Learn all about Spanish wine country, region by region
Discovering the wine regions of Spain is a fun way of learning about the country´s history and culture. Spain is one of the most fascinating wine-producing countries in the world with a wide offering of handcrafted wine styles and quaint wine country villages to visit. So why not combine wine tasting with your other interests in Spain! Gourmets flock to the beautiful villages of Catalunya, Basque Country, and Madrid for cosmopolitan refined restaurants, many of them Michelin starred. History buffs love Andalucia for its rich concentration of Moorish and Renaissance architecture. Birdwatchers love La Rioja, nature lovers adore the entire Green Spain (Galicia, Cantabria, Asturias, and Basque Country) and Jetsetters enjoy the luxury villa-style hotels and secret dreamy beaches of the Balearic Islands.
Northern Spain
Northern Spain in terms of wine country encompasses the misty green hills of Atlantic Galicia (Rias Baixas, Valdeorras, Ribeiro, etc.), the Castilla y Leon autonomous region (Bierzo, Toro, Rueda, Ribera del Duero, etc.), the beautiful regions of Basque Country (Txakoli) and La Rioja, and the agriculturally rich plateaus of Navarra and Somontano. The range of scenery, local gastronomic traditions, wine styles, and microclimates is extraordinary. Some of the renowned local grapes include Albariño and Godello in Galicia, Mencia in Bierzo, Tempranillo of course (in Rioja, and called “Tinta del Pais” in Ribera del Duero and Toro), Verdejo in Rueda, Viura in Rioja and Garnacha in Rioja and Navarra (in Navarra, Garnacha is used for their stellar dry rosé wines). Read on to discover some of the most highly esteemed wine regions in Northern Spain
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Bierzo Wine Region
Bierzo is lushly beautiful but little known, situated in the northwest of Spain just below Galicia, it is a wonderful up and coming Spanish wine region.
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La Rioja Wine Regions
The beautiful wine country of La Rioja is a fascination and historic region, regularly featured on our luxury wine tours.
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Rioja Alta
This is undoubtedly the beating heart of the great Rioja region. La Rioja Alta, one of the three Rioja sub-regions, lies entirely within the municipality of La Rioja
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Rioja Alavesa
La Rioja Alavesa, the smallest of the three Rioja sub-regions, is today responsible for producing some of the area's most expensive and venerable wine.
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Rioja Oriental
From one perspective, Rioja Oriental is Spain's newest wine appellation. For decades, the largest sub-region in Rioja was known as Rioja Baja, in reference to the generally lower altitudes of the vineyards compared to Rioja Alta and Alavesa
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Rioja Alta
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Navarra Wine Region
From generally oxidized rose to full-bodied reds, the transition in Navarra's winemaking has been sudden and overwhelming.
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Rias Baixas Wine Region
The landscapes of the Rias Baixas wine region in Spain's northwestern Galicia, starkly contrast with the image many have of Spain.
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Ribera Del Duero Wine Region
One of Spain’s genuinely legendary winemaking regions, the pristinely rural Ribera de Duero, is home to some of the world’s best red wines
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Somontano Wine Region
Somontano wine region is located on a high plateau in the mountainous area of Huesca, at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains.
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Toro Wine Region
Many wine writers believe that Toro, a relatively little-known DO, located in Zamora province, is Spain's most promising wine region.
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Txakoli Wine Region
The beautiful Basque country in the northern Spain, famous for its dramatic coastline & innovative gastronomy is home to zippy white Txakoli.
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Valdeorras Wine Region
The Valdeorras wine appellation in Spain's misty Northwestern region of Galicia is a critics darling at the moment, home to the chic Godello grape.
Mediterranean Spain
The Mediterranean coastline in Spain stretches for more than 1600 kilometers, or more than 1,000 miles, from the French border all the way down to the tip of Morocco. Some of Spain´s most sensational wine regions can be found in this area, particularly on the Northern part of the Med near Barcelona, including Penedès (known for its Cava wines as well as dry wines), Priorat (considered by some wine experts to be some of the best red wines in Spain, with Garnacha old vine based wines) and the Empordà (bubbly, white and rosés mainly, made in the Costa Brava). Further south there are a number of interesting up and coming wine appellations in Alicante and Valencia. Barcelona is the main culutural and metropolitan hub and is a great base for visiting many of the wine regions and Girona is also of special interest to foodies as many top Michelin starred restaurants can be found in this area
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Alella Wine Region
Alella is one of Spain's smallest appellations, known primarily for its zippy white wines made with the Xarel.lo grape, known in the region as Pansa Blanca.
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Alicante Wine Region
Alicante's most famous wine being the sweet Fondillón wine, however the region's new generation of winemakers are creating excellent dry high quality wines.
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Empordà Wine Region
Emporda is a beautiful wine region located north of Barcelona & full of gourmet restaurants, elegant small hotels, gorgeous coastline & boutique wineries.
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Montsant Wine Region
Montsant is a high end wine region adjacent to Priorat, Spain's most refined wine region on a par with Burgundy. The area is know for its rich red wines.
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Penedès Wine Region
Penedes (located south of Barcelona) produces a range of excellent wines ranging from delicate whites to beefy reds, as well as the flagship Cava.
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Priorat Wine Region
Although Priorat is little more than 20 km from the Mediterranean coastal plain, it is remote. Few decent roads penetrate this wildly beautiful region.
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Valencia Wine Region
Valencia is a region that has been making wine since the Romans and in the last decade has seen a surge of dedicated wine makers crafting expressive wines.
