Spain is lucky enough to possess its own grape varieties: red varieties such as tempranillo, monastrell (mourvèdre), verdejo, albariño and numerous special varieties. As one would expect, we also find the chardonnay, sauvignon and cabernet sauvignon varieties but in most cases they are used only for assemblage with local varieties.
The major red grapes in the area are the tempranillo and the garnacha; the latter was brought to France, where it’s now called Grenache.
Malaga has long been famous for its sweet wines, made from the Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez varieties. The Romans, the Moors and later the British were all enthusiastic drinkers of wines of Malaga. But Malaga suffered severely from the various vine-threatening plagues of the 19th century, and the switch in international tastes towards dry wine sent the region into decline. Today a handful of wineries keep alive the tradition, and the region is making a comeback thanks to the new, more sophisticated sweet white wines now being introduced.
Malaga is the largest of the DO wine zones in sunbaked Andalucia, southern Spain. Its hub is the city of Malaga on the Mediterranean coast, with its famous beaches along the Costa del Sol. Why am I talking so much about Malaga, come down to your local wine shop, La Vinotheque of Farmington and I'll tell you why.
