Decanter China staff

Spanish wine regions - Rioja DOCa

Rioja DOCa is the leading wine region of Spain, and considered one of the five best-known and most prestigious wine-producing regions of the world.

Spanish wine regions

There are seven key wine regions in Spain: Catalunya, Castilla-Leon, Castilla-La Mancha, Rioja, Navarra, Galicia and Sherry. Today let’s briefly talk about the signature wines and grape varieties for each region.

Tempranillo (red)

[Grape Variety] Spain's most important quality red variety, forming the backbone of Rioja and Ribera del Duero, where it's known as Tinto Fino.

Xinomavro (red)

[Grape Variety] Xinomavro is, quite possibly, the greatest of Greece's red grapes and, quite definitely, a wine lover's wine.

How to read tasting notes (medium-bodied red wines)

What wine has the scent of cigar box? Is it a good thing if the flavour of a wine is "tightly knit"?

Malvasia (white)

[Grape Variety] Like Muscat, this is an ancient, Mediterranean-based variety, whose heartland is Italy

Bacchus (white)

[Grape Variety] Aromatic, Sauvignon-like dry white

Jacquère (white)

[Grape Variety] Little-known, quality white variety confined to Savoie

Macabeo (white)

[Grape Variety] Widely planted in northern Spain and around the Mediterranean vineyards

How to read tasting notes (aromatic and sweet white wines)

What does “heady” and "lanolin" mean when describing a sweet wine?