The History of Wine-Making in Spain

It would be impossible to talk about travelling in Spain and not touch on wine,as its history is so relevant to both the country and culture. Spanish wines are some of the richest in the world both delighting and challenging the drinker and are highly revered by international connoisseurs. Spanish wine production forms a vital part of the country's economy both in terms of exportation and tourism. 

Owing their prominence to a turbulent history, unique topography and the incredible spirit of the Spanish people. Spain is the third largest wine producer in the world and has 69 distinctive wine regions. Spain is a large country geographically and has more acreage under grape cultivation than any other country in the world although many vineyards are low-yielding. Firmly rooted in tradition and steeped in history but at the same time modern and vibrant, Spain is a study in contrasts and just like the climate and geography offers a spectacular variety of wines. Grapes are grown throughout every region of the country with Castilla-La Mancha having nearly half of the planted acreage followed by Extremadura, Valencia, Castilla-Leon, Catalonia, Murcia and Rioja. About two-thirds of all wines produced in Spain are table wines with about one-third comprising of high-quality wines. Red wines tend to outnumber whites. Jerez is famous for Sherry and the sparkling wine known as Cava is from Penedes.

During my time in Spain, I was involved in grape picking, worked in a small bodega, where I saw wines been made and was invited into a small Andalusia village to try wine from a private bodega. Many villages have their own vineyards and everyone takes part in grape-picking and the wine gets shared out. I visited a wine festival and tried, for research purposes only, many wonderful local wines! Holiday companies now offer tours around Spanish wineries and vineyards and I can see the appeal of visiting the breath-taking countryside and sampling the wines of Spain along with tasting the traditional cuisine. From rustic to refined, to innovative, red, white, sparkling and fortified. A feast for all the senses you will never forget.

The history of wine in Spain is so old that no one really knows who first brought vines to the area. Though many archaeologists believe that grapes were first cultivated sometime between 4000 and 3000 BC. By the time the Phoenicians arrived 3,000 years ago and founded the trading post city of Cadiz, viticulture was well established and Spanish wines became widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa.

When the Romans conquered Spain, they brought new wine-making methods. Under Roman rule it  was a golden age for Spanish wine. The two main production areas were the areas now called Tarragona and Andalusia. After the decline of the Roman Empire, the barbaric tribes from the north of Europe invaded the Peninsula and there is little information about wine history during these times. Most probably these tribes drank some kind of rustic beer or wine.

The 8th-century invasion by the Arabs meant there was a religious ban on alcohol. Although, they never prevented Christians from producing their own wines. In fact, the Muslims like to eat the grapes that grew on the vines, these were dried out and consumed as raisins.

The Middle Ages brought monks from different orders from all over the world to Spain. They played a very important role in the establishment of wine cellars and wineries.The monks also brought new types of vines (different from the Spanish types of vines) and new techniques. Wine-making flourished with the rise of Catholicism. The Reconquest also reopened the wine exportation business and the city of Bilbao positioned itself at the head of it. Most of the wines sold at this time went to the English markets, where they were as highly valued as French wines.

The discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus opened up the exportation options and the Spanish conquistadors took Spanish vines with them in order to start wine production in the new Spanish colonies. This was the beginning of wine history in the New World. The 15th and 16th centuries saw a huge rise in the popularity of Spanish wines, which were being produced in almost every area of the Iberian Peninsula.

With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution came better machines for wine making, and Spain saw a decline in the exportation of its wines. There was a brief respite when the vine louse- Phylloxera destroyed most of the Northern European vineyards during the 19th century. It was a dire time for Europe and Spain was its salvation. The plague hadn't reached the Spanish vineyards so there was plenty of wine to export to the parts of Europe where all the vineyards had been destroyed.

Winemakers from France crossed the Pyrenees Mountains bringing with them new grape varieties, modern techniques and tools. The north of Spain, specially Navarre and the Basque Country especially benefited by this and their wine tradition was much richer during this time than the rest of Spain's, because they had access to the great French wine making culture.

However, the luck didn't last, as the Phylloxera bug arrived in Spain later that century. Due to the country's geography, the plague took longer to spread, so when things started to look really dire,the cure had already been discovered. It consisted of grafting tougher vines, like the American rootstock which was immune to the bug, to weaker vines, to create a hybrid that could stand against the epidemic resulting in less damage to Spanish vineyards. If it weren't for this remedy, it's likely that wine-making tradition in Spain would not be as important today.

The wine- making industry would still face more problems before reaching its modern- day postion. World War I paralyzed the European trade market, which made exporting anything almost impossible. Then the Spanish Civil War froze the country, and while the different sides were fighting each other the vines were left unattended and some of them were even torn up to plant wheat and other cereals used in basic foods. Even when the war ended, the problems did not cease. World War 11 immobilized the European market and made it impossible for the industry to take off until the 1950s. It was around this time that some of the vineyards were replanted and the wine-making tradition began to be restored in some parts of Spain.

The first half of the 20th century left Spain wracked by war and economic disruption. Since the 1950’s Spain’s winemakers have worked steadily to improve the quality. In the 1960s came the international rediscovery of Jerez and Rioja. But the real resurgence arrived when Franco died in 1975 and the transition to democracy began. The economic freedom gave way to a growth of this market between the middle Spanish classes and the revolution came to the wine industry at the beginning of the 1980s. The tourist industry introduced wines to many who had not drunk this before. 

When Spain became a part of the European Union in 1986, this brought economic aid to the Spanish wine sector and new legal standards for wine were put in place. The 1990s gave way to the acceptance in the use of international varieties of grapes like the Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, and the ban on watering which had been imposed during a drought period was lifted in 1996. This meant new places to plant, more grape varieties and more profitable ways of production. The golden age of Spanish wine had started. Now, a new generation of winemakers have quietly begun crafting spectacular wines, including organic, and experimenting with varieties that would have been unthinkable only a short time ago.

Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture and tradition. So why not contribute to keeping this great history alive by enjoying a glass of wine in Spain. 

Who can resist, well I can’t, make mine a large glass of Rioja please.