Wine | Back to Spain

My relationship with Spanish wines has long been one of love and hate. Love, because just like Italy or France, the country is full of magnificent terroirs and indigenous grape varieties. Of hatred, because for years, viticulture was focused on the industrial production of low-end wines, rather than on the enhancement of terroirs.

Veronique Rivest
Sommelier, guest collaborator

Franco’s dictatorship in the 20th century^and century did not help. Trade with the rest of the world was limited and when the country finally emerged from its isolation, simple, fruity and inexpensive New World wines were all the rage. Spain is engulfed in this way. Enormous volumes of technically correct but soulless wines followed.

Apart from Rioja, what Spanish appellation did you know 30 years ago? Even the well-known Cava appellation was only created in 1986…

But in recent years, we have witnessed a complete turnaround. Spain is today one of the most dynamic wine-growing countries. Former abandoned vineyards, in fabulous terroirs, old vines and local grape varieties are recovered and enhanced.

The Priorat region is one of the first to have benefited from this movement from the 1980s. Vertiginous vineyards and very old vines of Grenache and Carignan are once again worked there to produce terroir wines. In the 1990s, it was the turn of the region of Rias Baixas, in Galicia, and its Albariño grape variety, to be rehabilitated after years of cultivation of low-end wines.

During the 2000s, a new generation of winegrowers ventured even further inland from Galicia to rediscover fabulous terroirs, abandoned because they were too isolated and difficult to work with. They made us discover the regions of Ribeiro and Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras and Monterrei, as well as that of Bierzo, in Castile and Leon. We were able to taste mencía in red and godello in white, among dozens of others. Many of these very old vineyards are still planted with several varieties, some still unidentified.

And what about the Canary Islands? These volcanic terroirs and their ancient grape varieties produce singular and remarkable wines, which almost no one knew 20 years ago. Watch for arrivals from Tajinaste and Suertes del Marqués, whose wines are often sold at the SAQ.

More recently, we were introduced to the Sierra de Gredos region and the vineyards around Madrid. I did not know them five years ago. Very old Grenache vines give wines of great finesse, reminiscent of Pinot Noir. Bernabeleva wines are perfect for getting started.

Even the established regions are proving to be full of surprises, while the movement to revalorize old grape varieties and the desire to produce terroir wines is spreading throughout the country.

In Rioja, there is only one style of wine. We see more and more appearing the name of the villages on the labels, to differentiate the terroirs. Long aging in American barrels is no longer the only way to do it. Wines for thirst and wines for keeping go hand in hand.

In Jumilla, instead of pushing extractions and over-wooding, young winegrowers favor gentle vinification to better express all the character of the very old vines.

The same goes for Cava: there is still a strong industrial production, but many houses produce superb terroir wines, at very affordable prices.

Tempranillo remains the most widely grown grape variety in this country, which has more vines than any other. But little by little, we are making more and more room for a panoply of old native grape varieties. Young winegrowers no longer seek to emulate what is done elsewhere, but strive to recover their own wine heritage. Exactly what the small group of Envinate winemakers does. Nothing better to learn about their work than the Albahra cuvée, offered these days.

Barely 10 years ago, I bought very few Spanish wines. For the past five years, these have been some of the wines I buy the most. And I’m sure I’m not at the end of my discoveries.

Three Suggestions

Albet i Noya Xarel-Lo El Fanio Penedès 2020

Xarel-lo is one of the main grape varieties used in the production of cava. Considered to be of high quality, it also produces excellent white wines. Among the Spanish white wines at the SAQ, it is the second most popular grape variety after Verdejo, even ahead of Abariño! And pretty much all the ones offered at the moment are of very good quality! Surely among the most consistent, the El Fanio cuvée is once again delicious in 2020. It shows great finesse, with aromas of pear, citrus fruits, apple blossoms. Aromas that develop in the mouth, with a slight impression of shellfish. A very nice grain to the texture and slight bitterness on the finish add depth. Fine, delicate, slightly saline, it will accompany fish and seafood prepared with ease.

$21.20 (12674221), 13%, organic

Aging: 2 to 3 years

Altamente Jumilla 2020

Vineyards at an altitude of 900 m, goblet vines, most of them freestanding, in an environment rich in biodiversity: why would anyone want to erase all these marks of the terroir by drowning the wine in the flavors of new wood? Altamente pulls off a tour de force by offering us organic wines, real reflections of a terroir, at very low prices. This 100% Monastrell (Mourvèdre), vinified in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts, is full of fruit, blackberry and blueberry, with notes of liquorice and tar, typical of the variety. The palate is also full of fruit, with very few tannins, spicy notes and a slightly wild character. It will be at its peak served slightly chilled, and at the table, with tasty meats or grilled sausages.

$14.85 (13632365), 14%, organic

Laying down: to drink

Olivier River Rayos Uva Rioja 2020

The Rayos Uva 2019, a hot and dry year, was all fruit, with a luscious texture. More rainy, the year 2020 gives a completely different wine. The color is a dazzling mauve, and the nose, quite marked by the reduction with smoky and animal notes. Spend it in a carafe for an hour or two to aerate it and give way to aromas of plums, strawberry jam, leather and tobacco leaves. Very dry, with ripe fruit, it develops notes of garrigue (thyme, rosemary) and black earth in the mouth, with a lot of freshness, a certain grain in the texture and just the right amount of slightly firm tannins. More suitable for the table, it is to be tried with a rabbit or a chicken with bacon and mushrooms.

$20.50 (13076071), 14%

Aging: 2 to 3 years