Other Spanish Regions

Spain’s centuries-old wine fame was founded originally on sherry. Its quality wine industry was started by French vignerons who came to the long-established vineyards of the Rioja in the late 19th Century when the phylloxera scourge ravaged the vineyards of France. They brought new wine-making techniques which greatly improved the Spanish wine. For the next hundred years Spanish wine-making stood still. Only very recently have its wine-makers taken notice of the technical advances developed in the New World, but they have done so in a big way. Quality in Spain’s cheap, bulk wines has rocketed forward. Amazingly, it has leapt forward at the same rate in the quality wine regions outside of Rioja such as Monsant, Somontano, Toro and Ribera del Duero. Even if you’ve never heard of some of these areas, rest assured you will do in the near future.