Spanish Wine 101

Ep 41

I love French wine…but I also REALLY love Spanish wine so I knew it was time to do a Spanish Wine 101 episode!

Spain has some of the most budget friendly, age worthy wines and if you aren’t drinking Spanish wine yet you will want to by the end of this episode!

Today, we are diving into the captivating world of Spanish wine. From the rolling vineyards of Rias Baixas to the rugged terrain of Priorat, we are exploring the distinctive flavors, traditions, and classifications that make Spanish wines truly exceptional.

We’ll learn about Spain’s impressive grape varietals, unique labeling system, distinct characteristics of wines and the rich history and transformation of Spain's winemaking industry. 

So, listen in and then send me a message on Instagram, @corkandfizz and let me know what Spanish wine you are excited to try!

This episode of the Cork and Fizz podcast is sponsored by Vochill wine chiller - save 15% off your next order with code CORKANDFIZZ and the Cork Crew Virtual Wine Club - grab your free class pass at www.corkandfizz.com/freeclasspass

Episode Highlights:

• The basics of Spanish wine

• How do you read a Spanish wine label

• The Spanish wine classification system

• What does DOP mean in Spanish wine

• What does IGP stand for on a Spanish wine label

• What does vino mean for Spanish wine

• What are 5 famous wine regions in Spain?

