Top 10 Spanish Wines and Wine Regions

Ribera del Duero stretches along the Duero River in Castile and produces Spain's most powerful red wines from Tempranillo (locally called Tinto Fino), with high altitude vineyards at 850-1,000 metres giving the wines exceptional concentration and firm tannins. Legendary producer Vega Sicilia has been crafting wines here since 1864, and its Unico is considered among the greatest wines in the world. The region was established as a Denominacion de Origen in 1982.

Priorat is a tiny, remote wine region in Catalonia producing some of Spain's most powerful and expensive red wines from ancient Garnacha and Carinena vines growing in llicorella soil: a unique mixture of black slate and mica that forces vines to dig deep for water. The region was rescued from obscurity in the 1980s by pioneering winemakers including Alvaro Palacios, whose L'Ermita commands prices rivalling Bordeaux's finest. Priorat was elevated to DOC status (the highest classification) in 2000.

Rias Baixas is the premier white wine DO of Spain, located in the rainy, Atlantic-influenced northwest, producing fresh, aromatic whites from the Albarino grape with naturally high acidity, stone fruit aromas, and a slight saline mineral quality. The wines are bottled young and drunk fresh, with the best examples coming from single-vineyard sites in the Salnes Valley. Albarino's combination of versatility with food and refreshing character has made it one of the world's fastest-growing white wine varieties.

Jerez (Sherry) is Spain's most historic wine region near Cadiz in Andalusia, producing the world's most complex and diverse fortified wines from Palomino grapes grown on brilliant white albariza limestone soil, using the solera blending system. Styles range from bone-dry Fino and Manzanilla to lusciously sweet Pedro Ximenez, with aged Amontillado and Oloroso offering extraordinary complexity. Sherry is experiencing a global renaissance after decades of declining popularity, rediscovered by sommeliers for its extraordinary versatility with food.

Cava is Spain's traditional method sparkling wine produced primarily in the Penedes region of Catalonia from indigenous grape varieties including Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo, undergoing its second fermentation in the bottle. Like Champagne, Cava spends a minimum of 9 months ageing on the lees before disgorgement, with Gran Reserva styles requiring 30 months. Major producers including Codorniu (founded 1551) and Freixenet are among the world's largest sparkling wine houses.

Penedes is Catalonia's most important table wine region, where pioneering producers such as Jean Leon and Miguel Torres modernised Spanish winemaking in the 1960s by introducing temperature-controlled fermentation and international grape varieties. The region produces fresh white wines from indigenous Macabeo and Xarel-lo alongside Chardonnay, and reds from Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon. Torres has become a worldwide benchmark for sustainable viticulture.

Jumilla is an inland DO in Murcia producing some of Spain's most full-bodied red wines from old-vine Monastrell (Mourvedre) vines that thrive in extreme heat at altitudes between 400 and 900 metres. The region's phylloxera-free sandy soils preserve century-old ungrafted vine stock that produces wines of extraordinary concentration and complexity. Jumilla's best wines develop over a decade into rich, spicy, deeply satisfying reds with exceptional value for money.

Albarino from Rias Baixas represents the gold standard of Spanish white wine: a single-varietal expression that has conquered fine dining rooms worldwide with its refreshing acidity, floral and peach aromatics, and distinctive mineral salinity reflecting its Atlantic coastal origins. The grape is thought to have been introduced by Cistercian monks in the 12th century, possibly from the Rhine region. Top producers such as Pazo de Senorans, Martin Codax, and Terras Gauda demonstrate the range from fresh and simple to complex and age-worthy.

Bierzo is a compact DO in northwest Spain where the Mencia grape produces some of the country's most exciting red wines on steep, terraced vineyards of slate and clay soils, long overlooked until winemaker Alvaro Palacios moved here in the early 2000s. The best wines come from ancient pergola-trained vines in the Corullon and Valtuille de Arriba villages, producing elegant, Burgundy-like wines with bright red fruit, herbal notes, and compelling mineral depth. Bierzo has become one of Spain's most exciting wine regions for collectors.

