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I recently attended Steve Olson's Tasting of Native Spanish Wine at the 2008 StarChef International Chefs Congress in NYC. While I'm by no means a wine connoisseur, I've had my fair share of vineyard tours and tasting—yet there was still much to learn about Spanish Wine. I now realize how organic farming methods, particularly ones used to cultivate the Spanish grapes, really do make for a better tasting glass of wine.
Unlike most wine estates (particularly here in the US) Spain's native vineyards date back hundreds and hundreds of years. So how has the country been able to preserve their grapes for this long?
Well—many Spanish farmers have taken a purist approach, abiding by the same harvesting and fermenting techniques used during the Renaissance. So rather than using harsh pesticides (or relying on other methods harmful to the environment), Spanish vineyards continue to harvest their age-old grapes in a pure and organic setting. They've been eco-friendly for centuries!
I can't help but wonder how the Spaniards ever resisted the temptation to switch over to more modern farming method. I mean. all those years, when most people prioritized the mass production of wine over protecting the Earth, the Spanish have continued to make organic wine in an eco-friendly arena.
Here's my theory: It has to do with the general Spanish attitude towards wine.
You see, Spaniards have always produced wine to be paired with food—not to be ranked or to trigger a night of drunken debauchery. In Spain, wine is a staple in every meal. It's not viewed as an "alcoholic beverage," but more like an agricultural commodity similar to milk or OJ in the US. So instead of having large estate vineyards that focus on making profits, most families would grow a plot in their backyard and produce just enough wine for the household.
Because Spain has never regarded wine as a profitable export, they've never seen any reason to adopt modern farming techniques (ones that also happened to harm the environment).
I was lucky enough to taste firsthand how local Spanish grapes (farmed the same way they were 100 years ago and free from any chemicals/preservatives) produce some of the most delicious and sophisticated bottles of wine.
With each wine we tasted, Steve pointed out its exact origination on the map, and explain how the geographical conditions of the locale lent each wine its specific flavor. Every glass I sampled had its own uniquely rich and complex aroma and taste. Plus, unlike most other wines with ripened grapes, none of the Spanish wines tasted "spiked" because of the high altitude and Eco-friendly conditions in which they were harvested. And the best part: most of the bottles cost below $20.
Of course, it did bother me that most of these bottles had to be flown over for the tasting. Sure- the local and organic cultivation of grapes does make for a delicious glass of wine. But the eco-friendly aspect of it being "local" and "organic" is sort of negated once you fly it over in a plane that burn a ton of fuel.
The tasting wasn't a perfectly "green" one. But perhaps it will inspire the wine industry here in the US to use some of the same organic and purist farming methods used back over in Spain. In the meantime, here are some Recommended Organic Spanish Wines:
- White, Piedra Luenga Fino-Pedro Ximenez
- Red Casa de la Ermita Red Reserva
- Monasterio de Santa Ana Merlot
- Albariño, Aquis Celenis DO Rias Baixas 2004
- Rioja 'Solarce' Tinto, Alicia Rojas 2007
Read more about sustainable wine:
How to Go Green: Wine
Uncork Some Green Wine
Make Awesome Wine Cork Jewelry
Salivating over sustainable eats? Learn how to make your own with help from Emeril Lagasse in Planet Green TV's organic cooking show, Emeril Green.
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