Spain is generally best known for its red wines over its whites, but you can find some very good white wines that come from Spain.
During your holidays in Spain, if you feel like you need a break from red wine, feel comfortable ordering Ruedas, Riojas Blancos, Sherry, Cava, Basque and Galician whites. It can help to learn a little more about them.
Wheel
Some of the most famous white wines in Spain are made in the Rueda region, in the Castilla y León wine region, in the cities of Valladolid, Segovia and Ávila. The word, Rueda , is Spanish for the word “wheel.”
The main grape used for a Rueda is the Verdejo grape, which is often mixed with sauvignon blanc grapes. The wines have been very commercially successful in part due to the clarification process using local clay.
The first documented evidence of wine production in this area dates back to the 11th century when King Alfonso VI offered land titles to settlers in the recently reconquered area. Many people and monastic orders accepted the offer and founded monasteries with their own vineyards.
The Other Rioja: Rioja Blanca
Spain’s most famous wine region, La Rioja, is best known for its production of red wines, but it also makes good white wine.
La Rioja blanca, also called Rioja Blanco , is made from Viura grapes (also known as Macabeo). It is usually mixed with some Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca. In white wines, Viura brings a slight fruity, acidity and some aroma to the mix with white Grenache adding body and Malvasia adding aroma.
You can taste the white Rioja where the vineyards really make it and take a Rioja wine tour .
Other popular white wines
Although you did not know that Spain was a good white wine, it is likely that you have already had some and may even have some at home, because sherry and cava are from Spain.
Sherry is a fortified wine made in the city of Jerez in Andalusia. Jerez has been a center of winemaking since the Phoenicians introduced winemaking to Spain in 1100 BC. The practice was carried out by the Romans when they took control of Iberia around 200 BC. The Moors conquered the region in 711 and introduced distillation. which led to the development of brandy and fortified wine. The word “sherry” comes from the Arabic name for Jerez, pronounced “Sherish.”
Cava is Catalonia’s answer to French champagne. Catalans will tell you that this brilliant white is as good as champagne, even though it sells for a fraction of the price.
Other excellent white wines in Spain include Basque txakoli, a once highly maligned white wine that is moving high-end in its production techniques and quality, as well as Ribeiro, a region in Galicia known for its white wines.
Experience white wines in Spain
Spanish vineyards are not known for their easy access and even when they are open to tourists, they generally focus on their red wines.
If you like cava, you can find a guided tour, such as the Montserrat and Cava trail tour. Alternatively, if you are in Andalusia, you can try sherry at the Jerez wineries or on a tour of the region.
For a gigantic tour of the wine regions of Spain and Portugal, you can find wine tours of Spain and Portugal, where you can visit Rueda, Galicia, and northern Portugal, all of which are famous for their white wines.
