Grapevine

Spain has the world’s largest area under vines – from Rioja and Ribera del Duero to Jerez, home of the famous sherry.

The grapevine is a long-lived climber with a woody, often twisted trunk and shoots that cling to supports with tendrils. Its leaves are large and palmately lobed, and its tiny, inconspicuous flowers give off a delicate scent when they bloom in late May and early June. The fruits are berries gathered in bunches, whose colour, size and sugar content depend on the variety and the climate. In the dry south of Europe vines are often grown as low, free-standing bushes without supports, and their deep roots reach for water many metres underground.

Significance in the country

Spain has the world’s largest area of vineyards – nearly a million hectares – and is one of the three largest wine producers. The best known are the red wines of Rioja and Ribera del Duero made from tempranillo, fortified sherry from Jerez, sparkling cava from Catalonia and white albariño from Galicia, while Castilla–La Mancha is the largest continuous vineyard area in the world.

Where it grows

Vineyards are found almost everywhere in the country; the largest growing areas are in Castilla–La Mancha, and famous appellations include Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat and Penedès, Jerez in Andalusia, Rías Baixas in Galicia and the volcanic vineyards of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.

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