Spanish Wines

I often feel like Spanish wines are overlooked in America - somehow off the radar of the average vino consumer because of how synonymous wine drinking has become with Spain's neighbor and rival - France. But, if your willing to look around and try new things you'll find that Spain produces some of the nicest, most surprising and often times most affordable wines in the world. Their production regions are numerous, their grape business booming and their wine-producers adventurous and ground breaking. Much like Spaniards have moved to the forefront of the culinary world in recent years, I really feel that Spanish wines are going to come into their own in a big way here in America.

Miami Herald wine writer Fred Tasker has a great piece singing the praises of the Spanish wine industry, beginning with two stories about his experiences in the region. The first involves drinking an 80 year aged bottle in a Spanish cellar - something he describes as a "religious experience." The second is a story about buying a cheap bottle of Spanish white in Miami and being blown away by the quality. These stories are meant to highlight the extreme ends of the spectrum, hopefully insinuating that Spain can do it all and encouraging readers to branch out and drink more from Espana. He's certainly sold me anyway.