Spain is the third-largest wine producer in the world (after France and Italy), but there are few Spanish wines to be found in India. In part, this is due to the lack of clearly-demarcated wines in Spain: people may know about Rioja and Sherry, but the rest of Spanish wines and wine-making regions are largely unknown.
Spain actually has the largest-planted area to grape vines in the world: a little over 2.5 million acres (India has about 3,000 acres). However, most of the vineyards in the dry and arid Central Mesa and elsewhere are very low-yielding, with many of the vines being quite old. They still managed to produce some 3.5 billion litres of wine from some 4,600 wineries (called bodegas in Spain) in 2010. However, some 55 per cent of all Spanish wines exported are in bulk, so the actual number of wine labels overseas is limited.
Rioja, the best-known Spanish wine, is both the name of the region (La Rioja) as well as the wine. Located at an altitude of about 1,500 feet along the Ebro River in northern Spain, this demarcated area has about 140,000 acres of vineyards producing some 250 million litres of wine annually, 85 per cent of which is red, mainly from the Tempranillo grape, but also Granacha (Grenache) and Graciano. Oak-ageing imparts significant character to Rioja wines: a Crianza has been aged for at least two years, of which at least six months has to be in oak; a Rioja Reserva would be aged for three years (minimum one year in oak); and a Rioja Gran Reserva would have two years in oak and three years in the bottle.
However, many Rioja wines are aged for much longer: Wine Spectator lists 3,118 Riojas, the oldest being the 1898 (yes, 1898) Marques de Murrieta Rioja rated at 98 points (no price given), as well as a 1945 Marques de Riscal Rioja (99 points, no price). In India, I have been able to trace only 11 Riojas, of which the most expensive would be the Bodegas Mauro VS 2006 rated at 92 points and priced at Rs 17,162 in Delhi.
Other major still wine producing regions in the north of Spain are Ribera del Duoro and Castilla y Leon, both of which make wines similar to Rioja, and the Priorat area near Barcelona (in the South), which has distinctive wines from very old bush vines.
Then there's Sherry, a fortified wine produced mainly from the Palomino grape (white) near the southern Spain province of Cadiz (principally the town of Jerez, from which the wine gets its name). Sherry is produced by first fortifying the wines with grape spirit, then using the solera system by which older wines are blended with younger wines successively, and can range from dry (Fino Amontillado) to sweet (Pale Cream, Cream), with alcohol content ranging from 15 per cent to 22 per cent v/v.
Few Sherries are available in India - one of the most popular has to be Harvey's Bristol Cream, available at between Rs 1,300 (Madhuloka, Bangalore) and Rs 1,500 (Delhi); other labels include Tio Pepe and Gonzales Byass.
Last (but not least) is Cava, the sparkling wines produced in Catalonia province (near Barcelona) from the Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo grapes using the traditional Champagne method of in-bottle fermentation and ageing.
The best Cava wines (literally, 'wines aged in caves') are probably on par with good Champagne, but cannot compete with the latter's image and reach, and so what's available here are the low-priced brands: Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut sells in Bangalore for Rs 1,100, while the Raventos Reserve Brut is Rs 2,362, and I am sure that wines from the giant Codorniu winery must also be available.
Wines I've been drinking: The Rioja Sela Bodegas Roda 2009 is complex, smooth, and medium-bodied, with silky tannins and a lovely, long finish; it is rated at 88 points and has a price tag of Rs 3,120 in Bangalore.
As they say in Spain, Salud!
Alok Chandra is a Bangalore-based wine consultant