• Learn about Rias Baixas, Bierzo, Rioja, Ribera del Duero, and Priorat

Transcript

0:09

Interested in learning about wine, but not sure where to start? You're in the right place. Welcome to the Cork and Fizz Guide TO Wine podcast. I'm your host, Haley Bullman, and I'm so glad you're here. I'm a wine enthusiast turned wine educator and founder of the Seattle based wine tasting business Cork and Fizz. It is my goal to build your confidence in wine by making it approachable and lots of fun. You can expect to learn everything from how to describe your favorite wine to what to pair with dinner tonight and so much more. Whether you're a casual wine sipper or a total cork dork like myself, this podcast is for you. So grab yourself a glass, and let's dive in. So we had 2 episodes dedicated to an overview of French wine. Now I think it's time to learn about another country's wine. Why not Spain? Spain has some of the most budget friendly age worthy wines and you should definitely be drinking Spanish wine if you aren't already. Before we get into it, just a quick reminder, if you are not on my mailing list, I would love for you to join. When you do, you will get a free shopping guide. It has 15 of my favorite wines under $15. Simply head to korkandfizz.com, scroll down to the bottom and there'll be a little section where you can join the mailing list. I send out a weekly newsletter filled with wine tips, recommendations, special offers, and so much more. Alright. Let's get into the episode. As always, we want to start off with some basics. So in terms of wine production, Spain is the 3rd largest producer of wine. They have the largest land area dedicated to vineyards though, which is kinda crazy whenever I put this question up on Instagram or I think I had it in trivia once. It seems to make sense that the US would have so much more. But just because the US is larger does not mean they have more land dedicated to vineyards. So in Spain, they have about 2,400,000 acres of vineyards. They are the 2nd biggest wine exporter behind Italy, so meaning they send out a lot of their wine. In 2021, they exported $3,530,000,000 in wine. However, they are not as big, which kind of makes sense here on consumption per capita. So they are the 14th country when you think about consumption per capita, which makes sense because they export a lot of their wines. There are about 235 unique grape varieties. We are not gonna go through all 275 of those, but more importantly than the grapes, of course, are the wine regions. Now there are over a 138 official wine designations in Spain, so we're also not gonna go over every single wine region. Instead, I'm gonna teach you about some of the most popular and or some of my favorite wine regions. So there are going to be 5 in this podcast. We are going to learn about riace paixas, bierso, rioja, ribera del Duero, and priorat. And again, I'm happy to do a part 2 if you wanna learn about more Spanish wine regions or do a deep dive into any of these regions as a podcast on their own. Just send me an email, haley@korkandfizz.com, or find me on Instagram at corkandfizz, and let me know what country or regions you want to learn about. Now before we dive into the regions, super quick, I wanna go over reading labels. So again, just like French wine, some Spanish wines are labeled by region, and this region tells you what to expect in the wine. So remember, unlike in the US where you can grow anything anywhere, you could grow, you know, in Napa Valley, you can grow Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, anything you want. You can grow some weird grape out of Italy that no one's ever heard of, And you could still put Napa Valley on the label as long as the grapevines were from Napa Valley. In Spain, just like in France, you can't do that. Each region has a set of rules that dictate what grapes are inside that bottle. So even if you grew the grapes in the region, that is not enough to be able to put the region on the label. So when you look at a label, one of the first things you should pay attention to is the name of the region where the wine is from because those rules might be strict, but they also help you know what's in the bottle. So I'll be spending a lot of time in today's podcast going over the major wine grapes that are in each of these wine regions that we talk about. One thing I will say, in Spain, there are more wines labeled by grape than in France. And some are actually labeled using both the region and the grape, which in my opinion, I think is the most helpful and all places should start doing that. But yeah. So keep an eye out for that. Like I said, there will be some labeled by region, but you might find more labeled by grape variety. And finally, let's go over the Spanish wine classification system. This might sound a little boring and, like, classification system, Haley. Skip to the next part. I don't mind if you do, but I also think this is kinda helpful for helping you learn what types of wine that you wanna buy, and you'll start to recognize these things on the label. That's why I share it. So the Spanish wine classification system has 3 tiers. So you have at the very top is DOP. This is This is the highest quality tier of Spanish wine, and it is further divided into 3 subclassifications. So you have the Vinod de Pajo, this is VP, these are single vineyard wines. There are only 15 VPs in all of Spain. So next up is DOCA or DOQ. This is Denominacion de Origen Calaficado. This is a more rigorous quality standard that require wineries, not just vineyards, to be located within the region. So you can't just get grapes from one place and then make them somewhere else and put the name of this DOC on the bottle. You have to get the grapes from that region and have your winery in that region. The only 2 that exist for DOCA or DOQ are Rioja and Priorat. And then finally, you have the DO. This is the most common classification. This is denominacion de Origen. These