Wine Terms: DO

The DO or Denominacione de Origen, has grown parallel to the French wine's AOC. It was actually established a couple of years before the AOC.

It regulates types of Spanish wine based upon terroir
and makes sure that quality is maintained. It also determines what grapes and percentages of grapes that are necessary for a wine to be from a particular Denominacione de Origen. The major grapes grown in Spain are:

-Grenache
-Tempranillo
-Viura
-Verdejo

Part of the success of Spanish wines is because of their proximity to France. The French had an issue with phylloxera destroying their crops in the late 1800s and many French winegrowers moved across the border to Spain. The result is a number of wineries along the Pyrenees, on the French border and some great wines.

It is not just because of that though. The Spanish have a history of great wines and an indicator of that are the Spanish grapes moved to France during the Papes d'Avignon. A couple of these popes were Spanish and wanted to take their wines with them.

These wines are rarely released as a varietal but rather under the vintners label. When buying Spanish wine, the only thing you really need to know is:

- Crianza: is a young wine released after 2 years of aging (one year must be in oak barrels).

- Reserva: is a wine released after 3 years of aging (one year must be in oak barrels).

- Gran Reserva: is a wine released after 5-7 years of aging (two years must be in oak barrels).

The Gran Reserva, when you find it will cost you, but every now and then it is definitely worth it. The Spanish wines are my favorites, so if you get the chance try them. They can be found in some reasonable price ranges and they are wonderful.

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