By Eric Asimov
Spain is the most dynamic wine-producing country in the world.
Anywhere you look, from Galicia in the northwest to Catalonia in the northeast, Andalusia in the south to Rioja in the north, Spain is full of energetic winemakers drawing inspiration from the country’s traditions and pushing into the future with fresh approaches.
I don’t single out Spain to demean other countries. Even as the wine world feels besieged by falling sales, health concerns and the climate crisis, it is experiencing a global surge of creativity. Great wine is being made the world over. So why single out Spain?
Nowhere else do I see such a concentration of thoughtful, talented and inventive winemakers from all parts of a country offering such a profusion of exceptional wines that are both true to tradition yet innovative.
Here are 10 wonderful bottles from around Spain that represent its increasingly common high level of quality and pure pleasure.
Spain’s rejuvenation has been going on for a while now. I’ve chronicled it over the last 15 years, writing from Ribeira Sacra, Basque Country, Rías Baixas, Manchuela, the Penedès, Sierra de Gredos and Sherry Country, just to name a few. Other regions, too, deserve a more concentrated examination.
The bottles on this list are a great start to an inspiring exploration. Here they are, listed in order of price.
Viña Zorzal Navarra Garnacha 2022, 13% alcohol, $14
The brothers Sanz — Xabi, Iñaki and Mikel — come from a family with a long history of making wine in Navarra in northern Spain, southeast of Basque Country. They formed Zorzal in 2007 and now own almost 100 acres, including many old vineyards on rocky soils. I’ve written about this garnacha several times, both because it’s so good and because it’s such a great deal. The 2022 is pure and fresh, with floral and fruity aromas that can seem almost candied. But the wine is resolutely dry, with fruit flavors that are chalky and mineral. (Bowler Wines, New York)
Cantalapiedra Castilla y León Lirondo 2023, 13.5%, $23
The Cantalapiedra family has been farming in the Rueda region of Castilla y León for generations, but it only began bottling its own wine in 2014. The wines I’ve had have been exceptional. Lirondo, an entry-level bottle, is a model Rueda, even if Cantalapiedra does not use the appellation. At a time when many Ruedas taste generic and rely on sauvignon blanc as much as the local grape verdejo, Lirondo is made entirely of verdejo. It’s bright, distinctive and graceful, yet richly flavored and tangy. (José Pastor Selections/Llaurador Wines, Fairfax, California)
4 Monos Viticultores Sierra de Gredos GR-10 Tinto 2022, 13.5%, $24
Four friends who met while hiking in the Sierra de Gredos, a mountainous region west of Madrid, formed 4 Monos, which means four monkeys. They, like the pioneering team Comando G, have helped to demonstrate how wonderful the Sierra de Gredos terroirs can be, seeking out old, high-altitude garnacha vineyards on granite soils. This bottle comes from several different organically farmed sites. It’s racy and graceful, with fine tannins and flavors of flowers and red fruits. (José Pastor Selections/Llaurador Wines)
Còsmic Vinyaters Catalonia Vitalitat 2023, 10.5%, $27
Còsmic Vinyaters farms biodynamically and makes natural wines in two different parts of Catalonia: Empordà near the French border, and the Penedès, west of Barcelona. This cloudy, unfiltered pétillant naturel is made from parellada, a classic cava grape, with a little muscat, which perfumes the wine. It’s bone dry, refreshing and full of energy. (Selections de la Viña/Fruit of the Vines, New York)
Ponce Manchuela Blanco 2023, 12.5%, $28
Manchuela, in southeastern Spain, was for a long time a source of simple, inexpensive wine, most of it sold locally. But a new group of producers in the last 20 years has infused the region with energy, none more so than Juan Antonio Ponce. He mostly makes reds, which are excellent. So is this white, made entirely of organically grown albilla. It’s dry, floral and lively, and would be just right for pan-roasted fish fillets. (T. Edward Wines, New York)
Luis Anxo Rodriguez Vázquez Ribeiro A Torna Dos Pasas 2021, 12.5%, $44
Luis Anxo Rodriguez Vázquez is the veteran of this group. He’s been making wines in Ribeiro, in the southwestern corner of Galicia, since 1988, and he is one of the benchmarks. Though Ribeiro is generally considered white wine territory, this red — made from local varieties like brançellao, caiña and ferrol — is superb, bright, lively and refreshing. (José Pastor Selections/Llaurador Wines)
Akutain Rioja Reserva 2017, 14%, $52
This small Rioja estate works in the traditional mode, aging its wines in old vats of American oak and bottling the wines with age statements. (Reserva means the wine is aged a minimum of three years before it is sold, including one year in barrels.) This wine is bright, pure and textured, with tannins that are still somewhat stern but will ease with age or with fatty foods like leg of lamb. (José Pastor Selections/Llaurador Wines)
Verónica Ortega Bierzo Cobrana 2021, 12.5%, $58
In Bierzo, in northwestern Castilla y León, mencía is the dominant red grape. The wines are often a bit richer than those across the Galician border in Ribeira Sacra, another center for mencía. This bottle from Verónica Ortega is 75% mencía, blended with a bunch of other grapes, including some whites. It’s fresh and vivacious, with an underlying current of earthy minerality. (Selections de la Viña/Fruit of the Vines)
Envínate Vinos Atlánticos Palo Blanco 2021, 11.5%, $60
Like 4 Monos, Envínate is a group of four friends who seek out old, traditionally farmed vineyards. They focus primarily on the Canary Islands and Ribeira Sacra. This bottle is made from listan blanco, as palomino is known in the Canaries, from century-old vines on Tenerife. This wine is pure, energetic and dry, with a lovely texture. (José Pastor Selections/Llaurador Wines)
Enric Soler Catalonia Istiu 2020, 12.5%, $60
From the first time I tried one of Enric Soler’s wines, I’ve been hooked. Soler, a former sommelier, makes tiny amounts of concentrated, subtle, textured wines based around a plot of xarello in the Penedès that he inherited from his grandfather. Istiu, half xarello and half malvasia, twangs with lively acidity and deft use of oak. It’s the sort of wine you want to roll around in your mouth because it feels and tastes so good. (Cœur Wine, New York)
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