are just quality wines made in one of the 79 official regions. Alright. So we had that was the DOP. And so you're looking for either VP on the bottle, Vino de Pago, DOCA or DOQ, denamnacion de Origen Calificado or DO, denamnacion de Origen. The next tier down so that was tier 1. The next tier down is IGP, which is Indecacion Geografica Protegida. These are wines from larger regional zones with slightly lower requirements than a DOP. There are about 46 of these. And then finally, at the very bottom, there's vino. This is just table wine. Many of these are labeled like vino or vino I ordered a lot of these when I was studying abroad in Spain, during my, what, junior year of college. These are gonna be your super affordable, oftentimes blends or just, you know, just a good table wine that they serve at the restaurant, or, you know, you can have a table wine at home as well. Alright. Let's dive into each of those 5 regions. We're going to start with Rias Baixas. The first 2 regions that I go over, so Rias Baixas and Iero are located in the northwest Spain, which is a region that is a whole lot cooler and a whole lot greener than the rest of Spain. And by green, I mean, like, literally when you look out the window when you're driving, you will see way more green in this region. So specifically, the Rias Baixas is located just north of Portugal in a region known as Calicia. Rias Baixas is calicien for lower rivers and there are four main rivers, Murros Inoya. That's just 1. I know it sounds like I said 2. Murros Inoya, Araso, Pontevedra, and Vigo. The most popular wine made in Rias Baixas is Albarino. You can also find 2 other less common white grapes called Loreria and Feixadura. As you can tell, those are a little harder to pronounce because I have not seen those as often. But both of those are minor grapes that are sometimes blended with Albarino. I think you'd have a hard time finding those, like, 100% single varietals on your own. So typically think Rias Baixas Albarino. Albarino is a refreshing, crisp wine that pairs well with seafood, and seafood is one of the main food groups in Galicia. It's like a Sauvignon Blanc, but less herbaceous and more salty. Like, I always say it smells like the ocean, and it grows right by the ocean. Historically, wines made from Alberino were never really more than humble cloths. So think like porch pounders that we would call them today. The people of Galicia who are making these, they were known as Gallegos, and they were and they still are primarily provincial poor fishermen. They didn't have a lot of money to spend on their winemaking, and they typically drank all the wine that they made. So there was no commercial need to improve it. The Gallegos were hardworking, rural people of Celtic origin who until recently were geographically isolated from the rest of the country. And you can kinda tell this, like, if you ever travel through Spain and then you head northwest, it just it just feels like you've moved into a different region. So like the Bosques and the Catalans of Spain, the people in Galicia de Gallegos have their own language. It's a Celtic sounding quasi marriage of Spanish and Portuguese. And as someone who used to understand Spanish pretty well, I had a very hard time understanding Galician, when I visited there. It just it just sounds very different. It is their own unique language. So, again, they were using tools over a century old even as late as the 19 eighties, but those started to come to prominence in the 19 nineties. This was driven by an emerging class of wealthy, well educated Gallegos who purchased wineries, added modern technology like temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, and they hired young, well trained genealogists. They went from 5 commercial wineries in 1986, so I don't think it was that long ago. God, I guess it was close to 40 years ago, but still that's not that long ago. It went from 5 commercial wineries to just over 180 bodegas in 2011, and I couldn't find a more updated stat, but I bet you it is even higher than that now. The region of Rias Baixas is about 9,000 acres large and can be broken down even further into 5 non continuous subregions. So I'm just gonna share these because I think it's kinda fun. I think we tend to you will typically only see Rias Baixas on the label. And then, again, if it's a white wine and I think it should I think it's only ever a white wine from Ria Spice Chasse, but please correct me if I'm wrong. I I looked it up and looked like that was it. If it's Ria Spice Chasse labeled, it is most definitely an Albarino, and it will likely also say Albarino on it. But just in case you're curious to dive a little deeper and maybe you can ask your local wine shop if they know any more information about any of the habanhos that they have. So here are the 5 sub regions within Rias Baixas. You have Riberia de Ulla. This is the newest and most northerly sub region. It's an inland area with fruitier wines. Because they have a more moderated weather, they're not right on the coast next to the ocean. Then you have Valle Solnes. Spanish winemakers credit this as the birthplace of Albarino, though the people of Portugal may argue with that. They think Albarino, which they call Albarino, came from Portugal. But this region, the Valdosales, this region that skirts the coast and produces wines with really intense minerality and salinity. It's definitely where I love my wines from. Next up, you have Sotomayor. This is the smallest of the 5 growing areas on a river estuary and again, it's on low water. You're gonna have more salinity. You're gonna have mineral driven wines. Then you have Condado do Teia. This is named after the river Teia. This region is the furthest inland. So similar to that first one we talked about with the most clay content. So again, further inland means bolder and fruitier versus on the coast, you're gonna get more salinity and minerality. And then finally, Orosol, this