Spanish Wine

There are two noted times when wine was first produced in Spain, the earliest was between 4000 to 3000 BC when archaeologists believe that grapes were first cultivated.

The second was around 1100 BC with the construction of a trading post in Cádiz in southwestern Spain by the Phoenicians.

One of the most important times for Spanish Wine was once the Roman Empire established itself in Spain, they aided in trading and exporting Spanish Wine throughout the Roman Empire.

Spain is of course famous for its own Sparkling Wine, Cava. It was Josep Raventós who produced the first bottle of Cava in 1872 after he brought back the Méthode Champenoise (Champagne Method/Traditional Method) from France.

There are approximately 4,300 wineries in Spain, exporting to 189 countries all over the world, with over 1.2 million hectares (3.0 million acres) planted, and over 400 grape varieties in Spain, including the following:

• Airén
• Albariño
• Albillo Real
• Alicante Bouschet
• Bobal
• Cabernet Franc
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Cariñena, Mazuelo or Samsó
• Chardonnay
• Garnacha
• Garnacha Blanca
• Giró
• Godello
• Graciano
• Macabeo or Viura
• Malvasía
• Mencía
• Merlot
• Merseguera
• Monastrell
• Moravia Agria
• Moscatel
• Palomino Fino
• Parellada
• Pedro Ximénez
• Pinot Noir
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Sousón
• Syrah
• Tempranillo
• Torrontés
• Treixadura
• Verdejo
• Xarel-lo

The main Spanish Wine regions include:

• Pais Vasco
• La Rioja
• Navarra
• Catalunya
• Aragon
• Castilla-La Mancha
• Cava
• Valencia
• Murcia
• Andalucia
• Extremadura
• Madrid
• Castilla y León
• Galicia