Spanish Wine
Even before the Phoenician wine-growing culture began in 1100 B.C., Spain was harvesting grapes. With a variety of climates and geographic features, Spain has always been an agriculturally friendly region to grow grapes. The climate gets hotter and dryer as it goes further inland, so to adapt to the high temperatures, many vineyards are located over 2,000 feet above sea level. This elevation produces grapes with high levels of alcohol and low acidity. Winemaking in Spain became extremely popular after the Romans conquests. Spanish wine was widely exported throughout the Roman Empire, helping to establish Spain as a producer of quality wines. Pliny the Elder addressed how much he loved Spanish wines when he once stated that many of Spain’s wines were equal to the best wines of Italy. Then and today, Spanish winemakers focus on creating distinctly unique flavors. There are over 600 grape varieties planted throughout Spain, but most of the grapes are Tempranillo, Albariño, Catalonia and Verdejo. Catalonia and Albariño are used to make Cava, a famous sparkling wine made in the tradition of French Champagne. Spanish wine has continued to grow in popularity making it the third largest producer of wine in the world next to Italy and France. The general philosophy of Spanish winemakers is that they are nurturers of the grape rather than producers. Their attitude towards winemaking is why Spanish wines have such high quality and great taste right out of the bottle.
Sample some of these Spanish delights:
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