region forms the border with Portugal as it opens to the sea. So again, closer to the water, you're gonna have more of that minerality and salinity. Alright. That's our 1st region. That is Urias Baixas. Now still in northwest Spain, but we're gonna head to a Bierso is a DO wine region. So, again, remember, DO is denominacion de arigen. These are quality wines that are made from one of the 79 official wine regions within that 1st tier, DOP. Right? So Bierso is a D O wine region in the northwest of Castilla, El Leon, Spain close to the region's border with Calicia. So we're just heading over a little bit to the east from Calicia. Bierzo's climate is very different from Galicia though. It is dry and hot. So we've moved inland, so we're not quite as green as we were before, but it does benefit from the cool breezes coming from Galicia and from the west. The main varieties that you will find in Birso for red, you will see Mincilla. And I talk more about this wine actually in next week's podcast because it's one of those wines that I recommend you try that isn't as well known. But the long short of it is that I think it's the perfect combo of a Syrah and Pinot Noir. So look forward to learning more about that next week. The white is a Goddeo and this is one of the top varieties in Spain, after Albarino, of course. It is a luscious, rich, nutty, spicy, salinity. It's like all these things that I love. I liken it to a really, really, really good Chardonnay, but I say that knowing that I like Chardonnay. So if you don't like Chardonnay, don't hate on this wine yet. Okay? It is really lovely, and it's just got all these unique things to it. You gotta try Godella if you haven't yet. So region of, Bierso wasn't on a lot of people's radars until 1998. This is when a famous Spanish winemaker Alvaro Palacios began buying ancient vineyards and establishing a tiny estate called Descendientes de Jose Palacios. And he did this with his nephew Ricardo Perez. This quickly became one of the best estates in the region and it really put Ierso on the map. So you're going to find more of these wines. Now I tend to find more red from Iezo than I do white, but I think you can find both of them if you head to a local wine shop. You may even be able to find Amancia at Total Wine or one of the big box stores. But again, definitely recommend super, super delicious from this region, and you'll learn more about Mencia in next week's podcast. This podcast is sponsored by VotCel. When you're enjoying the glass of wine, temperature matters, and you don't need to be a wine expert to know this. You know this the minute you realize you forgot to put the bottle of wine in the fridge and now you're stuck with lukewarm Sauvignon Blanc that is the opposite of refreshing. You know adding ice cubes will just water the wine down, but it seems like it's your only option. Not anymore. I wanna introduce you to one of my favorite wine gadgets, Vochill. This gadget is as simple as it is elegant. It will keep wine perfectly chilled in your own wine glass. No more clunky metal or plastic tumblers or ice in your wine. While this gadget is an absolute must during the summer months, I don't enjoy wine without it from June to September. It's also incredibly useful for those days when you're craving a glass of white or rose, but you don't wanna wait for the bottle to chill in the fridge. Vochill offers a stemmed and stemless chiller in multiple colors, so you're bound to find one that's perfect for you. They also make the perfect gift. I should know. I got one for my mom at Christmas a couple years ago and she loves it. Head to vocill.com, that's v o c h I l l.com to get your perfect wine chiller and don't forget to use code cork and fizz for 15% off your order. This podcast is sponsored by The Corc Crew Virtual Wine Club. Interested in trying new wines, but not sure where to start? Or maybe you've been listening to this podcast for a while and you love the idea of tasting wine live with me. If that's you, come join my Court Crew virtual wine club, and you'll get to sip wine with me twice a month while I help you find new favorite wines. The Court Crew is not your ordinary wine club. This is a community of people who are passionate about exploring new flavors, learning about different wine styles, and having fun along the way. And the best part about this club, purchasing the wine is completely optional, plus all events are recorded and you have access to the full library of recordings as a court crew member. So you can always catch up if you can't make it live. Oh, and did I mention it's virtual, which means you get to do all of this from the comfort of your sofa in your p j's. No need to worry about driving in crappy traffic, finding a designated driver, or spending an arm and a leg on a taxi. Wanna give it a try without the commitment? You're in luck. Right now, I'm offering a free class pass to anybody who wants to try out the Court Crew Virtual Wine Tasting Club. With this pass, you'll be able to join a Court Crew event of your choosing. No strings attached. I don't need your credit card. I don't need you to sign up for anything. You'll be my guest. Simply head to korknfizz.com / free class pass to get your class pass and be 1 step closer to becoming a member of the best wine tasting club around, the court crew. I can't wait to see you there. Now let's get back to the show. Okay. Onto our next region, which is probably, like, the top region of Spain. Like, when people think of Spanish wine, they think of this region. Any guesses? Yeah. It's Rioja. So this is often referred to as Spain's Bordeaux. Rioja is in northeast Spain, has long been considered Spain's top wine region. So like Bordeaux, Rioja wines have traditionally been blends. And remember, a blend means that they use more than 1 grape variety. So for reds, you'll find tempranillo usually accounts for the majority of the blend. So in general, Rioja is synonymous with tempranillo. Those 