Spanish wine: barrel ageing or terroir?

Anne Vallejo, marketing manager, Marqués de Cáceres 

“We’ve been highlighting the terroir from the outset. Our founder, Enrique Forner, believed that the selection process starts at vineyard level. We’re committed to terroir and with all the wines we produce from Rioja, Rueda and Rías Baixas we apply different winemaking processes to extract the full personality of the land. In Rioja, our vineyards are located in Cenicero and San Vicente in Rioja Alta, and in Lanciego, Elciego and Laguardia in Rioja Alavesa. The vineyards are 30-50 years old and are often small, planted on terraces. We also have a selection of small parcels of old-vine vineyards, some of which are over 100 years old, to create limited edition boutique wines like Gaudium that pay tribute to our roots.” 

Miguel Torres Jr, managing director, Torres

“The great wines from Spain will always be based on the vineyards they come from, rather than just the concept of ageing – many of Spain’s most iconic wines don’t feature any mention of age on the label. However, I’m not opposed to the traditional categories of crianza, reserva and gran reserva as I think there’s space for both. The mention of ageing is something quite unique from Spain that has been used for decades and has become a point of differentiation for many consumers. For us, the most important thing is the selection of the vineyards where the grapes come from. Will ageing ever be synonymous with quality? I don’t believe so. The ultimate guarantee is the name of the producer on the label.”

Alison Easton, head of marketing, González Byass UK

“To try to determine a ‘one size fits all’ approach would be a great shame. One of the great joys of Spanish wine is its diversity, not only in terroir but of wine styles and grape varieties. When you consider that Spain produces wines as different in style as Rioja, Cava, Albariño and the flavour gamut that Sherry has to offer, it’s clear that there is room for more than one approach. There’s no reason why the messages can’t be combined – why should a Rioja reserva or an amontillado Sherry not also come from a specified vineyard? Let’s celebrate diversity in both winemaking and marketing. The most important thing is transparency and integrity in the way a wine is represented.”

Richard Cochrane, managing director, Félix Solís UK

“Spain offers an exciting array of wine styles from across the country’s diverse regions. Félix Solís has set up separate wineries in each of the key regions to ensure we can reflect this tremendous diversity across our range, with each winemaker having the freedom to explore the best of what is possible in each region. Consumers see Rioja as Spain’s premium red wine area of choice, but it’s now time to expand the repertoire. The first stepping-stone of this terroir journey is regionality, but there is a major challenge here – 93% of all Ribera del Duero never leaves Spain. Unlocking greater awareness of Spain’s key wine regions is a vital first step to help explore Spanish terroir and it starts on the shelf and restaurant wine lists.”

Elena Adell, head winemaker, Campo Viejo

“Barrel ageing is a fundamental part of the identity of Rioja and of the history of the region. It gives our wines their signature style and has been a major contributing factor to the success of the Rioja wine industry. However, Rioja shouldn’t be defined by barrel ageing alone. The region boasts diverse terroirs in its three sub-zones – each with vastly different characteristics whose wines reflect the distinct environment that shapes them. We celebrate this diversity at Campo Viejo by continually exploring new expressions of Rioja’s terroir. It is this very combination of terroir and barrel ageing that lends our wines complexity and makes them unmistakably Rioja, and it’s a combination we should be embracing.”

Arthur O’Connor, chief winemaker, Grupo Codorníu Raventos

“Barrel ageing is a secondary winemaking influence that can be replicated in any part of the world. For this reason it shouldn’t be considered a part of terroir. Terroir originates from the vineyard and is a primary characteristic that cannot be replicated from different geographic situations. Good winemaking is about complementing terroir characteristics. If winemaking ever becomes too dominant and overrides terroir, this should be considered poor winemaking. That said, ageing in barrel and bottle can be complementary to terroir in that it enhances a wine’s expression. We believe in terroir and have our own vineyard selection in all our wineries in order to identify the different terroirs. Rioja is such an exciting region that has more distinct terroirs than Burgundy. The challenge now is that Rioja communicates this terroir pesonality all over the world.”

Antonio Orte, winemaker, Juvé & Camps

“Consumers are becoming increasingly curious about the landscape inside a glass of wine. We’re tired of hearing the analytical data of a technical sheet of specifications. We want to discover the background and the unique link that exists between that wine and the specific place, varieties and people involved. A lot of new approaches focused on terroir have emerged in Spain recently: Godellos and Mencías from Bierzo or Valdeorras, Garnachas from Priorat or Campo de Borja, Xarel-los from Penedés, Monastrells from Jumilla or Alicante, dry Palominos from Jerez – these are beautiful wines with a common footprint: essence and honesty. It’s time for us to uncork these unique stories and bring Spain’s landscapes to our glasses.”

Santiago Frías Monje, director general, Bodegas Riojanas

“One of the distinguishing factors of Rioja is the ageing of its wines. Consumers may not know the time in barrel and bottle that a crianza, reserva or gran reserva is aged, but they know that a reserva is a higher quality wine than a crianza. Rioja shouldn’t give up either the specific characteristics of the soil or the ageing process in barrel and bottle, which provides a differential value. Each DO in Spain has its own grape varieties that work together with the terroir to ensure that consumers are able to appreciate the typical characteristics of each without renouncing its historical identity.”

Angeline Bayly, director, Sherry Wines UK

“The importance of terroir in Jerez is an emerging trend as producers seek to tell their individual stories and highlight their provenance. For Sherry, it’s not a question of shifting focus away from barrel ageing as it’s the heart and soul of what makes Sherry unique, but rather about adding a new dimension to the history and diversity of wines produced in the region. The new breed of Sherry sippers – a younger crowd with a taste for dry styles – are thirsty for knowledge and are asking about sub-regions and single vineyards as they would still wines, so being able to explain more about where Sherry comes from is something we welcome.”