Spain

Spanish wines feature a dichotomy between bold fruit and dusty minerality that makes them fall between old and new world styles. The country boasts the highest vineyard acreage in the world, but yields are relatively low given the wide vine spacing and limited water use.

While it boasts local varietals such as Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Monastrell, it also produces beautiful wines from international varietals such as Petit Verdot, Carignan, and Mourvedre

You have a variety of climates within Spain, such as

• The cool Galicia, producing expressive, mineral driven Albarino & elegant Mencia
• The famous continental Ebro & Douro river valleys, producing structured & powerful Tempranillo, as well as Garnacha, Viura & Verdejo
• The summer driven Catalonian, producing Penedes Cava & Rhone style blends from Priorat & more
• The Valencia Coast, producing smoky, bold Monastrell
• The southern Andalucian coast, producing oxidative whites & fortified styles from Sherry & Montilla-Morilles

For Spanish wines, there is a origin system of classification, with Vinos de Pago being the most recent edition. It refers to single Estates that have a high international reputation, and may or may not come from a DO. This is similar to the Italian "Super Tuscan" wineries.

The more common reference for spanish wines are it's ageing classification, which includes Robles, Crianza, Reserva & Gran Reserva wines

• Roble: Wines that spend a maximum of 6 months in the cask‍
• Crianza wines: A minimum of 24 months of aging (in both cask and bottle) A minimum of 6 months should be spent in oak barrels.‍
• Reserva wines: Wines must spend a minimum of 36 months of age with at least 12 months in oak barrels.‍
• Gran Reserva: A minimum of 60 months in the winery, with at least 18 months spent in oak barrels