There are more than 70 denominations of origin to classify all Spanish wines in seventeen wine regions, including territories in the islands, the Canaries and the Balearic, all of which are worth visiting.
Rioja is a small autonomous community in northern Spain bordering the Basque Country. Known worldwide for its high quality red wines, primarily from the Tempranillo grape variety. And although the region is not very large, very different wines are produced here. That is why the DO Rioja appellation is divided into three subcategories: R. Alta, R. Baja and R. Alaves.
Castile and León is located in the center / northwest and is the largest autonomous community in Spain. Its vast territory consists mainly of arid areas, and more than 6 billion square meters are occupied by vineyards. Some of the best Spanish wines are made here under the DO Ribera del Duero, DO Toro and DO Rueda appellations. The leading red variety is Tempranillo, the leading white is Verdejo. It is worth visiting the city of Salamanca, where the university is located, which is the oldest in Spain and one of the oldest in Europe.
Castiliya-La Mancha is located in the middle/southeast. It is known all over the world as the setting for the famous novel Don Quixote by Cervantes. It has the largest vineyard area in the world and produces about 8% of the world's wine. The region is located on top of a plateau, so most of its territory consists mainly of arid spaces with little or no vegetation, with small areas of orchards, vineyards and windmills. Castile-La Mancha offers guests some of the finest Spanish wines and has 14 different designations of origin. Some of them are DO Jumilla, DO La Mancha, DO Ribera del Júcar or DO Manchuela.
Catalonia is located in the northeast, bordering the Mediterranean Sea in the east and the Pyrenees in the north. These two extremes cause very different climates in different parts of Catalonia, which of course means very different types of wine. Catalonia has 12 different appellations, all of which are grouped under the name Do Catalunya. The most famous and attractive city for tourists is the capital of the Barcelona region. Travelers should also visit Tarragona and Girona. There are many famous resorts and coastal cities, cultural and wine tourism, beach holidays are developed.
Valencia is located in the very east of the Iberian Peninsula, covering more than 500 kilometers of coastline. With its short, cool winters and warm, dry summers, it is a perfect example of a Mediterranean climate. Three appellations make up the majority of Valencia's wine production: DO Alicante, DO Utiel-Requena and DO Valencia.
Murcia is located in the southeast of Spain. It is a small, self-contained community with a wide variety of climates: beautiful beaches in the east, high mountains and rolling hills in the west, nestled in between the valley capital, Murcia. There are only three appellations in this region, but the quality of all three is undeniable: DO Jumilla, DO Yecla and DO Bullas.
Madrid is the capital and most populated city of Spain and is right in the heart of the region. It is the only capital in the world with its own DO Madrid appellation. By visiting it, you will visit three different wine regions: Arganda, Navalcarnero and San Martín de Valdeiglesias. The wine of each of them has its own characteristics. This makes the appellation very diverse and interesting. Try to look at visiting the Spanish capital from the point of view of a wine tourist, and also don't miss the chance to taste all the wines found with typical Spanish tapas.
Aragon is located in the northeast of Spain, its northern border lies at the Pyrenees. With a diverse landscape ranging from the green valleys surrounding the Ebro River to rocky landscapes and mountain glaciers, wines of very different character are produced here. There are four main appellations: the most popular is DO Somontano, as well as DO Calatayud, DO Campo de Borja and DO Cariñena.
The Basque Country (Euskadi) is an autonomous community that together with Navarre and its border area in France formed the Basque Kingdom. Goes to the Bay of Biscay, smoothly descending from the mountains to the oceanic beaches. An undisputed tourist hit with Spain's gastronomic capital city of San Sebastian and the cultural capital city of Bilbao, wine travelers can offer the traditional chacoli wine, which has been made on its territory for centuries. Local grape varieties belong to the Ondurrabi family.
Navarra is a mountainous province in northern Spain, on the border with France, with the high Pyrenees in the north and a high plateau in the south. Like the neighboring Basque Country, it was formerly a Basque kingdom. Through the narrow medieval streets of the capital Pamplona, an annual bull racing festival is held, which attracts tourists from all over the world. The most popular red grape varieties are Garnacha and Tempranillo, while the white ones are Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
Galicia is located in the northeast, where it faces the Bay of Biscay and borders Portugal. This is a very promising wine region, whose wines are of high quality and are becoming more and more popular all over the world. It is worth visiting for a variety of purposes. First of all, here lies the pilgrimage route of St. James, which leads to the city of Santiago de Compostela, where the relics of the saint are kept. Rich nature, sandy beaches on the ocean coast, green mountains are very attractive for travelers. The local cuisine is rich in seafood, and the white Albarino and Godello are considered the best wines, and it is already clear that hot summers, high slopes, ocean breezes, rocky and sandy soils provide an outstanding terroir for fine mineral wines.
Andalusia is located in the south and is known for its ancient traditions, which in our opinion are primarily associated with Spain: it is the birthplace of flamenco and bullfighting. The most popular tourist cities are Granada, where you can see examples of Moorish architecture, and the glamorous resort of Marbella with a great atmosphere and beach holidays.
Asturias is a principality and historical area in the north of the country overlooking the Bay of Biscay. Here are the high Cantabrian mountains with steep cliffs, sandy beaches at their foot, ancient fishing villages, a vast green territory of the national park. Skiing is popular in the mountains in winter, rock climbing and hiking in summer. Not the most popular wine region, but very interesting for tourists with wines made from local grape varieties.
Canary Islands is an archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of Africa. They are of volcanic origin, and on the island of Tenerife there is the third largest volcano in the world. The sand on the beaches here is black, unusual plants grow, many of them are succulent, and winemaking is original. Autochthonous grape varieties are cultivated.
The Balearic Islands are located in the Mediterranean off the eastern coast of the Iberian Gulf. Known, first of all, for the islands of Mallorca and Ibiza, the capital of youth resorts and nightlife in Spain. The capital of the community is the city of Palma de Mallorca. There are ancient traditions of winemaking and large areas of vineyards, and visiting the islands for tourism purposes is quite combined with wine tastings.