Making Sense of Spain
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With 70 Denominations of Origin and numerous indigenous varietals, I may not have Spain “in my pocket” after only one master class…
Matt Kramer explains the title of his 1989 book, Making Sense of Wine, with these words in its preface:
“Making Sense of Wine reflects an ongoing search for the contexts that give meaning to wine and help make sense of something that is dizzying in its specifics and mystifying in its apparent lack of absolutes.”
I spent an evening this week attending a Master Class on wines from Spain. With 70 “D.O.s” (Denominations of Origin– like our AVA system) and a wide variety of climates where grapes are grown, Spanish wine can certainly be “dizzying in its specifics.” Spain is the world’s third largest producer of wine and may even increase its production levels in the future as the climate becomes warmer and the use of irrigation is allowed in the central section of the country.
Source: www.foodwinesfromspain.com
As we tasted 11 wines we became familiar with the country’s geographic and culinary contexts. Our wines were organized to take us from the crisp whites that accompany the seafood of Galicia on the Atlantic coast in the northwest (“Green Spain”), eastward across the north of the country (source of elegant reds from Rioja, Ribero del Duero, Toro) to the east and down the Mediterranean coast (riper, more intense reds in Priorat, Penedés, Jumilla). That is so much ground to cover that we did not even attempt to cover the fortified wines of Jeréz (sherry) or Spain’s sparkling wine, Cava. Organized in this way, it became easier to imagine how the influences of geography and climate can render such differing expressions of Tempranillo, Spain’s principal red grape, for example. Blends made in the northeastern corner of the country, near the border with France, can include that country’s “international varietals.” And the gastronomy of the various regions – from delicate shellfish to lamb to tapasand paellato Spain’s famous ham – provides still more context to the styles of the wine.
Further on in the preface to Matt Kramer’s book, he attempts to identify what is “absolute” about good wine.
“…wines are like dancers. No matter who is doing the judging, regardless of the culture, the age, or the choreography, great dancers always are recognized by the exhibition of the same values: control, line, grace, proportion, and fluidity, among others. So it is with wine, with its particular attributes.”
An evening spent deeply discussing and tasting wines from a place I have yet to visit confirmed this observation. There is a perceptible authenticity to wine when it reflects a social context and location. As a foreigner, I can only glimpse the richness of these things. But how fortunate we are to live in a time when wines like these can afford us with a direct and pleasurable window into cultures found in places like Spain. This is certainly an important “sense” of wine.
Learn more about the wines and cuisine of Spain:
