Garnacha is an excellent grape variety to produce sparkling wines in Spain. Photo credit: A.C.
The sparkling wine scene is evolving rapidly in Spain. Production is generally small, but there is more and more to choose from beyond Cava and the producers who left this DO.
Among the trends that are gaining ground, the pet-nat category is gradually improving in terms of consistency, and Garnacha is proving to be an excellent variety to make sparkling wines. And beyond the historic dominance of Penedès in the Mediterranean, Atlantic regions like txakoli or Rioja, sitting strategically in between, are producing a growing number of quality sparkling wines.
The interest of Spanish producers for sparkling wines is not new. In the 19th century, some years before Josep Raventós Fatjó sold the very first bottles of Cava in 1872, General Baldomero Espartero was awarded a silver medal for the sparkling wine he presented at the Agricultural Exhibition in Madrid in 1857. Santi de Santos writes about it in his interesting blog Historias del comercio e industria riojana. He also sent us the catalogue of the exhibition which mentions the award.
Rafael Vivanco adds that Espartero’s wine was made from Malvasía and provides the following text that accompanied the award: "It is very important to promote the production of sparkling wines in Spain, with bright lively bubbles or spicy acidulous wines. They are as rare on this side of the Pyrenees as they are common in Champagne, Cotrolí, Samperé, Anjou and on the banks of the Rhine and the Elbe".
Jerez took its first steps some years later when the category attracted leading names like Domecq. In Rioja, Bodegas Bilbaínas established a solid reputation at the beginning of the 20th century given that Savignon Frères et Cie, the French company they had acquired in the Barrio de la Estación in Haro, employed cellar master Charles Delouvin from Reims. The first sparkling wines, labelled as champán, were produced in 1913. The brand was Lumen (light in Latin), in honour of Haro being the first Spanish town to have street lighting.
Those first bottles of Lumen were said to be made from Viura, although there are no documents to prove it. It is known, however, that around the same time, José María Ibáñez Alcalde began to make a sparkling wine from Garnacha in Navarra. In 1903, the local government granted Ibáñez a scholarship to travel to Reims and, upon his return, he adapted his newly acquired knowledge to produce a blanc de noirs with his region’s most widely grown grape variety. Written in 1908, the document below approves his request for a four-year tax exemption on "his new manufacturing industry devoted to the production of Champagne and fine wines".
As Alain Huetz de Lemps writes in Vignobles et Vins du Nord-Ouest de l’Espagne, the traveller Alexandre de Laborde criticised the poor quality of txakoli almost a century earlier: "If they were made carefully, their stringency would be mellowed as the fruit matured. Properly fermented, they could develop into sparkling wines almost as good as Champagne."
Having explored the three txakoli regions in the summer of 2020, we agree with Laborde about the potential of the region for sparkling wines. Though still rare, traditional method wines made in the Basque Country exhibit the area's distinctive high acidity, are well adapted to local grape varieties, particularly Hondarrabi Zuri, and have the ability to age for relatively long periods. In general, sweet and acid flavours are balanced and the wines have good tension and vivacity, although they feel less creamy than Mediterranean examples. In the best cases, salty nuances add character.
The benchmark is Izar-Leku, a joint project between Artadi and cider producer Zapiain in Zarautz (Gipuzkoa) advised by Champagne producer Raphäel Bérêche. They have managed to extend ageing from 18 to 36 months in the current releases. The blend includes a small amount of red Hondarrabi Beltza grapes and part of the base wine is aged in barrels for six months. Other producers making bubbly in Gipuzkoa include Txomin Etxaniz and Ameztoi in Getaria or Hiruzta in Fuenterrabia. In DO Bizkaiko Txakolina, Doniene Gorrondona led the way with Apardune, a sparkling wine which includes a small amount of Folle Blanche in the blend.
Also in Bizkaia, Saregin is a new pet-nat aged for 36 months by Hasi Berriak. First released in the 2019 vintage, only 245 promising bottles were produced. The wine displays citrus, honeyed and herbal aromas followed by a vertical, juicy, persistent palate; vibrant and very much alive, it should develop beautifully for the next months. Hopefully production rises in future vintages. As far as we know, the first txakoli producer to release a pet-nat in the Basque Country was Bat Gara in Álava. With a limited production, Sutsu is aged for about 20 months with its lees.
