USA Consumers Embrace Spanish Wine

USA Consumers Embrace Spanish Wine

Oct 15, 2009
-By Susannah Gold

Sales of Spanish wines are on the rise in the United States despite a slow down in the overall market. The wines have a good quality to price ratio, which is very important now as consumers pull back on their spending.
These wines are also being made using the newest technologies, moving away from Spain’s image as one of the world’s most traditional winemaking countries. Even in areas like Rioja, long the province of traditional wine making, modernists who like to use international varieties and change the old ways of making wine have made inroads. All that said what Spain seems to be able to achieve is a happy medium between old and new techniques, often very difficult in the wine world.
Spain is also moving forward with strong attention to marketing as numerous events planned for the U.S. market remind us. Wines of Spain has its annual tour scheduled for October 6 while Vinos de Madrid is having a New York event on October 29 and other Denominación de Origen (Designation of Origin - DO) areas are making a play for the United States market.
The DO system is similar to the French and Italian wine classification systems which are separated into table wines and quality wines with specific restrictions on production methods and techniques as well as aging requirements, among others.
Spanish wines are a natural for the United States market both because of their traditional styles with big potent wines that use American oak, familiar to the American population but also because of the links with the ever growing Hispanic population in the United States.
Consumers and wine educators now have classes available to them to study Spanish wines thanks to the Spanish Wine Academy from Madrid which holds its certification programs throughout the year. The next one is slated for October 7 to 9 and is being held at the French Culinary Institute. Additionally, Spanish wine bars and restaurants have been growing like mushrooms throughout the major US cities.
Part of the reason for this ever growing interest in Spanish wines is because there are many to choose from and much to learn. Spain is the largest producer in the world in terms of land under vine but comes in third in terms of production, just behind Italy and France because a large percentage of the wine produced in Castilla La Mancha is distilled for Spanish brandy.
Some of the most popular wines from Spain are the Cavas or sparkling wines. Most people who drink these wine have had Freixenet sparkler made from Xarel-lo, Parellada, and Macabeo.
Wines from this area, Penedes, are sold all over the world and Cava is the second most important sparkling wine after French Champagne. It is made in the traditional method using secondary fermentation in the bottle. One of the most important innovations in the traditional method of making champagne, the giro palettes which help with riddling, was created in Spain.
On the other end of the spectrum are wineries in the Rioja such as Lopez de Heredia, know for its traditional wine making techniques and bottles which can age 30, 40, 50 years. Also in Rioja, wine tourism is at its greatest height thanks to the ultra modern winery designed by Frank Gehry, the architect of the Guggenheim in Bilbao. Marques de Riscal one of the oldest wineries in Spain which was founded in 1858 asked Gehry to help with their new 100,000 square meter project which incorporates a hotel, a restaurant, a wine therapy spa and the winery itself. These types of contrasts can be found all over Spain.
The Spanish regions are all quite different from one another in terms of their microclimates, soils and varieties. White wines from Rias Baixas using the Albarino grape, and made with stainless steel, are just as much an image of Spain as are the deep, heavy wines made from Mencia in Bierzo or Monastrell in Jumilla.
Just like their Italian counterparts, Spanish wine makers are looking to recoup lost autochthonous varieties as well as to plant international ones. While that may seem like a contradiction in terms, it is not in Spain where everyone is doing their own thing but all working towards improving quality and hygiene in the vineyards.
In the past, Spanish wines were all about the amount of time that they have spent in wood barrels. While still important, it is no longer the only factor taken into consideration. Spain has also showed considerable interest in organic agriculture as well as making younger, fruity wines which can be consumed immediately and delight an international palate.
While Italian wines are still easier to find, Spain is closing in. Tapas bars where small plates are served appeal to U.S. consumers who are looking to spend less money on dinner while still enjoying a night out.

Origin information: The Gourmet Retailer