Beyond the Rioja glass

Spain is probably one of the best definitions of an “Old World” winemaking country, as the Spanish can trace winemaking back to roughly 4000 BC. Traces of grapevines in the Iberian peninsula have been found to pre-date Homo sapiens by millions of years.

Winemaking Phoenicians and Carthaginians brought their expertise with them to the region. As Spain became part of the Roman Empire and the pacification by Caesar Augustus in the second century BC, they even started to export their wines – records show that amphorae were sold in Rome, Gaul and even as far-flung as England.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire, winemaking continued on the peninsula under new rulers, the Visigoths, who themselves fell to the Moors in the early sixth century. The Moors allowed vine growing and winemaking to continue as the emirs and caliphs seeing the taxation revenue from the product as a valuable source of income.

In a British context, we can see from merchant records in the Guildhall dated 1350 that wine imports from Spain had been established through the ports of Bristol, Southampton and London for roughly a hundred years, and it was a wine called “Sack” that made the mark for the Spaniards in the UK.

A forerunner and very similar fortified wine to our modern Sherry, Sack was mentioned by a great number of writers of the time, but probably most famously when praised in the famous speech by Sir John Fallstaff in Shakespeare’s Henry IV part 2. It continued to be widely drunk even through the darker times of the Puritans, with even Cromwell accepting a gift of a “pipe [a barrel] of sack” on a visit to Bristol.

In more modern times it is the “explosion” of foreign travel, specifically to Spain through package holidays that has made Spanish wine so popular again and nicely priced. Coincidentally, the producers of Rioja were being awarded the highest status of wine quality and a new Spanish star was born.

What’s more, holidaymakers wanted to continue drinking the “soft brand” of the juicy, approachable and drinkable red with lovely round vanilla tones which has led to a big demand for the wine.  Most Rioja drinkers are a bit sketchy where in Spain the wine comes from, or know which grape this delicious red (mainly Tempranillo) comes from.

But at the end of the day, who cares? What’s important is you enjoy the glass. Still, why not try a few of Spain’s other great wines.

Here are a few for you to try:  

Neleman Organic Bobal 2018, Valencia (majestic.co.uk) (£9.99)

ASDA Extra Special Albariño Rias Baixas – ASDA Groceries (£7.00)

Juan Gil Monastrell 75cl – North & South Wines (northandsouthwines.co.uk) (£16.99)