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Spain used to have a bit of a bad reputation when it came to wine. A far cry from the complex hierarchy of villages and crus in France, it was better known for cheap plonk that people enjoyed on holiday.

Then in the nineties, Spain emerged as a major player on the world stage with big, spicy reds which appealed to an international (read: American) palate. Rioja, in its most 鈥榯raditional鈥� form, was king. Commercially-minded winemakers sought to emulate these 鈥楶arker-friendly鈥� wines, leading to a homogenous flavour profile across much of the country, which still exists to a large extent to this day.

But there is an exciting band of winemakers who have been doing something a bit different. They鈥檝e got the courage to go against the commonly-held view of what the market wants, and are making subtle, elegant, interesting wines. Wines that speak of their varietal characteristics and terroir, rather than hiding behind over-extraction and new oak.

They have a new-found confidence, and the market is changing too. While it鈥檚 true that a lot of consumers still look for 鈥榗lassic鈥� styles at an approachable price point, there are many who are starting to look for something a little bit different, more authentic.

Trust in terroir

After decades of overworking vineyards in order to get the highest possible quantity of export-friendly wine into the market, it鈥檚 gladdening to come across producers who are committed to Spanish terroir.

Producers like 叠丑颈濒补谤鈥檚 David Sampedro Gil in Rioja, whose neighbours thought he was barmy when he started using biodynamic practices to farm his mother鈥檚 vineyards in 1999. His wife and co-owner, Melanie Hickman explains, 鈥淭he 鈥榞ood鈥� vine-growers were those who had vineyards that looked like gardens. David allowed weeds to grow in between the vines and only worked the soils when he felt it was necessary. They looked wild compared to his neighbours. At one point his grandmother called him to talk to him about the vineyards. She said the village people were saying that he鈥檚 killing the vines and she wanted answers. He had to explain to her that he wasn鈥檛 abandoning or killing them, but rather trying to bring them back to life by eliminating chemicals and introducing biodiversity.鈥�

This approach is shared by Acustic Celler鈥檚 Albert Jan茅, who鈥檚 鈥楻itme鈥� wines from Priorat are also made to reflect the land. 鈥淩itme Celler means rhythm,鈥� explains Albert, 鈥渨e want to show the rhythm of Priorat, its extreme llicorella soil, its authenticity.鈥�

Then there鈥檚 Rodrigo Mendez in Galicia, who uses natural yeasts and organic viticulture to make Albarino like you鈥檝e never tasted before. Expressing not just the bright fruit flavours and zingy freshness you鈥檇 expect from this grape, but something unique to his own vineyards, which are tucked away up a mountain-side, surrounded by pine forests.

However, putting the vineyard at the heart of what you do isn鈥檛 the reserve of this younger band of winemakers. Cava producer Llopart has been making wine this way since the 19th century. At 87, Pere Llopart is the fourth generation of his family to follow this winemaking philosophy, which he is now passing on to his five children. 鈥淟lopart vineyards are the essence of the Llopart Cava character,鈥� he says.

But these terroir-driven, carefully-made wines are still sharing the shelves with other, less exacting producers. So Llopart and five other premium Cava makers have developed the 鈥楥orpinnat鈥� designation, which aims to differentiate quality Cava from some of the more generic, industrial fizz allowed by the DO. Launched at the end of 2017 and now recognised by the EU, this new designation is symptomatic of a growing movement of Spanish producers who are fed up of being placed in the same category as generic wines from their respective regions, and are seeking to champion (and promote) winemaking with a sense of place and soul.

Old grapes, new tricks

Then there are the winemakers who are tearing up the rule books entirely, looking at different grapes and different techniques to come up with something entirely original.

Alvear in Montilla Moriles are far from new kids on the block, with a heritage stretching back to 1729. So they seemed unlikely partners for Env铆nate 鈥� some of the Spanish wine scene鈥檚 most maverick winemakers. Alvear are best known for their sweet PX and sherry-style fortified wines. But this latest project with Env铆nate, called 3 Miradas, aims to shine a light on the terroir of Montilla, rather than allowing the winemaking to take centre stage. These light, unfortified wines made from PX, are fermented and spend eight months in large cement jars under a veil of flor and are then aged briefly in botas (the traditional barrels in the area). The resulting wines are dry and zesty with pure fruit characteristics 鈥� rather different to the sherry-style wines for which Alvear is famous.

A similarly maverick attitude can be found in Catalunya鈥檚 Moli dels Capellans. This young winery (founded in 2007) is the result of a shared vision between two friends, Sergi Montala and Jordi Masdeu, to produce high quality wines from Catalonian varietals. They were one of the first to see the potential of Trepat and Parellada as grapes in their own right, rather than just being components of Cava or ros茅. But this 鈥榥ew generation鈥� of Catalonian winemakers are proving that they can make serious wines from these indigenous varieties.

And seeing grapes in a new light isn鈥檛 just the reserve of the little guys... Vivanco, one of Rioja鈥檚 most well-known producers, has released their 鈥楥olecci贸n鈥�, which propels Rioja鈥檚 famous varieties from the chorus line to the spotlight. Their 100% Manzuelo, which is usually used to add colour and structure to Rioja, really comes into its own here. Intense black and red fruit are complemented with herbs and coffee to make a powerful, complex wine.

Join us at our Spanish tasting on 30 October to explore Spain鈥檚 rich and diverse terroir and the new band of winemakers who are helping to celebrate it.