2 just kinda go together. Now there are 3 grapes that can be blended with the tempranillo. You have Garnacha, which is also known as Grenache in France and other areas of the world, which is also called Quinion in France and other areas of the world, and graciano. Now, you can have it be a single varietal Tempranillo, so not a blend. It only has Tempranillo grapes. This has been more common as of recently, but you're still gonna find a lot of the blends. In terms of flavors, what would you expect from a red Rioja? Get a lot of cherry, sun dried tomato. It has that nice like earthy note to it and then some tobacco in there as well. So we're looking at some savory aromas, and they actually age the wine in American oak, not French oak, mostly because they couldn't afford French oak at the time when they were making it. So it became tradition to use American oak, and this American oak gives it a vanilla note, which is really unique and different to a lot of European red wines. Now there are white wines. You will find white Riojas or Rioja Blanco. These are made mainly from a grape variety called Vira. It's simple and fresh. I found a quote somewhere. This is from a New York Times wine reporter. His name was Eric Asimov. And he said it's basically Pinot Grigio with a brain. So I don't mean to hate on Pinot Grigio, but that kinda clicked for me. I was like, oh, okay. That makes sense. But these white riojas, they can also be a single varietal of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Tempranillo Blanc, and Verdejo. And of course, they can also be a blend of those grapes, and then they can also include any of the blending grapes of Garnacha Blanca, Malvagia, and Maturana Blanca. Now each of these wines, both the red and the white Rioja, are known for aging incredibly well. If you have a well made wine, and that's a really really big if, so you have to keep an eye on that. As a red wine ages, you're gonna develop these earthy complex dried fruit, nutty chocolate cocoa aromas and flavors. For whites, it's gonna go more luscious golden hued. Remember, as a red ages, it gets lighter in color. As a white ages, it gets darker in color, and some of the oldest white wines actually look brown. Like, they look concerning, but they taste great if it's good quality. Right? So we got that golden hued. It's more nutty, resiny, honeyed, butterscotch. It's really balanced perfect, and then it has this vivid minerality to it as well. If you can find a well aged white Rioja, be prepared for amazingness. Now the danger is that there's a lot of low quality cheap wines coming from this region as well. And that's not to say they're bad, it just means that they're not meant for aging. Right? So and, I mean, low quality does kind of mean a little bad, but I love getting budget friendly bottles from this region. There's no reason not to do that. It's just if you're looking for this age ability, be sure to ask when you're buying that bottle. Head to a local wine shop, ask the experts, ask them which ones would do best aged. Now one thing that can help you with picking out a bottle of wine and knowing whether it's age worthy, if you don't wanna ask somebody, is learning Rioja's classifications. So yes, yes, yes, there was classifications for Spanish wine and their specific ones for Rioja. And these are I think they're actually very helpful for learning about, like, kind of what to expect from the wine. So there are 4 of them. I promise they're not that hard. So we're gonna start with hoven. Hoven in it's a Spanish word that basically just means young. There are no requirements to this. It's very likely a young, think, pork pounder, quaffable wine. Nothing crazy about it, but probably tasty. Next level up, you have a crianza. So this is a classification for both white and rose and red wines, but they're gonna be slightly different. So for whites and roses, crianza must be aged for a year and a half, and 6 months of that has to be in oak casks. And remember again, these oak casks are American oak. Different types of oak give different types of flavor. American is more known for vanilla and coconut versus French oak, which I believe is more baking spices like cinnamon, nutmeg. So crianza for white and rose, this must be aged for a year and a half, 6 months in oak casks, and for a red, it must be aged for at least 2 years, one of which is in oak casks. This tells you, you know, as compared to the Hoven, it has a little more age on it. It has been developed in the barrel for some amount of time. You might get a little flavor from the barrel aging. You might also get a little more smoothness. Next step is gonna be reserva. For white and roses, this must be aged for 2 years, again, 6 months in oak casks. For reds, it has to be aged for at least 3 years, one of which is in oak casks and 6 months in bottle. So keep in mind, for each of these, this means that the winemaker has to age the wine for that amount of time before they even release it. So our final one is a gran reserve. These are the ones that are the most have the most ageability because along with these aging requirements, most likely, the winemaker put their best grapes in there, right, because they had to age it themselves first. They're going to give you the best in these wines. So for a White and Rose Gran Nerserva, it must be aged for 4 years, 1 year in oak casks. And for reds, it has to be aged for at least 5 years, 2 of which in oak casks and the remaining 3 in the bottle. So there's your short introduction of the Rioja. Like I said, we could do a whole episode on Rioja, and I'd be more than happy to do that. But just to give you a little intro to it, Rioja for a red is usually tempranillo or tempranillo blend of some kind, and the white is most often made with that grape called mura, which is very similar to a pinot grigio. But keep in mind that Rioja is wonderful aged, and if you can find good quality aged Rioja, I always jump at it and it's honestly