WINES OF SPAIN FLOURISHING UNDER NEW RULES
The 40th Vancouver International Wine Festival returns next month for an eight-day celebration of wine and food (Feb. 24 to March 4 at the Vancouver Convention Centre).
A total of 173 wineries will participate in 51 events across Metro Vancouver, and in 2018 the focus is on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula, highlighting Spain (38 wineries) and Portugal (20 wineries).
There will be big interest in the wines of Spain and Portugal, and special event tickets are sure to sell out quickly when they go on sale Jan. 10 at 9:30 a.m. At vanwinefest.ca, you can browse all the public events, use the interactive Festival at a Glance PDF, or download the promotional brochure. Tickets can be bought online, by phone at 604-873-3311 or 1-877-321-3121, Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., or visit the office at 202 162 West 1st Avenue, Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You can also get a free International Festival Tasting ticket (a $79 to $99 value) by booking a downtown hotel stay via StayVancouverHotels.com. Quantities are limited, and available until Feb. 15, or while supplies last. The Saturday night event sold out well in advance in 2017, so book early. The Stay Vancouver Hotels initiative is courtesy of Vancouver Hotel Destination Association and is an important cornerstone of the festival’s Don’t Wine and Drive program.
This is a good time for Spain — their wines are growing in quality and popularity, proving wine regions determined to evolve and renew their laws that govern production and quality are likely to have more success engaging the modern wine drinker. Spain has been busy rejigging its wine laws for more than a decade. What was once a region of “reservas” controlled by barrel and bottle aging is slowly moving toward a wine producer focused on place rather than barrels.
Vino de mesa is the entry level or “table wine” category — think vino do tavola (Italy) or vin de table (France). Level two is vino de la tierra (VdT), a “wine of the country,” again, comparable to the French vins de pays. There are now nearly 50 recognized VdTs in Spain.
Vinos de Calidad con Indicación Geográfica (VCIG) was formed as a waiting ground for sub-regions seeking the higher Denominación de Origen (DO) status, but it looks as if new rules inside the European Union meant to simplify wine regulations will eliminate the VCIG.
Denominación de Origen (DO)
was the gold standard until 1988 and remains a highly desirable moniker. There are currently 69 DOs across Spain, each with its own Consejos Reguladores, regulatory bodies responsible for creating the DO’s definition.
After Spain entered the European Economic Community in 1988, the Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOC) was created and a national committee was struck to determine which DOs would attain the new status. In the first 15 years, only Rioja earned the DOC title. In 2003, Priorat was awarded its DOC, fulfilling all requirements including that its wines cost at least double that of the national average for DO wines.
Perhaps the biggest change in the classification of Spanish wine is the DO Pago. The “pago” (single vineyard) concept is not just a new level of classification, but a new way of thinking because the beauty of its status is it can exist outside of a pre-established DO.
To date, there are 14 DO Pagos allowed to set their own rules, the grapes used, and the methods of viticulture, vinificatio, and aging, providing a flexibility seldom seen in wine laws anywhere.
It has turned out to be an excellent method of dealing with rebel wine producers making cutting-edge wine without complying with the controversial aging requirements of older DOs. Attention, B.C.!