Spain has over 2.9 million acres of vineyard planted, making it the most widely planted wine producing nation but it is the third largest producer of wine in the world after France and Italy. This is due, in part, to the very low yields and wide spacing of the old vines planted on the dry, infertile soils found in many Spanish wine regions.
The country is ninth in consumption worldwide with Spaniards drinking, on average, 21.6 litres per person per year.
More recently, a major turning point occurred in the mid 19th century when the phylloxera epidemic ravaged European vineyards, most notably those of France. With the sudden shortage of French wine, many countries turned to Spain, with French winemakers crossing the Pyrenees to Rioja, Navarre and Catalonia, bringing with them their expertise and winemaking methods. One of these developments was the introduction of the 225 litre oak ‘barrica’. Phylloxera eventually reached Spain, devastating areas such as Malaga in 1878 and reaching Rioja in 1901. Its slow progress was due in part to the wide tracts of land, including the Meseta Central, that separated the Spanish wine regions from each other. By the time the Spanish wine industry felt the full impact of phylloxera, the remedy of grafting American rootstocks to the European vines had already been discovered and widely used.
It wasn’t until the 1950s that domestic stability brought a period of revival for the Spanish wine industry. The death of General Franco in 1975 and the Spanish transition to democracy allowed more economic freedom for winemakers and created an emerging market with the growing middle class in Spain. The 1990s saw the influence of flying winemakers from abroad and wider acceptance of the use of international grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. Soon the quality and production volume of premium wines began to overtake the presence of generic Spanish bulk wines and Spain’s reputation entering the 21st century was that of a serious wine producing country that could compete with other producers in the world wine market.
Castile-La Mancha
Castile-La Mancha
Rioja
Campo de Borja
Campo de Borja
Campo de Borja
Campo de Borja
Rias Baixas
Spanish Wine
Spanish Wine
Castile-La Mancha
Galicia