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There are ten main Spanish wine regions in Spain that you should know if you are interested in the world of wine.
In Spain wine is produced practically in most of the regions of this country.
Nevertheless, some Spanish wine regions, have a greater tradition in the elaboration of their wines. Its denominations of origin enjoy a reputation in many parts of the world.
:The ten main wine regions in Spain that you should know
1.- La Rioja Region.
It was the first Spanish wine region and the other international projection at present.
Its climate provides for the cultivation of different types of grapes, but its native grape by definition is Tempranillo, which represents 75% of the area’s cultivation
For the white wines its elaboration is realized mainly with the grape Viura (also well-known like Macabeo).
2.- Ribera del Duero Region.
Another of the Spanish wine regions par excellence. It is a very popular area in Spain, both for its wines and for its tradition in the elaboration of the same.
It is located in the community of Castilla-León, and its climate is dry in summer and cold and long in winter, which causes a high thermal variation between day and night which favors the development of the grape.
3.- Region of Navarre:
This region has its origin in times of the Romans. Its territory is ideal for growing the vine for the diversity of grapes it can accommodate.
Its native variety is Garnacha and tempranillo, covering between the two, more than 70% of the production of the area.
4.- Region of Jerez.
It produces wines with a characteristic flavor, which give it an international recognition. Located in the south of Spain (Cádiz and Seville), all its wines come from three types of grapes, Pedro Ximénez, Palomino and Moscatel.
5.- Region of Utiel-Requena.
A region of the oldest in Spain in the production of wines. 74% of the grape produced is of the Bobal variety. The position where an altitude 600-900 meters occurs and give it some identifying features that are present in all wines.
6.- Penedés Region.
Located in Barcelona, it hosts a variety of climates in the area due to the different altitudes where they occur.
Famous for its white wines, produced with Xarel·lo, Macabeo and Parellada grapes.
7.- Priorat Region.
It is a region that together with Rioja have obtained the classification of Denomination of Qualified Origin.
It is located in the province of Tarragona, its main quality is that they are developed in slate floors.
Its red wines are strong, the Garnacha grape being the main variety of this area.
Their white wines are usually made with white Garnacha and Macabeo, although occur with other grape varieties.
8.-Region Castilla La Mancha.
It is the largest wine region in the world.
It covers more than 700,000 hectares of area dedicated to the cultivation of grapes.
This represents the 8% of world space dedicated to the cultivation of the vine.
Currently this region enjoys the system of drip irrigation and system of conduction by trellis, which confers, among other things, a mechanized harvest.
Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that many of the viticulture campaigns of this region are considered ecological. They need practically no treatment during their vegetative process of the vine.
9.- Region of Galicia.
Its main characteristic is the humidity of its climate. For them, they are extremely aromatic wines. They are also young and frequent wines which make them have a great acceptance.
Its most known denominations of origin are Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, Rias Baixas (albariño).
10.-Region of Murcia.
This Spanish wine region has three designations of origin: Jumilla, Yecla and Bullas.
The Monastrell grape is the queen of the area. They are very powerful wines with enough extraction, which implies greater color and more presence of tannins.
Its semi-arid Mediterranean climate, and a diversity of soils, coupled with the strong contractions of temperature between day and night, summer and winter, and the absence of rainfall, make it an ideal area for the production of great quality.
In conclusion:
The Spanish wine regions not only produce good wines of high quality, but also enjoy international prestige.