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Spain
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The DO and ageing ladders, nine regions, five grapes, the solera and two verified Rioja houses.
All levels174 min26 stepsAbout Spain: The World's Largest Vineyard
Spain: The World's Largest Vineyard
Start with the country: vineyard area, climate zones and its range from Rioja to Sherry and Cava.
Spain's DO Classification Hierarchy: From Region to Single Vineyard
Next, the geographic ladder from DO down to single vineyards.
Joven, Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva (Spanish Aging Classification)
Then the ageing ladder from Joven to Gran Reserva that appears on many Spanish labels.
Begin the regions in Rioja, Spain's first DOCa, along the Ebro.
Go deeper: Rioja, 13 steps, 81 min
Go deeper into Rioja: its three sub-zones, four grapes, American oak and three producers.
Start Rioja DoneWest to Ribera del Duero on the Castilian plateau, where Tempranillo is called Tinto Fino.
Rioja DOCa vs Ribera del Duero DO
Set Rioja and Ribera del Duero side by side: climate, soil, grapes, style and classification.
Downriver on the Duero to Toro and its local Tempranillo, Tinta de Toro.
North to Bierzo, a basin of slate hillsides and old Mencía vines.
West to the Atlantic and Rías Baixas, where Albariño grows on granite.
Cross to Catalonia and Priorat, old Garnacha and Cariñena on llicorella slate.
Go deeper: Priorat, 12 steps, 93 min
Go deeper into Priorat: llicorella slate, terraces, Garnacha and Cariñena, and Montsant next door.
Start Priorat DonePriorat DOQ vs Ribera del Duero DO
Compare Priorat with Ribera del Duero on climate, soil, grapes, classification and scale.
Nearby Penedès, in the provinces of Barcelona and Tarragona, a separate DO that overlaps with Cava's zone.
Cava itself, bottle-fermented sparkling wine from native Catalan grapes.
Finish the regions in Andalusia with Sherry, fortified wine from albariza soils and flor.
Go deeper: Sherry, 15 steps, 108 min
Go deeper into Sherry: albariza, flor, the solera, and the styles from Manzanilla to Pedro Ximénez.
Start Sherry DoneNow the grapes, starting with Tempranillo, the backbone of Rioja and Ribera del Duero.
Garnacha, seen earlier in Priorat, where Jancis Robinson says ancient Garnacha bush vines provide the backbone of many of the top wines.
Tempranillo vs Grenache / Garnacha
Compare Tempranillo and Garnacha on viticulture, flavor, structure and aging classification.
Albariño, the grape of Rías Baixas.
Mencía, the red grape of Bierzo.
Palomino Fino, the grape behind almost all Sherry.
Solera System: Dynamic Ageing (Sherry, Madeira, Some Ports)
Return to Sherry for the fractional blending system that ages it.
Now producers: a Rioja house established in 1852 around the Finca Ygay estate.
A Haro house founded in 1890, with its own cooperage.
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