Unit 9 of 26 · Online wine course

Spanish Wine Course

Rioja, Ribera, Priorat, Cava and Sherry. 8 lessons · about 64 min

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The 8 lessons

  1. Spain at a glance: sun, old vines and patience

    Why Spain has the most vineyard land yet not the most wine: strong sun, old bush vines, a high plateau with cool nights, and reds aged before release.

    You will be able to:

    • name the three signatures of Spanish wine
    • describe Spain's climates, from green north-west to high plateau
    • explain how phylloxera's late arrival helped Rioja
    about 8 min

  2. The grapes of Spain: five local stars and their homes

    Tempranillo leads Spain's reds, and Garnacha, Monastrell, Albariño and Verdejo each have a home region and a clear taste that the place helps explain.

    You will be able to:

    • name Spain's five star grapes and how each tastes
    • match each grape to the region it calls home
    • explain how thin or thick skins change a red
    about 8 min

  3. Rioja: Spain's classic red

    Rioja is Spain's classic red: Tempranillo-led blends from three subzones, aged in oak the old way or the new, with labels that tell you how long.

    You will be able to:

    • place Rioja's three subzones by climate and style
    • name the grapes in a Rioja blend and their jobs
    • tell traditional from modern Rioja and pick a bottle
    about 8 min

  4. The Duero valley: Ribera, Toro and Rueda

    One river, three regions: high, bold Tempranillo reds in Ribera del Duero and Toro, and fresh, crisp Verdejo whites in Rueda, plus where to start.

    You will be able to:

    • explain how altitude shapes Ribera del Duero's reds
    • match Tinto Fino, Tinta de Toro and Verdejo to regions
    • choose a Duero wine from everyday to famous
    about 8 min

  5. Catalonia: Cava bubbles and Priorat power

    How Catalonia makes Cava, Spain's best-known traditional-method sparkling wine, how lees time ranks it, and why Priorat's old vines on black slate give such dense reds.

    You will be able to:

    • explain Cava's method and why its grapes are white
    • rank Cava's ageing levels and read its cork
    • describe Priorat's slate soil, its revival and its rank
    about 8 min

  6. Sherry and the south: flor, air and the solera

    Sherry comes from Spain's hot south and is mostly fortified: its classic styles are dry, and a yeast layer called flor decides between pale Fino and dark Oloroso.

    You will be able to:

    • explain fortified wine and why most sherry has no vintage
    • place the sherry triangle and its chalky albariza soil
    • tell Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado and Oloroso apart by flor
    about 8 min

  7. Read a Spanish label: tiers, ageing and key words

    Read a real Spanish bottle: the tier, from single estate to Vino de España, the ageing words and Roble, key words, Catalan terms and the numbered back label.

    You will be able to:

    • place Vino de Pago and Viñedo Singular on Spain's ladder
    • read Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva and Roble as ageing clues
    • decode a Spanish front and back label line by line
    about 8 min

  8. Spain: Rioja, Ribera and beyond

    A buyer's and diner's tour of Spain: what each ageing word tastes like, Rioja and Ribera side by side, value picks, whites, bubbles, sherry and food.

    You will be able to:

    • choose a Spanish red by its ageing word and mood
    • compare Rioja, Ribera and Priorat side by side
    • pick value bottles and match Spanish wines to food
    about 8 min

Related reading on Winelingo: Wine of Spain