Announcing WBW #35: Passionate Spain

With wine & hope, anything is possible.
                                                            - Spanish proverb

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday #35: Passionate Spanish Wines.

Spain - land of bullfighting, magical realism, and the pasa doble. A land of great history and passion. Doesn't it make sense that Spain would produce great wines? From lesser known whites to the popular reds of Rioja, it's time to take a look at the world's third most prolific wine producer.

In the last decade, the number of Spanish wine regions (DOs) has grown over 20 percent and Spain has created a new set of wine regulations. There are a great many grapes that are specific to Spain - too many to list here.

Last year Kevin & I took a seminar on Spanish wine, which opened up a whole new world of wine for us. Spain offers an amazing amount of flavor and diversity for an extremely reasonable cost. (As a special tip, we learned that the 2001 vintage in Spain was excellent!) For more information on Spanish wine, grapes, regions, and laws, visit WinesfromSpain.com. They'll even send you a free book. I also recommend Catavino and The Spanish Wine Page. Podcast: Wine for Newbies also has a podcast on Spanish wines.

While we've had some good Spanish whites, as well as some great Sherry, our favorites remain the Spanish reds. Whether heavier or light, these reds rarely disappoint us. Our best guide to value-priced Spanish wines has been our wine guy, JP from Party Town. So if you're unfamiliar with Spain, don't be afraid to ask your local wine store folks for guidance.

Your mission: This is not only an exercise in Spain; it's an exercise in trying value-priced wines. Taste at least one bottle of Spanish wine, red or white, preferably under $10. (I won't fault you if you end up spending a little bit more.) Extra kudos to the folks who search out of the Rioja box and find bottles from the lesser known wine regions.

Let me know what you thought of it. How was the selection at your store? Did you get value for your dollar? Email me your thoughts and your URL at spanish.wbw@gmail.com. As soon as I collect everyone's posts, I'll summarize. Remember, you don't need a blog to participate. If you are blog-less, you can also email me your thoughts and I'll post those. This month's due date is Wednesday, July 11.

My thanks to originator and coordinator Lenn for allowing us the chance to host this fun, virtual tasting event.

Cheers!