For decades, Doug Frost has been one of the most accomplished wine figures in the United States. He was the first American —and remains one of just four people worldwide— to earn both Master Sommelier and Master of Wine certification. 
 
He’s the author of three wine books, including Far From Ordinary: The Spanish Wine Guide and contributed to the most recent edition of The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. He has consulted for years with retailers, restaurateurs, wineries and distillers on everything from merchandising to sensory perception. In 2018, he and fellow Kansas City denizen Brad Bergman launched Echolands Winery in Walla Walla, Washington. 
 
What he hasn’t done during all that time is take himself too seriously. As witty as he is wise, Frost prefers to call his role at Kansas City’s the Restaurant at 1900 “beverage mismanager.” 
 
You’ve been at this a good while. Can you sketch out the evolution of Spanish wines in the US over that time?  
I do think it’s pretty fascinating how things have changed. I’m old enough to remember being excited about Torres [Gran Coronas] Black label. I used to tell people ‘this will freak you out’; with the 1959 people did freak out. Then Jean Leon started adding Cabernet and Chardonnay, and we were like ‘what, what!’ 
Around that time Cava came in but was shuttled to groceries. Fortunately we in the US never had the Rioja grocery problem that the Brits had. But that led to the wine press not giving adulation and acclaim to Rioja. 

We got to the 1990s, and Ribera del Duero emerged. I remember at the time thinking importer Gerry Dawes rattled all our cages getting excited about Priorat and Ribera. The British came on board and embraced Pesquera. But the hero was [critic Robert] Parker [giving his scores to Spanish wines in the early 1990s]. 

It’s been great fun to watch and see how the remarkable diversity of Spain is celebrated. For a long time, it was just a few regions. I love how much adventure it is for anyone to track down Spanish wines today. 
 
In the last few years, what has surprised you from Spain? 
I certainly think that for the last five years, maybe a little longer, Mencía and Bierzo have been really interesting. And now we have Ribeira Sacra and Godello, of course, the really cool white grape. The last five years, again led by the Torres family, we’ve seen grapes that were new to me that are really fascinating.

The discovery phase is not over for Spain. We’re seeing from Priorat the focus on whites and other grapes. There’s non-fortified sherry being made, which is nuts and kinda awesome. And, hey, go look over here, there are some really cool wines from Castilla y Leon. 

These days I’m no longer surprised that somebody is showing me something I haven’t heard of. 
 
Which Spanish wineries have provided the most consistent quality over the years? 
Muga has to be included in that conversation. López de Heredia is certainly a somm fave. The good thing about Rioja is it’s so bloody consistent. And Ribera with brands like Alión, and of course there’s no question Vega Sicilia is pretty wonderful. I would say that in every region there are at least two great producers, except Rioja, where there are 20 or more. 
 
How much has Spain been upping its game? 
I think it’s equal parts US consumers deciding it’s OK to take these wines seriously and the wineries deciding it’s OK to make serious wine. Until the 1990s nobody in their right mind thought you could make great wine in Spain. 
 
Is Sherry finally being taken seriously? 
I think it remains difficult. It’s always heartening when I look at a wine list and there’s a page or more of sherry. But sometimes not many of them are by the glass, and nobody’s gonna buy a bottle. 

The only people making sure people take it seriously are bartenders. They are making cocktails with it, having fun with it. 

Our wine list has always had Fino and Manzanilla, and we don’t sell much. I’d say 98% of it is employing sherry in cocktails. 
 
As a restaurateur, how important is food affinity with Spanish wines? 
It’s an opportunity to talk about the land it came from, and about seafood with Albariño or lamb with Rioja, Sherry with a matched dessert. Spanish food has some visibility but nothing like French or Italian food. One of the things that has held Spanish wines back is so few Spanish restaurants. 
 
As a vintner, do you think climate change could prompt more people to grow and make Tempranillo or other Spanish grapes? 
Everybody is questioning their choices. We just planted an acre of Assyrtiko. I’ve had some nice Oregon Tempranillos. I certainly believe in it more than I believe in Sangiovese. People are growing more Grenache that’s super-friendly, making a fruit bomb and keeping the alcohol down. 

There’s plenty of room for some Spanish grapes. I’m certainly glad that down in Texas they stopped planting Merlot, and started putting in Tempranillo. Duh [laughs]. 
 
Any thoughts on coverage of Spanish wines from wine critics and the media? 
It has unquestionably been an issue. The British wine press in particular was pretty clueless in spite of the fact that they were selling a ton of it but it was the cheap stuff. It is now taken seriously. People are seeking out interesting wines. 

Look at the explosion of interest in the Canary Islands. I went there in 2006 and said ‘I’ll take anything you have’, and they couldn’t believe it. Now you have to get in line to get any wines from there. 
 
Can Spanish vintners take advantage of the rising popularity of so-called “natural wines”? 
I think it’s a factor for sure. What’s honest, what’s BS, what’s good info? 
Nature wants to turn those grapes into something [laughs]. 
It helps that Spanish growers haven’t poisoned their vineyards like Champagne and Bordeaux. In many regions, they haven’t needed to apply copper sulfate like crazy. 
 
There’s a lot of talk about the under-40 crowd being immune to brand loyalty and traditional marketing. Can Spanish wines become part of addressing that? 
The honest answer is I don’t know. But I would say if you go into the cool hipster joints, you’ll see a lot of Spanish wine that fits the “natural” label. They have cool funky labels, and a lot of it is natural, which appeals to people that are loyal to a style and loyal to practices.  

The great opportunity for Spain is that so many grapes and regions are mostly unknown. They can refine and rebrand. Spain still has the advantage of that amazing diversity.