Western France

Doubtless the most famous brandy in the world, cognac is a spirit from the commune of Cognac, made with grapes grown in the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments. Located north of Bordeaux along the Gironde estuary, cognac (the spirit) became internationally known thanks to its location along the navigable Charente river, which opens out to the Atlantic between Île d’Oléron and La Rochelle, offering opportunities for trade with the United Kingdom and northern Europe. Those relationships were established long before the brandy came into renown, as much of the surrounding area had been ruled by the Angevin Empire, which controlled most of England, Normandy, and western France down to the Pyrenees.

Southeast Spain

The Comunidad of Valencia is located along the sunny Mediterranean coast of eastern Spain, south of Barcelona, centered around the primary city, also named Valencia. The Mediterranean Sea is a primary influence on the region, as is its mountainous interior. Valencia’s climate is perfect for ripening both grapes and oranges, for which the region is most famous, and the local fish and shellfish are centerpieces in their iconic paella. 

Within Valencia’s boundaries are three DOs: Alicante, Utiel-Requena, and Valencia, with Alicante the furthest south and Utiel-Requena in the interior. Only Utiel-Requena is one contiguous piece; both Alicante and Valencia are composed of separate portions linked by legislature and tradition, rather than direct geographical proximity.

The Valencia appellation is physically spread out and occupies two noncontiguous regions. Valencia has four distinct subzones, each with its own personality. Alto Turia, Valentino, and Moscatel are all situated to the northwest of the city, with Clariano in the south, close to Alicante. In terms of grape varieties, diversity is a strength in the region. 

Valencia’s terrain and geology are quite diverse and it cultivates a range of varieties, many of these specific to their subregions.There is no single dominant player, with a wide array of the indigenous and imported grape varieties being utilized. White grapes primarily consist of the widely-planted indigenous Merseguera variety, along with Macabeo, Malvasia and Chardonnay, among others. Red wines are made from Garnacha and Syrah, along with Monastrell, Bobal, and Mandó. The usual suspects of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc can also be found, but are steadily losing ground to indigenous varieties. 

In the west is the vast and arid Castilla-La Mancha DO, making Valencia a transitional area between the coast and the high desert plains of Central Spain. The result is a remarkable diversity of terrain and climate conducive to various wine styles and expressions. 

The soils of Valencia are also very diverse, but the region is generally characterized by varying combinations of sand, limestone, and clay. Climatically, the area is warm-to-hot, with low rainfall, but when it does rain, it can be torrential. This heat is mitigated by regular sea breezes along the coast and by higher elevations in the west. Though the entire region is classified as Mediterranean in climate, the western mountainous areas are more continental, with less humidity and broader swings between day and nighttime temperatures, which can produce wines with more acidity and finesse. 

Per Wines of Spain’s 2016 statistics, the Comunidad Valencia’s planted hectares are divided into 9,166 hectares planted in DO Alicante, 34,000 hectares in DO Utiel-Requena, and 18,060 hectares in DO Valencia. Valencia is responsible for 5% of Spain’s enological output and is the fourth most widely planted of the country’s 17 autonomous regions, with a reported 61,226 hectares under vine (2015/16).

Southwest France does not refer to a coherent wine region, rather it is a disparate collection of wine regions in the southwestern quadrant of France that are not part of Bordeaux. Some, like the Côtes de Duras and the Côtes de Marmandais, can be characterized as Bordeaux-adjacent, both in their geography and in their style. But the majority truly have their own identity, and Southwest France as a category cannot be thought of as anything other than purely practical. Beyond just wine, Southwest France lacks a unifying geographical or political theme.

If one were forced to generalize, one could say the whole of the Southwest is, on average, a land of gentle temperatures, without too many extremes. Winter snow is rare throughout. Summers tend to be warm or even quite hot, followed by sunny autumns that are crucial for ripening.

Much of the regions fall into the Aquitaine basin, where the rivers drain into the Gironde estuary near Bordeaux. Climatic influences come from both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, with the relative amount of each depending on the region’s position; the influence of mountain ranges also plays a large part.

Starting furthest east, the wine regions of the Aveyron abut the Massif Central, and are very much influenced by the cold air coming off that mountain range. The most famous wines from this area are the fer servadou of Marcillac grown in iron-rich soils.

Around the city of Toulouse, along the Tarn and Garonne rivers, are regions such as Gaillac and Fronton, where the Mediterranean influence is most pronounced. Hot, sunny summers combine with a wealth of indigenous grape varieties (duras, mauzac, prunelart, négrette, and many more) to create distinctive wines in a wide variety of styles.

Further north is the storied appellation of Cahors, where cot grows in gravelly soils along the deep bends of the Lot River. Closer to Bordeaux we find the Bergeracois, Duras, and Marmandais, where grapes and styles tend to resemble their famous neighbor.

About 150km south of Bordeaux, on the edge of the Aquitaine basin, is the area of Madiran, reputed for its powerful and rustic tannat wines.

The remaining areas of Jurançon and Irouléguy are implanted in the foothills of the Pyrénées. Jurançon is known for its sweet wines, produced without botrytis. This is possible due to its famously warm and sunny autumns and especially, the warm wind from the south called the Foehn that allows the grapes to hang on the vines without rotting into December.

Finally, in the French Basque country, right by the Spanish border, the small appellation of Irouléguy produces red wines based on the tannat variety and, increasingly, enchanting whites based on grape varieties shared with Jurançon.

