Flash Report of Our Wines | Merchandising 101 | Features to Benefits | Overcoming Objections | Regional Managers | Producer Highlights

1. Why is American oak traditionally used instead of French?
2. What is the difference between Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva?
3. Are the quality of vintages the same throughout Spain and France? Italy?
4. Do Spanish wines age well?
5. Is Crianza just a table wine?
6. What does Cosecha mean?
7. Why have Spanish wines become more expensive in the last few years?
8. Why have Spanish wines become more popular in recent years?
9. Why do the wines seem light by comparison to typical California Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot?
10. What is the main grape variety used in Spain and what would you compare this wine to in terms of something I know?

Why is American oak traditionally used instead of French? Different people will come up with different explanations for this however, the most plausible seems to be that this dates back to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. During their great exploration years, much of Spain was deforested for shipbuilding. The Americas had an abundant source of oak which was shipped back to Spain for any number of uses, including uses in winemaking. This has never changed, although today, it has become fashionable for marketing purposes to tout the use French oak.

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What is the difference between Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva? By law, Crianza must be aged a minimum of one year in oak barrels and at least one year in bottle before release; Reserva must be aged a minimum of three years total between bottle and barrel, at least one year of which must be in barrel; Gran Reserva must be aged a minimum of two years in oak and at least three years in bottle.

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Are the quality of vintages the same throughout Spain and France? Italy? No. Within Spain itself there may be a wide variation in quality from region to region from a given vintage. The same is true when comparing Rioja vintages to those in other countries. In certain years, notable regions like Bordeaux and Rioja may both experience great vintages owing to weather patterns, however, this is not always the case.

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Do Spanish wines age well? Some do and some don't, depending on many factors including vintage and the producer. In general however, there is a misconception that because wines made from Tempranillo are not, with some exceptions, generally tannic, that these wines will not age well. This is misleading because there are other components in wine which contribute to aging capability. Namely acidity, which, in Martínez Bujanda's Conde de Valdemar wines, is contributed to the wines by adding up to 20% Mazuelo (a highly acidic grape) to the blend. The liveliness of recent library releases from Bujanda dating back to 1968 attest to the agability of these wines.

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Is Crianza just a table wine? No. Crianza in Rioja designates a minimum level of aging that must be done to the wine in both barrel and bottle before it can be released. There is no such requirement when producing table wines, which are generally released very quickly after the vintage.

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What does Cosecha mean? Literally translated to English it means "harvest." As a practical matter it can be interchanged with vintage.

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Why have Spanish wines become more expensive in the last few years? This is due to several factors which include the increased cost of growing grapes in Spain, as well as the fact that the overwhelming majority of wines sold here are Rioja wines, which are experiencing such increased worldwide demand that there is literally much more demand than supply for each vintage.

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Why have Spanish wines become more popular in recent years? This is due largely to the wineries from Spain gaining increased distribution and awareness among the wine consuming public, which resulted in part from Spain's reputation for great values combined with the recent surge in prices from other popular wines from around the world and especially California.

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Why do the wines seem light by comparison to typical California Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot? Generally speaking, wines from Spain do tend to be lighter than California style wines. For the most part they are medium-bodied and this is due mainly to the grape varieties used, which are typically not as heavy as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, as well as the Spaniards preference for wines which do not over power their style cuisine. In fact, Spanish cooking is also known for its scant use of heavy sauces or seasoning as well. They prefer not to cover up the freshness of the countries wonderful foods.

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What is the main grape variety used in Spain and what would you compare this wine to in terms of something I know? The majority of wines produced by Spanish Bodegas are red and, though most are blends of two or more grapes, by far the preferred grape is Tempranillo. Among grapes that are familiar in this country, Tempranillo would most closely resemble Pinot Noir. This is more in body and in style than in actual flavors of the wines.

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