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Step 1
Taste and understand Rioja wines. Perhaps the most popular region in Spain, Rioja has produced many of the red wines of note over the years that came out of Spain. Its namesake red wine is known for the predominance of the Tempranillo grape, and for its very long aging time, both in the bottle and in oak barrels. The winemakers of this region are split, however, on what makes a Rioja a Rioja. Some old bodegas are making red Rioja in the classic, old world style. These are wines that are earthy and tannic, but go great with food. Most bodegas now, however, are making very new world style reds. These are fruit-forward and easy to drink all on their own. Open your bottle of Rioja Crianza. Pour and sip the wine. It will have dark red fruit on the nose and baked cherry on the palate, with a finish reminiscent of vanilla and baking spices.
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Step 2
Taste and understand Ribera del Duero. This region, just southwest of Rioja, is also known primarily for its red wines. The grapes are a little different, using Tinto Fino, a genetic variant of Tempranillo. The elevation is higher and the sun more intense, with extremely hot summers, so the grapes tend to ripen faster and fuller. That makes the wines from this area fuller in body and higher in alcohol. Open your bottle of Ribera del Duero, pour, smell and sip. The fruit on the nose will be more intense than in the Rioja. On the palate, plum and dark stone fruit prevail, with a hint of black pepper on the finish.
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Step 3
Taste and understand Jerez de la Frontera. The only wine of note from this region is Sherry. This is the only region on earth that can make Sherry in the traditional way (because of ambient atmospheric conditions) and, therefore, is the only place on earth real Sherry can come from. There are many styles of Sherry, from extremely dry to tooth-decayingly sweet. Somewhere in the middle is Oloroso, a slightly sweet Sherry that still maintains some of the characteristics of the dryer Fino and Manzanilla types of Sherry. Open, pour, smell and taste your Oloroso. Hazelnuts and butterscotch notes will most likely be prominent on the nose. On the palate, there will be more nuttiness and caramel flavors with an almost slightly saline finish.
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Step 4
Taste and understand Penedes. Like Jerez, there is primarily one type of wine made in Penedes that the area is known for, but it couldn't be more different than Sherry. Penedes is famous for Cava, Spain's version of Champagne. The Penedes area is the region surrounding Barcelona, in the northeast of Spain. Many grapes are used in the area of Penedes to make Cava, but the main ones are Xarel-lo, Parellada and Macabeo. There are a handful of still wines made in this area, but not many are exported or are of note. The way Cava is made is the same way Champagne is made, using Methode Traditionale, or a secondary fermentation that happens after the wine is bottled. The gasses that are released from the fermentation are reabsorbed into the wine and become the bubbles of Cava. Cava tends to be lighter and fruitier than Champagne, as it uses fruitier grapes that are grown in a warmer climate. Open, pour and taste your Cava, and you will, no doubt, taste and smell the differences and similarities between this Spanish sparkler and Champagne.