Northern Spain

Spanning the border between southwestern France and northeastern Spain, the Basque Country is a land unto itself, with a distinctive culture and an ancient language. The native name of the region is Euskal Herria, literally translated as “the land where people speak Basque.” Archaeological and historical records indicate that the origin of the Basque people dates back to the stone age. Despite the antiquity of the Basque, the mountainous, coastal topography has evolved a fragmented culture, one that didn’t have a unified language until the 1950s. The Basque people have always been fiercely independent; since revolts against imperial Rome, they embrace and preserve their unique culture and traditions against all odds. Intense respect and love for quality and craftsmanship in all things has evolved the region into one of the world’s most unique and revered gastronomic cultures.

To be Basque is to love the food and products which have evolved over the centuries to become essential ingredients for top chefs around the world. It is this deep respect for quality and dedication to the refinement of ideas which has driven the region to greatness on an international scale.

The land of the Basque Country stretches from the Ebro river in Rioja to the Atlantic coast into France following the Bay of Biscay. From rolling hills to steep mountains and coastal fjords, it is a harsh, rugged, and intensely beautiful land. The influence of the Bay of Biscay is felt in both the cool, damp climate and abundance of ingredients from the sea. Seafood forms the traditional backbone of Basque cuisine, complemented by cured meats and fresh vegetables from the interior regions. Spain and France have both influenced the cuisine of the Basques, but that influence runs both ways; for this is the birthplace of pintxos and txokos, the Basque gastronomic societies, which number in the thousands. Donostia has long been the home of pintxo culture; it is where the small plate movement began and spread throughout the world.

Vermouth has also traditionally been a part of pintxos culture, which has been revived by this generation, after almost dying out. Traditional recipes are being produced once again by artisanal houses, with vermut de grifo, or vermouth on tap, taking its place at the beginning of the meal, opposite the incredibly popular Spanish Gin Tonic, which is traditionally consumed at the end. The social aspect and low alcohol of vermouth make it the perfect drink to consume with friends at the beginning of a meal, as a slightly sweet and bitter accompaniment to salty and complex Basque pintxos. Basque vermouth culture has quickly spread across the world with the proliferation of chefs trained in the Basque culinary tradition, radiating from the txokos.

North-central Spain

Rioja is the oldest and most famous denomination of origin in Spain. Located in the northern part of the country and overlapping the three autonomous regions of La Rioja, Alava and Navarra, it is bordered on the north by the mountains of the Sierra Cantabria and to the south by the Sierra de la Demanda. The denomination is divided into three main viticultural sub-zones: Rioja Oriental, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta.

A great deal of the wine produced in Rioja is traditionally made by large Rioja houses through the blending of grapes from all three sub-zones. The idea was, and continues to be, production of a house style that could be duplicated each year. Most of the vineyards of Rioja are owned and maintained by small local farmers known as cosecheros. It is these cosecheros who are changing the landscape of Rioja by coming out from under the shadows of the large operations to reveal the characteristics of their villages and sub-zones.

Northwest Spain

Galicia is not the Spain of popular conception, and it is a far cry from the image of sun-soaked beaches and paella many have. Cool, rainy, and green; Galicia’s climate influences derive from the Atlantic, not the Mediterranean. In its language, its culture, its geography, and even in the grapes grown here, this is a different side of Spain. Here the language spoken is Gallego, closer to Portuguese than Spanish.

The known history of the region begins with Finis Terrae, which was a pilgrimage route through Galicia following the Milky Way all the way to Fisterra (Finis Terrae), which in Roman times was believed to be the end of the known world; a magical place where the living could get closest to the land of the dead. The Artabri is the first known ancient Gallaecian Celtic tribe that once inhabited the area. They were followed by Phoenicians, Romans, and finally the Christian settlers from France who established the monasteries and religious orders which came to dominate the agricultural and economic landscape of Galicia.

Before the eighteenth century, everything belonged to the monasteries until an extended economic and social process of selling the lands and property of the religious orders to private individuals resulted in the distribution of tiny parcels of land to many owners. This process is significant, as it explains the current landscape where the average vineyard in the region is 0.4 hectare. After the Phylloxera epidemic, hybrid and high yielding grapes such as palomino were planted for weight. It wasn’t until the late 1970s and 1980s that the first generation of quality growers began replanting with indigenous grapes like albariño, loureiro, godello, treixadura, caiño tinto, espadeiro, loureiro tinto, and sousón, reclaiming the identity of the region.

In the seventeenth century, the practice of distilling wine pomace into spirits was carried to Galicia by monks along the pilgrimage route of the Camino de Santiago. The people of Galicia took to the practice of making pomace brandy, called orujo in Spain, and integrated it into their culture. Flavored orujos are also common in Galicia: Hierbas de Galicia feature a maceration of traditional herbs and are produced in dry or sweetened variants. The common regional practice of adding a splash of orujo to coffee inspired the creation of Licor de Café de Galicia, a coffee-infused orujo. The production and classification of all of these styles are overseen by the Orujo de Galicia Indicación Xeográfica denomination. The denomination requires the base alcohol to come from wine or pomace of the Galician denomination of origins of Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro, Valdeorras, or Monterrei. Only small-scale, traditional distillation processes are allowed, and all orujos must undergo qualitative testing by the denomination.