Click here to read the previous post, Adjusting to Life in Spain: How Am I Practicing Being Spanish?
The other day a friend and I were enjoying a delicious red wine in a restaurant and I asked the waiter what the grape was. He didn’t know so he picked up the bottle and scrutinized every word on the label. Finally, he set it down, shrugged and said, “No sé.” (“I don’t know.”) After he left, I examined it myself. He was right – nowhere on the the bottle’s label did it mention the grape.
Another time I was at a restaurant and asked for a glass of chardonnay, and the waiter all but said “Huh?” So I wound up asking for “un vino blanco amaderado que es más dulce que seco” (“an oaky white wine that is more sweet than dry”), which he understood, and brought me a glass of something white. No idea what it was. Pretty tasty, though.
And this is when my confusion began.
In the U.S. you usually ask for a glass of wine by the grape, like a chardonnay or pinot noir. In Spain, wine is categorized by geographical region, like Rioja or Ribera del Duero, not by grape. Also, Spain seems to have different grapes anyway, like tempranillo or garnacha, which just make things even more mysterious for me.
So I’ve been trying to understand Spanish wine and, more importantly, how to order it in a way that isn’t just taking a stab in the dark (which isn’t a bad game plan, actually, since 99% of the wines I’ve had here in Spain have been delicious).
Let me take you through my learning process — and, by the way, feel free to leave a comment below if I’ve gotten anything wrong!
U.S. Wines by Grape (Varietal)
In the U.S., wine is often labeled and ordered by grape variety, such as:
Chardonnay (white wine)
Pinot Noir (red wine)
Cabernet Sauvignon (red wine)
These varietals are typically grown in specific regions, but the grape name is the primary identifier.
Spanish Wines by Region
In Spain, wine is primarily categorized by region of origin, which reflects the terroir (climate, soil and geography) and the winemaking traditions of that area. Common regions include:
Rioja: Known for elegant, often oak-aged reds, typically made from the Tempranillo (this is the one I most often see), Garnacha, Graciano, and Viura grapes. This is Spain’s oldest wine region, which is in the northern part of Spain, and uses long barrel aging.
Ribera del Duero: These are often bold, structured reds, also predominantly Tempranillo. The Ribera del Duero region is located north of Madrid, and with the composition of the soil, the altitude and the very hot days and cool nights, this produces a “vivacity of fruit and aromas”.
Rueda: Known for fresh, zesty white wines, often made from Verdejo or Sauvignon Blanc. The Rueda region is in the northwest of Spain, which can also produce a richer, more full-bodied white wine when you combine it with other varieties in the region, like Chardonnay or Viura.
Priorat: Intense, high-quality reds, often based on Garnacha (Grenache) and Cariñena. The Priorat region is located in Catalunya, which is west of Barcelona, and its very steep, terraced vineyards is what accounts for the more intense wines.
Cava (Penedès): Cava is Spain’s version of Champagne (which, by the way, can only be called this if it comes from the Champagne area in France) made from grapes like Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada, and is produced in various regions across Spain.
Source: Winalist
Grapes in Spain vs. U.S.
The U.S. focuses on international grapes like Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel, while Spain focuses on its native varieties like Tempranillo, Garnacha, Albariño, Verdejo and Godello. Even though many Spanish wines use indigenous grape varieties, Spain also grows Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, especially in modern wineries.
Here are a couple of comparison charts to help me get this shit straight…
(Note: Please see Dave’s helpful remarks in the comment section below for a little more clarification!🍷 😁)
How to Order Wine in Spain
OK, so all that information is interesting, but it still doesn’t help me order. I dove deeper into this very important subject and asked a few people, and here’s what I gather.
1. Ask for the region or style, not the grape
Apparently, the region will tell you about the wine (unless you don’t know any damn regions because you’ve just moved to this grape-fearing country!!). Ahem. The Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions, for instance, are famous for their Tempranillo grape.
So instead of ordering by the grape, you might ask for a region, like:
"Una copa de Rioja, por favor." (“A glass of Rioja, please.”)
"Un vino blanco de Rueda, por favor." (“A white wine from Rueda, please.”)
Ok, this is good. This I can understand!
2. Look for Crianza/Reserva/Gran Reserva
Looking for the Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva labels on Spanish wines can be very helpful when ordering because these terms indicate the wine’s aging process and quality, which in turn tell you about the wine’s flavor, texture and overall style.
Here's how these classifications can help you choose:
Practical tips for ordering:
If you're new to Spanish wine, start with a Crianza to explore fresh and approachable flavors.
For something richer and more complex, ask for a Reserva.
If you're celebrating or looking for a wine to savor slowly, go for a Gran Reserva.
God, I’m exhausted. I’m just happy to get a glass of something I can make heads or tails of, so I’m not going to worry about the aging process just yet. But it’s a good FYI to have tucked in my back pocket.
3. Can’t go wrong with local wine
Many regions have excellent local wines that are not widely exported. So you can also just ask for a recommendation:
"¿Qué vino [tinto/blanco] recomienda de la casa?" (“What house [red/white] wine do you recommend?”).
Yeah, let the waiter do all the work!
To Recap
So what have I learned about ordering Spanish wines? Make a Spaniard friend and let him/her do all the wine ordering! And barring that, basically just don’t focus on the grape, focus on the flavor profile or region (if you know it).
In general, Spanish vs. U.S. flavor:
Spanish reds tend to be more structured and earthy compared to many fruit-forward (what’s with all this fruit-forward business??) U.S. reds.
Spanish whites like Albariño or Verdejo are often fresher and crisper than oaky California Chardonnays.
So you wouldn’t order "Una copa de Chardonnay" in Spain, right?
Correct. Some Spanish wineries produce Chardonnay, but it’s not as prevalent as in the U.S. or France. Plus, even when available, it might not be labeled as "Chardonnay."
Then how would you order a similar wine in Spain?
If you want, for example, a Chardonnay because you like a full-bodied, sometimes buttery, with flavors of tropical fruits or citrus white white, you can ask for a Spanish white wine with similar profiles:
Rioja Blanco: White wines from Rioja often made with Viura (Macabeo), which can have a similar creamy texture if aged in oak.
Rueda Verdejo: Crisp and aromatic, similar to a light, unoaked Chardonnay.
Albariño: From Galicia, fresh and vibrant, akin to a cool-climate Chardonnay.
Or, if you don’t know the above wines but you want a wine that feels similar to a Chardonnay, you can ask for:
"Un vino blanco fresco, por favor." (“A fresh white wine, please.”)
"Un vino blanco con cuerpo." (“A full-bodied white wine, please.”)
Or if you know a specific region: "Un blanco de Rioja" or "Un blanco de Rueda".
Crikey, I need a glass of wine now and I don’t much care what the hell it is!
To hell with the grape or region — this is how I drink wine!
Click here to read the next post, Adjusting to Life in Spain: Dating in My Non-Native Language
Note: All photos taken or created (using DALL-E) by Selena Templeton, unless otherwise noted.
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