not that expensive. Like, I've gotten bottles of Rioja that are over 20 years old and only paid, like, $50, which I mean, $50 is a lot for a bottle of wine, but not for 20 year old wine. So take a look if you're interested in learning what aged wine tastes like, look for Rioja. Now 3 hours Southwest by car from Rioja is a region called Ribera del Duero. This region is often described as a severe dramatic land of rough mesas and rocky plateaus. It is also the medieval glory of Spain. This is because in the Middle Ages, this region is where Catholic kings fought the Moors. In the 15th century, the region was completely reconquered by the Spanish monarchs. Of course, up until the end of 20th century, this region was primarily known for, you guessed it, cheap wines. Customers would often arrive at the bodega with a reusable container to simply, like, fill up. Like, you know, like going to the gas station these days and, like, you you keep your, your Big Gulp or whatever those big plastic cups are called, and you go fill up your slushie, and then, yeah, head on home. And, that's what they did here, but with wine. So in the 19 eighties so 19 eighties were a good time. 19 eighties, 19 nineties were a good time for wine changing in Spain. There were 2 wineries that had great success and this catapulted the region of Ribera del Duero to a new status. So these were Vega Sicilia and Pesquera. Now there's what's called the Miadero or the Golden Mile. This is where 5 of the best and most successful wineries and estates in Spain are all located along Castilla's n 22 Highway in Ribeiro del Duero. Interestingly enough though, after receiving that DO designations, remember that's just kind of like your that is in the 1st year, but it's like the base of the 1st year. Ribero del Duero earned that in 1982 and it was approved. And then in 2008, for the denomination de Origen Calaficada status, this is like the top level. You've only got the 2 regions that are part of that. That is Rioja and Priorat. Ribera del Duero never pursued the acquisition of this classification. So it just remains a single DO appellation. Doesn't mean the wine isn't any good. The winery, the winemakers, and the people of that region just never chose to go after that qualification. In terms of wine, they do make a white wine called La Ribera Blanca, but it is far less common than like for example the Rioja blanco. It's made from a grape called Albio Mayor, but again you're not gonna see it a whole lot. Primarily from Ribera del Duero, you're gonna find red wines and these are also tempranillo, but they're from a specific clone called Tinto Fino. So they say it's actually a different type of tempranillo than the one that is grown in Rioja. And if you're saying, like, clone, what what the heck do you mean by clone Hailey? So remember a clone is where differentiations exist along the same grape variety. They have the same genetic makeup, but they are usually vines that are grafted onto different root stocks. So it's slightly different, but not different enough to be a different grape variety. So these are both tempranillo, but you are gonna see some differences in these vines even though they're both Tempranillo. Hopefully, that kinda makes some sense. The vines are Ribero de Duero, so the things that make them unique, one, they protrude no more than a foot or 2 out of the earth. Traditionally, they plant without wire, trellis, or posts. Many of these vines are 30 to 50 years old or older, and they're also considered to have that clonal difference from vines of Rioja again. So a lot of people believe that they've adapted after centuries, so they have smaller berries and tougher skin and that's likely because it's a warmer hotter region in Ribera del Duero. This leads to a more powerful wine. Now they also have aging classifications here, but they are just for the red wines. Remember in Rioja, that was both for the white rose and red. Henribero del Duero, they are just for the red. They are still aged in American oak, So a Creanza, 2 years of aging, 1 in an oak cask Reserva, 3 years of aging, 1 in oak, remaining 2 in bottle and finally Gran and Ozerva, 5 years, 2 in oak, 3 in bottle. You don't need to know those numbers in order for you to just remember that, you know, the classification system for Rioja starts at Hoven, and then for both Rioja and Rivero del Duero, your next level up is Crianza, Reserva and at the very top is your Gran Reserva. That's what's important to remember. Okay. Last region that we are going to talk about is Prorat. So we are heading back up to northwest Spain to the region of Catalonia. Right on the coast next to France, you will find Prorat. It's a mountainous terrain. It is dominated by a distinctive stony black slate soil called liqueorella, which is conducive for growing primarily red wines. This is the only region besides Rioja to boast the Spain's top classification, the DOC or DOQ in Catalan. Again, Catalan is a different language similar to remember when we talked about in Galicia, they have the Galician language. In, Catalonia, they have the Catalan language. You can expect really incredibly intense, inky, full bodied, and powerful wines. And these are made from primarily a few grape varieties. Alright. So you have Carinera, and I've had such a hard time saying that. So somebody knows a better way to say that, Carinina. It's I struggle with that one. I looked it up a few times and it just doesn't roll off my tongue very well. This is a native Spanish grape. It is known as in Rioja. And remember, again, that is carignan in France. So maybe I just never call it by the Catalan or the Bria Rot version, and we'll just call it mazelo or carignan. This contributes to intensity, depth, and structure. And then you have the 2nd grape that is made out of is Garnacha. Right? And we're very familiar with that grape that is Grenache in France. It is a renowned red grape of Priorat. It contributes to richness, juiciness, body, and