In Rías Baixas, another obvious source of Atlantic bubbly, the character of the Albariño variety often prevails over the autolysis. Even with relatively long ageing, the nose develops in line with dry Albariños aged on their lees rather than showing toasted notes. And perhaps due to the variety’s high malic acid content, acidity seems to be more difficult to integrate. We liked the bitter notes that offset the acidity in Lagar de Besada's Burbujas de Baladiña Brut Nature which retails over €30. It displays citrus fruit, aniseed notes and toasted hints.
Though close to the Atlantic Ocean in Spain’s southern tip, Jerez lacks such acidity but the area’s distinctive albariza soils have a sapid character that it’s not too different from Champagne’s chalky soils. Both regions have interesting connections. Some of Selosse’s champagnes are clearly inspired in Jerez as is David Léclapart’s project in Sanlúcar de Barrameda with Alejando Muchada, even if it is focused on still wines.
Local sparkling wines are usually made from the versatile Palomino variety, although it is sometimes blended with a bit by Chardonnay as in the case Barbadillo's Beta range, or on its own and following a natural style such as Vinificate (light, ready-to-drink pet-nats from Palomino and Tintilla de Rota) and Alba Viticultores, a producer who makes both traditional method sparkling wines and pet-nats. Another interesting pet-nat is the light, easy-to-drink Forlong Burbuja, made from Palomino grapes grown in Pago de Añina and aged with its lees for eight months.
Somewhere between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, it is unlikely that the new sparkling wines labelled as Rioja will have significative weight in terms of volume, but as various producers have showed interest, the category now includes some distinctive styles.
For the time being, the most ambitious example comes from Bodegas Valdemar. Priced at €60, grapes are sourced from Finca Alto Cantabria, an iconic white wine vineyard. The first sparkling Viñedo Singular in the DOCa is an elegant, seamless Viura brut nature aged for 40 months. The previous experience of winemaker Antonio Orte at Juvé & Camps has come in really handy.
Whilst Valdemar relies on Viura, Vivanco goes for some of the minority grape varieties they have planted in recent years to craft Cuvée Inédita, an extra brut that blends Maturana Blanca and Tempranillo Blanco with smaller amounts of Viura and is aged for 30 months. Rafael Vivanco, who developed and presented to the Regulatory Body the project to produce sparkling wines under the Rioja seal, sources grapes from a vineyard at 500m elevation, five kilometres from Briones, that is planted exclusively to white varieties. With relatively vigourous soils, grapes are not directly exposed to the sun.
Vintae has gone one step further with their vineyard at 900m elevation in the village of Villaverde de Rioja, on the foothills of Sierra de la Demanda, beyond the boundaries of the DOCa. However, grapes for their first sparkling wines —500 bottles sold at high end restaurants and specialist wine stores— were sourced from vineyards found at a lower elevation in Cárdenas, in the Alto Najerilla valley. The first cuvées are a Viura blanc de blancs and a Garnacha blanc de noirs. Aged for 60 months, both are from the 2015 vintage, have 9g of sugar and cost over €30.
The tension and freshness of the blanc de noirs and its seductive and enveloping rather than creamy texture prove Garnacha's high potential to produce fine and characterful sparkling wines. Could Garnacha become the signature variety of Rioja's bubbly? We have not yet tasted a single sparkling wine made from this variety that we have not liked.
The first producer to see the potential of Garnacha to make bubbly in Rioja was Basilio Izquierdo, a winemaker with endless curiousity who released a fine, vibrant blanc de noirs. When Bodegas Bilbaínas, owned by the Codorníu group, revived the production of sparkling wines in 2015, they chose Garnacha to make their Cava Viña Pomal blanc de noirs. Once DOCa Rioja approved the sparkling wine category, it moved to this appellation and was rebranded as Lumen, recovering its historic name. At around €15, this brut offers excellent value and successfullly combines the variety’s acidity and flavour. Unsurprisingly, Vivanco's newly released rosé Cuvée Inédita is also made from Garnacha. The addition of 10% Mazuelo in the blend doesn't interfere with the variety's characteristic tension.
Made as a pét-nat and therefore outside the appellation, the light, youthful Lía by Palacios Vinos de Finca is yet another example of Garnacha’s versatility —grapes in this case are sourced from the Alto Najerilla valley. The winery has also embarked on the production of traditional method wines that will bear the DOCa. Rioja seal. Inspired by the trends of some artisan growers in Champagne, Palacios won’t be focusing on extended ageing. Instead, they are keen to express terroir and plan to use reserve wines, which are expected to account for 60% of the blend. According to winemaker Raúl Tamayo, they are creating a collection of reserve wines aged in stainless steel tanks, oak and concrete vats. The range will include a Garnacha rosé and a blanc de blancs made from Garnacha Blanca (40-50%), Viura and Maturana.
