Newcastle Wine School owner David Harker explores the food and wine of Spain’s most popular holiday destinations
The wine curious holiday maker heading to Spain has much to discover – from the Costas to the Canaries there are unusual grape varieties, historic wine treasures and local dishes to try.
Sun seekers heading for the resorts of Torremolinos or Marbella may not appreciate that Málaga has a proud wine making tradition. The sweet wines were once so popular that the province was Spain’s second largest wine region. Such was its prestige, Málaga was one of the first wine regions recognised under the 1932 national wine statute. The wine to seek out is the traditional Pajarrete, a fortified wine made from Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel grapes. Pajarrete is a rich, sweet, nutty wine with flavours of figs and dried fruit.
If you prefer something lighter then head into the mountains behind Málaga. Ronda is a pueblo blanco dramatically perched above the El Tajo gorge. It is also at the heart of the Sierras de Málaga wine region. The mountain wines are unfortified and always dry. Most are red but you can find some dry white wines made from the local Doradilla grape variety.
Whatever your wine preference, there is always a tapa to match.
Nobody really knows when the tapas tradition of serving a small portion of food with a drink started. It may have been when King Alfonso X, a 13th Century king of Castile, fell ill. His recovery was aided by taking small portions of food with wine between meals. Legend has it that when he regained his health, he ordered that all taverns must henceforth serve a small snack with wine. Or perhaps it was another Alfonso, Bourbon King Alfonso XIII. He ordered a cup of wine at a Cádiz tavern and was served the cup with a slice of jamón laid across the top to prevent sand blowing into the wine. The story goes that he was so impressed he ordered a second and the tradition was born. Or it might simply be that in the stifling heat of Seville tavern owners served sherry topped with a saucer to keep the flies out.
Alicante has its own rare wine treasure – Fondillón. Unique to Alicante, Fondillón was the favourite wine of The Count of Monte Cristo, enjoyed by Hans Christian Andersen, and mentioned in the memoirs of Casanova. Such was the reputation of Fondillón that by the end of the 19th Century it was among the most expensive wines in the world. It is made by harvesting over-ripe Monastrell grapes high in sugar and with intense concentrated flavours. These raisened grapes are then crushed, fermented in oak barrels, and aged for at least 10 years. The result is a wine that is amber in appearance, slightly sweet, with a complex character of hazelnut, caramel, dried orange peel, prune and ripe fig.
Unfortunately, at the turn of the 20th Century the producers of Fondillón faced a series of traumas. First vine disease, then civil war, and finally a shift in the economy away from traditional agriculture to industry and tourism. The golden age of Fondillón was over but you can still find it in the wine and duty-free shops of Alicante. If you are able to get your hands on a bottle, then enjoy it with Mojama – the local salt-cured tuna – or pair with strong cheese or Christmas cake.
Across the Mediterranean from Alicante is Mallorca. In 73AD the Roman writer and naturalist Pliny the Elder compared the wines of Mallorca to the best wines of Italy. Sadly, those celebrated vineyards were wiped out by disease at the end of 19th Century and the vines replaced by almond trees. It took another 100 years for the vineyards to be replanted to meet the demand of the booming tourist industry.
Today a second wave of investment is underway as a new generation of winemakers appreciate the drought resistant qualities of the island’s indigenous grape varieties. Grapes such as Prensal, Manto Negro, Callet and Fogoneu are grown on the vermilion-coloured soils in the centre and on the eastern side of the island. My favourite is Callet, Mallorca’s answer to Pinot Noir. Try it with Sobrasada sausage spread made from a blend of paprika and pork from the native Porc Negre pig.
A Spanish island with a much more recent vinicultural history, and its own wine treasure, is Tenerife. Vines were first planted on the island by the Spanish in the early 16th Century. The sweet white Malmsey Canary wine became very popular in England, lauded by Shakespeare as a wine that, “cheers the senses and perfumes the blood.” Indeed, by the end of the 17th Century, nearly two thirds of Tenerife wine was being exported to London.
The local grape varieties Malvasia and Listan were planted to provide wine for the sailors and emigrants leaving Andalucía for a better life in the Americas. The vines are planted on the slopes of the volcano Pico del Teide, Spain’s highest mountain, giving the wines the distinctive smoky character typical of wines made from grapes grown on volcanic soils.
Much of the wine produced on Tenerife today is consumed on the island by tourists and locals. Its increasing popularity, however, means that Tenerife wines are now beginning to appear on UK shelves. For an authentic experience drink the wines with Papas Arrugadas – the small, salted potatoes boiled in their skins and served with a spicy mojo sauce made with peppers, garlic and olive oil.
Barcelona, the cosmopolitan capital of Catalonia, is the gateway to several wine regions. The two most notable are Priorat and Penedès.
Priorat is one of only two Spanish DOQs (higher quality denominations) and is home to some of Spain’s best red wines. The wines are made from Garnacha and Samsó grape varieties grown on slate soils in the hills behind Tarragona south of Barcelona.
Between Priorat and Barcelona is Penedès, the spiritual home of Cava. Penedès is where this traditional method sparkling wine originates and where 95% of cava is made. In 1872, inspired by a visit to Champagne, Josep Raventós crafted the first Spanish sparkling wine using the Champagne method – the term cava referencing the caves or cellars where the wine is made. Try it with the traditional Catalan dish of grilled Calçots, small leeks charred over a naked flame and served with a romesco sauce.
If your summer break is at home, then you can always buy the wine, cook the meals and spice up your staycation with a little Spanish sunshine.
The Wine List
Pajarete Dimobe – Kaltur, Newcastle £13
Bodegas Monóvar Fondillón, Alicante 1996 – The Wine Society (online) £52
Cati Ribot, Son Llebre Blanc, Mallorca – Kork Wine and Deli, Whitley Bay £26.50
Envínate La Santa de Úrsula, Tenerife – Vin Cognito (online) £38
Vilarnau Cava Brut Reserva – Majestic £13
David Harker’s journey in wine has seen him progress from complete novice to a Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma-certified wine educator, accredited Bordeaux and Sherry wine educator, Spanish Wine Scholar and – in a We Bought a Zoo moment – wine school owner. To explore Newcastle Wine School’s events, tastings and courses visit www.localwineschool.com/newcastle
