Spanish Wine

1
Spanish Wine

• By Patrick Fox

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Early History

• Unsure of origin
• Most likely theory Phoenicians brought first
  vines to the Iberian peninsula around 3,000 years
  ago
• Planted vines in the hills of Jerez
• Culture caused Spanish wine to be highly traded
  throughout the Mediterranean
• Romans continued Spanish wine tradition
• Added their own techniques
• Increased trade of Spanish wine
• Barbarians stop production of wine
• Visigoths soon reestablished winemaking in Spain
• Arabs take over the peninsula and slow wine
  production
• However, the Muslims were very tolerant and
  Spanish wine continued to prosper in many areas

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More History

• The Catholic monarchies after the Reconquista
  really caused winemaking to skyrocket in Spain
• Wine was essential in religious rituals
• Became a part of everyday life
• Wine production became important to Spains
  economy
• Brought economic activity to many wine producing
  regions

• Devastation occurred when the phylloxera, a small
  insect, invaded Europes vineyards in the 1800s
• Many French winemakers moved to Spain in order to
  keep their business alive
• This brought new techniques into Spanish wine
  making
• New planting patterns
• Machinery
• Control of fermentation

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Wine in Modern Spain

• The phylloxera passed and Spanish winemakers
  began to reform winemaking techniques in the 20th
  century
• Spanish Civil War and World War II left
  winemaking by the wayside throughout Spain
• The wine industry began to recover in the 1950s
• Spain continued modernization of their winemaking
  techniques and is now the 3rd leading producer of
  wine in the world

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Wine Tour of Spain