Spain produces an enormous quantity of wine some of which is exported, but a great deal of which is for home consumption. You don’t have to be a millionaire in Spain to enjoy some superb wines. The range is so vast, and with such reasonable prices, it’s possible to sample a wide variety of wines before deciding on your favourites. “Wine-tasting” in Spain is not just for the connoisseurs nor is it for special occasions only. Drinking wine with your meal is part of everyday life in Spain.

Spain has over 40 officially recognised wine producing regions, many with their own distinctive flavour and mostly still using grapes native to the area. Within each region there are many wine-growers, each having their own label. It is sometimes possible to arrange to visit certain vineyards to see the whole process first hand.

Probably, to the foreigner, the most well known wines are the reds from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. However, gradually, the wines from other regions are gaining in popularity too. Red wines dominate the Spanish wine scene although there are some fine whites as well, such as the Albarinos from Rias Baixas.

There are several categories of red wine, in ascending order of quality, they are:

Don’t forget the Spanish sherries, originating from Jerez in the south of Spain. Nor the “cava” sparkling wines, Spain’s equivalent of champagne, made, in the Barcelona region, to the traditional method.