety of reasons, including a shortage of workers, limitations on products that can be used in the viti/vini cycle, and an ever-increasing need to adapt to climate change.
Spain must adapt to survive, and it is. Ten years ago, the Spanish wine federation implemented a certification system called Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection, much of it aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. This alone has initiated widespread more-responsible practice. Meanwhile, under the Spanish Wine Technology Platform (PTVino), research and development – to promote quality and innovation – is rife. One of the important consequences of this r+d is less planting and more focus on varieties that can withstand climate change. Both sensible moves.
The combination of all this official outlay with new winemaking talent and a thirst for innovation has meant Spanish wines and regions that were once considered esoteric at best are now producing exquisite bottles. Meanwhile, more-traditional regions that seemed to trade on the general mantra that bigger, bolder and heavier means better are now producing multi-dimensional, even dynamic wines.
A good case in point these last few years has been Spain’s offshore wine scene. The islands, whose volcanic soils give wines that coveted mineral kick, are being taken more seriously with every day.
The Balearic Islands’ main serious wine outpost is Mallorca, which historically saw 27,000 hectares slashed to 700 as land was clawed back for tourism. It’s refreshing to see that on the current Mallorca wine scene, individuality rules, thanks to a slew of native grapes such as manto negro, callet, fogoneu and fogoneu francés making unique reds while moll, prensal blanco, moscate, parellada and macabeo provide intriguing appeal on the white side. Some of these whites especially possess a staggering fragrance and a real appetite-whetting salinity.
The Canary Islands too, is forever gathering more headlines and can easily be found represented on any half-decent restaurant wine list these days, in the UK at least. The umbrella denominación de origen (DO) Islas Canarias covers all seven of the main islands, while Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro each have their own DOs, and Tenerife – the most visible of them all on export markets – is segmented into five DOs.
Deep into the centre of Spain’s mainland – historically passed off as a hub for mass market gluggers – has a newer, fresher identity too. I’m all in for regions like DO Manchuela in the south-eastern corner of Castilla-La Mancha. Happily separated from DO La Mancha 25 years ago, it has since delivered serious quality from its lofty breezy plateau where the concentration of organic production is high. Here, bobal rules as the most planted grape and typically produces insane aromatics while bursting with ripe-fruit flavours.
Further north, Galicia might be well considered for whites godello and the ever-improving albariño, but it’s the red scene that really piques my interest here at the moment. The mencías might have been a little ‘wild’ in the past, but with Galicians borrowing a little mencía know-how from their neighbours in Bierzo, these crunchy reds have breezy acidity and high-toned aromatics, especially in Ribeira Sacra, Galicia’s only DO where red wines dominate.
It feels like changes are afoot in every pocket of this vast winemaking country at the moment. From the resurrection of almost-extinct varieties to embracing the changes necessary for climate change, there’s a widespread commitment to expressing the grape, site and origin. With that follows a natural individuality that will hopefully serve Spanish wine very well in the long term.