Garnacha's legacy is also present in the Ebro River Valley. In Navarra, the Ibáñez family continued the tradition started by Jose María upon his return from Reims, although thier project was never far reaching. Mitxel, third generation, launched the Basondoa brand and went on to make sparkling wines between 1994 and the mid-2000s. After a long break, he resumed winemaking in the 2016 vintage in partnership with Imanol Lizarza. They work with old, organically farmed Garnacha grapes from Lumbier, a cold area in Baja Montaña, obtaining wines with small bubbles, good textures and Garnacha’s distinctive vibrant edge. Also from this area in Navarra, Kimera pet-nat is a more straightforward, fun version of the variety and is made by Luis Moya and Gonzalo Celayeta.
One final place in the Ebro Valley where we have found a Garnacha sparkling wine is Aragón. Conceived as an experimental wine, Luzbel is a novel partnership between Bodegas Frontonio and Leo and Roc Gramona. This pet-nat comes from mountain Garnachas in Aragon but it is made in Penedès, at L'Enclòs de Peralba winery. The first vintage was sold almost exclusively through Frontonio's private wine club.
To find a similar all-rounder grape variety in the Mediterranean, we should probably go for Moscatel. Grown on the steep slate slopes of the Axarquía in Malaga, its bright acidity is unexpected at such latitudes. Jorge Ordóñez paved the way in the area with his seameless Botani, a sparkling wine made in stainless steel tanks that captures the variety’s aromatic profile and finds a good balance between acidity and sugar. Meanwhile Dimobe has gone a step further to craft a traditional method bubbly aged for at least 40 months. Called Tartratos (Tartrates), its name might not be very appealing, but it is a serious, clean, fresh wine with hints of citrus and aromatic herbs and pleasant bitterness on the finish.
Some of the sparkling wines mentioned so far are pet-nats. We wrote extensively about the popularity of this category in Spain in 2019, and ever since the offer has grown steadily. Additionally, a shift is underway from the fun, ready-to-drink styles, which are still dominant, to more sophisticated, longer-aged wines.
A growing number of producers seem to be seduced by the category, as they can use a hands-off approach to reflect the identity of the terroir more faithfully. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that many of them are well versed in the traditional method. In Catalonia alone, the list inlcudes Raventós i Blanc, Loxarel, Mas Candí, Clos Lentiscus (Can Ramón), Alta Alella, or the new generations at Gramona (L'Enclòs de Peralba) and AT Roca (Ánima Mundi).
A new favourite for us is Jordi Raventós, a relatively new producer who started making still wines in Catalonia. As he struggled to sell his Xarel.lo grapes, he decided to take a chance and make a pet-nat. He wanted to make an easy-to-drink, fun style but the ageing went up to 27 months. The resulting wine is fresh and dry but also serious and consistent, a perfect sip to welcome guests or to serve at the start of a meal. It's called Las Someras and we tasted it some weeks ago at Ganz wine bar in Madrid.
Pet-nats are a vehicle to expand the spectrum of grape varieties in the fizzy category. This is the case of Malvasía and Sumoll in Catalonia, the Verdejos made by Ismael Gozalo in Segovia, the Cariñena Blanca by Còsmic Vinyaters in Empordà, and any of the grape varieties that Mariano Taberner can get his hands on in Utiel-Requena (Valencia): Moscatel, Macabeo, Tardana...
High-acid red varieties are starting to play an important role. In addition to Garnacha, Sumoll is probably the most interesting choice in Catalonia. It is blended in some traditional method sparkling wines like Raventós i Blanc Textures de Pedra or the new Corpinnat produced by Pardas. In Cap de Creus, Anna Espelt makes a truly original blanc de noirs pet-nat from Monastrell.
In Spain’s southern half, Bobal has great potential. Bodegas Iniesta in Manchuela hired an Italian advisor to explore the Charmant method and make market-driven wines and Pago de Tharsys produces an original extended ageing traditional method bubbly that cannot be labelled as Cava because the variety is not authorised in this DO. We also love the fresh and straightforward Comboi pet-nat made by Bodegas Gratias in Manchuela (Castilla La Mancha). In Lanzarote, Bodegas El Grifo produces a pet-mat from Vijariego Negro.
Perhaps the most exotic pet-nat we have tasted recently is a red Caíño made by Albamar in Galicia: juicy and with vibrant acidity, it fits perfectly in the category.
As far as the potential of Spanish sparkling wines is concerned, there are still many blank pages to be filled.