density, which is so interesting saying that because Garnacha, which is also known as ganache, ganache can also be considered like a pinot noir similar grape variety, but it totally depends on where it's grown. So here in Prorat, it's rich, juicy, intense, whereas in some places of Australia it's kind of considered like the Pinot Noir of Australia where it's lighter bodied, not as intense. So totally depends on how you're making that wine. Alright. Sorry. I got off on a tangent there. I just think it's so cool. So again, your Priodot reds, they are gonna be 60 to 90% of those 2 varietals. So the Carinha that Haley cannot say, which is also called mozuelo or carignan, and then the second one is Garnacha, also called gurnache. Then they have some blending grapes, you have Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Tempranillo. And this wine again, it's super thick, almost like a port like texture. Like, it's it's really, like, not quite syrupy, but it is full bodied. It is loaded with super ripe blackberry fruit, chocolate, licorice flavors, and sight and vintage are incredibly important here, so where the grapes are grown and what the year was like in terms of weather. So a poor site in a hot year can produce really aggressive, unbroachable wines, I feel like it's, like, the best way to say it, versus, like, a good site. Now a good site in a hot year, also gonna be really intense, but it's gonna be a good site. Right? So they're gonna know what to do with it and they're gonna grow well, but a good site in a good year where it's not too hot, that is what you're gonna wanna reach for. Now again, they do have a classification system here. What I think is really cool about this classification system is that it's unique and that it incorporates the age of the vineyard. So remember when we were talking about Rioja and Ribera del Duero, those were primarily based off how long you aged the wine. Here in Piederd, they care about, yes, how long you age the wine, but also how old are the vineyards. So that's what I wrote down here, to share with you because I just thought it was super cool. So there are, let's see, 5 classification systems in different levels in the preaurat classification system. So you have just the basic DOQ preaurat. So if it's just if your bottle is just labeled preaurat, which is p r I o r a t, This is the basic regional wine produced from grapes anywhere within Priorat. Then you have Vitevia, This is equivalent to burgundy village wines. So these are like selected areas. And if yours is vitevia, it'll likely say the name of the, like, the village or the area as well, but you'll know that all the grapes came from that area. Next, we have vide departages. The wines are from well known places or areas historically respected. There are about 450 of these and 90% of the vineyards are over 15 years old. Then you have vigna classicada. These are single vineyard wines, so the grapes have to come from just this 1 vineyard, and 80% of the vineyards must be 20 plus years old. So can use new vineyards in there, but only for 20% of the grapes. And finally, Grand Vineyards Classificado, this is your very top. It's a single vineyard grand cruz. These are 90% granaccia and or carinha, and 80% of the vineyard must be 35 plus years old. Plus, the remaining 20% has to be at least 10 years old or the vineyard has to be at least 10 years old. So there's a lot of, you know, requirements here on this one, and you're guaranteed some really good quality grapes, which are gonna turn into a really great quality wine. And note one difference here from Rioja and Ribeiro del Duero along with obviously the grape varieties, everything is aged in French oak rather than American oak. Alright. There you go. That is your just basic intro to 5 popular regions within Spain. So as a quick reminder, we went through Rias Baixas. This is, a region that is primarily making haberino, which is similar to sauvignon blanc, but a little little more salty and ocean like rather than herbaceous. Then you have Bierso. Bierso makes red and white wines. The red is gonna be mancia, a perfect combo of Syrah and Pinot Noir, and a white is gonna be a Goddeo, the best Chardonnay you've ever had. Even if you don't like Chardonnay, it is the best Chardonnay you've ever had. Then you have Rioja and Ribera del Duero. Both these make Tempranillo based wines, but, again, remember, they are from different clones. They're going to be different. The Ribera del Duero, typically more powerful. Rioja, a little more subdued. Not saying that is a bad thing. I love Rioja. And finally, Priorat. This is going to be your big inky powerful that Haley, who I cannot say, which is also mazuelo or carignan in France, and then as well. So you're gonna have or it could be either or of those, I should say. And these, again, super powerful, thick, almost port like, so even more powerful than that Ribera del Duero. Alright. And those are the 5 regions. Let me know what Spanish wine are you excited to try now that you've listened to this. Be sure to tag me on Instagram if you do grab a bottle or send me an email, haley@korknfizz.com. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine Podcast. If you loved it as much as I did, I would sure appreciate if you could take a quick second, rate it, leave a review, share it with a friend. You know how this works. Take a little screenshot or press the little share button. Go send it to somebody that you think would find learning about Spanish wine fun. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. I release a new episode every Wednesday. In next week's episode, I'll be sharing 4 lesser known that I love and I think you should try. And remember, one of those is gonna be mincean. Thanks again for listening. And as a thank you, I'd like to share my free shopping guide, 15 wines under $15. Simply head to my website, pork and fizz.com, scroll down to the bottom, and join my mailing list. Cheers.