Ribera del Duero stretches along the Duero River in Castile and produces Spain's most powerful red wines from Tempranillo (locally called Tinto Fino), with high altitude vineyards at 850-1,000 metres giving the wines exceptional concentration and firm tannins. Legendary producer Vega Sicilia has been crafting wines here since 1864, and its Unico is considered among the greatest wines in the world. The region was established as a Denominacion de Origen in 1982.

Priorat is a tiny, remote wine region in Catalonia producing some of Spain's most powerful and expensive red wines from ancient Garnacha and Carinena vines growing in llicorella soil: a unique mixture of black slate and mica that forces vines to dig deep for water. The region was rescued from obscurity in the 1980s by pioneering winemakers including Alvaro Palacios, whose L'Ermita commands prices rivalling Bordeaux's finest. Priorat was elevated to DOC status (the highest classification) in 2000.

Rias Baixas is the premier white wine DO of Spain, located in the rainy, Atlantic-influenced northwest, producing fresh, aromatic whites from the Albarino grape with naturally high acidity, stone fruit aromas, and a slight saline mineral quality. The wines are bottled young and drunk fresh, with the best examples coming from single-vineyard sites in the Salnes Valley. Albarino's combination of versatility with food and refreshing character has made it one of the world's fastest-growing white wine varieties.

Jerez (Sherry) is Spain's most historic wine region near Cadiz in Andalusia, producing the world's most complex and diverse fortified wines from Palomino grapes grown on brilliant white albariza limestone soil, using the solera blending system. Styles range from bone-dry Fino and Manzanilla to lusciously sweet Pedro Ximenez, with aged Amontillado and Oloroso offering extraordinary complexity. Sherry is experiencing a global renaissance after decades of declining popularity, rediscovered by sommeliers for its extraordinary versatility with food.

Cava is Spain's traditional method sparkling wine produced primarily in the Penedes region of Catalonia from indigenous grape varieties including Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo, undergoing its second fermentation in the bottle. Like Champagne, Cava spends a minimum of 9 months ageing on the lees before disgorgement, with Gran Reserva styles requiring 30 months. Major producers including Codorniu (founded 1551) and Freixenet are among the world's largest sparkling wine houses.

Penedes is Catalonia's most important table wine region, where pioneering producers such as Jean Leon and Miguel Torres modernised Spanish winemaking in the 1960s by introducing temperature-controlled fermentation and international grape varieties. The region produces fresh white wines from indigenous Macabeo and Xarel-lo alongside Chardonnay, and reds from Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon. Torres has become a worldwide benchmark for sustainable viticulture.

Jumilla is an inland DO in Murcia producing some of Spain's most full-bodied red wines from old-vine Monastrell (Mourvedre) vines that thrive in extreme heat at altitudes between 400 and 900 metres. The region's phylloxera-free sandy soils preserve century-old ungrafted vine stock that produces wines of extraordinary concentration and complexity. Jumilla's best wines develop over a decade into rich, spicy, deeply satisfying reds with exceptional value for money.

Albarino from Rias Baixas represents the gold standard of Spanish white wine: a single-varietal expression that has conquered fine dining rooms worldwide with its refreshing acidity, floral and peach aromatics, and distinctive mineral salinity reflecting its Atlantic coastal origins. The grape is thought to have been introduced by Cistercian monks in the 12th century, possibly from the Rhine region. Top producers such as Pazo de Senorans, Martin Codax, and Terras Gauda demonstrate the range from fresh and simple to complex and age-worthy.

Bierzo is a compact DO in northwest Spain where the Mencia grape produces some of the country's most exciting red wines on steep, terraced vineyards of slate and clay soils, long overlooked until winemaker Alvaro Palacios moved here in the early 2000s. The best wines come from ancient pergola-trained vines in the Corullon and Valtuille de Arriba villages, producing elegant, Burgundy-like wines with bright red fruit, herbal notes, and compelling mineral depth. Bierzo has become one of Spain's most exciting wine regions for collectors.