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Spain is organized in districts or demarcations, these areas are
classified and recognized by the "Denominación de Origen"
label. The D.O. system is in fact a quality control system which
guaranties the origin and class of grapes, as well as the methods used to
produce the wines. Controlled by INDO - Instituto Nacional de
Denominaciones de Origen - under the direction of The Spanish Ministry of
Agriculture, the D.O. system is used for a broad range of agricultural
products ranging from wine and olive oil, to cured hams and cheeses.
The "typical wines" mentioned below are just that - typical.
They do not necesarily represent all the wines of the D.O. area; this of
course depends very much on the winery, harvest, grape variety, and many
other factors. Furthermore, there are many fine bodegas in Spain
which do not have a D.O., but nevertheless produce excellent quality
wines.
This list, courtesy of "The Spanish Wine Page," is far from
exhaustive. I simply wanted to provide the reader with a competent guide
to the grapes grown in various regions of Spain.
The following list shows D.O.s current as of 1999, and includes
registered name, geographical area, and typical wines.
Abona - Canary Islands. Young reds, whites and rosés
Alella - NE Mediterranean. Fruity whites, varietals
Alicante - Central Mediterranean. Solid reds
Almansa - South central. Heavy reds
Ampurdan-Costa Brava - NE Mediterranean. Rosés, "cavas"
& reds
Bierzo - Northwest. Fragrant reds
Binissalem - Island of Mallorca. "Manto Negro" reds
Bullas - Southeast. Rosés
Calatayud - North Central. Tasty reds, fine rosés
Campo de Borja - North central plateau. Reds & rosés
Cariñena - North Central. Full-bodied reds
Chacolí de Guetaria - North (Bay of Biscay). Young "txacoli"
whites
Chacolí de Vizcaya - North (Bay of Biscay). Young "txacoli"
whites
Cigales - NE central. Rosés
Conca de Barbera - East (near Barcelona). Whites & "cavas"
Condado de Huelva - SW Atlantic. Light young whites
Costers del Segre - Northeast. Varietal reds & whites
El Hierro - Canary Islands. Young reds & whites
Jerez-Xéres-Sherry, Manzanilla Sanlucar de Barrameda - SW
Atlantic. Sherries and "manzanilla"
Jumilla - Southeast central. Robust reds
La Mancha - South central. Whites, table reds & rosés
La Palma - Canary Islands. Whites & table reds
Lanzarote - Canary Islands. "Malvasía" whites
Málaga - South Mediterranean. Dessert "moscatels"
Mondéjar - Central plateau. Young reds & whites
Méntrida - Central plateau. Strong reds
Monterrei - Northwest. Young whites & reds
Montilla-Moriles - South. Sherry-like "amontillados"
Navarra - North Pyrenees. Tasty reds & rosés
Penedés - NE Mediterranean. Whites & "cavas",
smooth reds
Pla de Bages - Mediterranean. Young reds & whites
Pla i Llevant - Mediterranean. Young reds & whites
Priorato - Mediterranean. Robust dense reds
Rias Baixas - NW Atlantic. Young fruity whites
Ribeira Sacra - Northwest. Young whites & reds
Ribeiro - Northwest. Whites
Ribera del Duero - NW central. Quality reds
Ribera de Guadiana - West. Table reds
Rioja - North central. Quality reds
Rueda - NW central. Quality whites
Somontano - Central Pyrenees. Reds with body
Tacoronte - Canary Islands. Table reds & whites
Tarragona - Mediterranean. Light whites & robust reds
Terra Alta - Mediterranean. Solid whites
Toro - NW central. Strong reds
Utiel-Requena - East (near Valencia). Varietals & table reds
Valdeorras - Northwest. Fruity whites
Valdepeñas - Central plateau. Whites & reds
Valencia - Mediterranean. Aromatic whites, solid reds
Valle de Güímar - Canary Islands. Young whites
Valle de la Orotava - Canary Islands. Young reds, whites &
rosés
Vinos de Madrid - Central. Sturdy reds & varietals
Ycoden-Daute-Isora - Canary Islands. table reds & whites
Yecla - Southeast. strong reds
Special Category
Cava - Various areas (North). "Champagne method"
sparkling wines
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