About white wine from Spain
Date: May 18, 2011
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Maybe it’s the conventional images of a bullfighter’s cape and a flamenco dancer’s dress from old Life magazines or retro travel posters that make many of us, at least of a certain age, “see red” when we think about Spain. Similarly, when we consider Spanish wine, red almost immediately comes to mind, perhaps due to the popularity of Rioja and, yes, even of Sangria. But just as a few vivid images do not entirely capture the vast spectrum of Spain’s culture, fashionable Riojas and other classic and modern tintos do not totally represent the breadth and quality of its wines.
Indeed, ever since the death of General Franco in 1975 and the establishment of a parliamentary democracy in 1978, Spain’s wine industry has benefited from the country’s new economic freedoms. And, as with other wine producing countries, membership in the European Union has contributed much to improving the quality of the country’s wines. Old methods have given way to new; careless viticulture and shoddy wine production have been replaced with more meticulous and regulated counterparts. And the expanding markets for fine wine, both at home and abroad, have fanned the fires of Spain’s wine revolution: Cooperatives have been taken over by private estates; native grapes have been complemented by international varieties; and tannins have been better balanced with fruit.
The new Spanish whites, which are becoming more widely available in the United States, offer some outstanding values especially when compared to our domestic offerings. What’s more, they provide some appealingly distinctive alternatives to our formulaic, dare I say boring, Chardonnays.
With summer, not too far away, I thought this an ideal time to focus on Spanish whites that will aptly complement hot-weather dishes like pasta and seafood salads, poached fish, and grilled seafood. Indeed, some of these wines possess so much character that they make appealing aperitifs and perfect patio sippers.
Spain’s most popular native white-wine varietals include:
Airen, widely planted, especially in La Mancha, resists drought and is used primarily for brandy and local wines.
Albarino, from Galicia, can yield perfumed, elegant wines that are sometimes compared to Viognier. It is very popular in Rias Baixas.
Godello, popular in Galicia’s Valdeorras zone, makes a tangy wine that is both dry and light bodied.
Loureira, similar to Portugal’s Loureiro, is found in Galicia. It is often used in a blend with the aromatic white Treixadura. However, it can also be found bottled as a varietal.
Macabeo, wide spread in Northern Spain, is used for Cavas, Spain’s popular Champagne alternative. In Rioja, it is known as Viura and can produce wines with a floral character.
Palomino, found mostly in Southern Spain, is low in both acid and sugar. However, wine made from it tends to oxidize. It is often used to produce sherry.
Verdejo is Rueda’s prized white. It has nutty characteristics and is often blended with Sauvignon Blanc.
In addition, international varieties like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and even Viognier have found their way into Spain’s wines and vineyards.
So this summer, when the weather turns hot and you’re looking for a cool, crisp, refreshing wine to serve with dinner, try an affordable Spanish white and let the bulls go after the red.
For this tasting, we paired our eleven wines with two Spanish dishes. The first, a cold appetizer, was the ever-popular seviche, made with sea scallops marinated in lime juice and seasonings. Our second course was a quick and easy to prepare lenguando al limon (flounder in lemon sauce). We found the recipe in Penelope Casas’s The Food and Wines of Spain. Both dishes are great for summer entertaining.
For more on Spain’s new style of wines, see our earlier feature Where Have All the Tannins Gone?
The wines for this feature were generously provided by Jose Ramon (Joe) Gude, of Tempranillo Incorporated, located in Mamaroneck, New York. Their name on a bottle’s rear label almost guarantees a great wine.
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