What s driving the swing back to Old World wines? - Drinks Retailing News - The Voice of Drinks Retailing
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Sherry DO regulations to see major changes
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It is believed that the first vines were grown on the southwest coast of Andalusia which would make that the starting point for vineyards.
Initially the Phoenicians, a trading culture, founded a port they named Gadir (Cadiz) and then later moved inland and founded the city of Zera (Jerez.) Here they planted vines and the warm climate gave the grapes sweetness that allowed them to travel well. Travel they did, as wine became the most frequently traded product in North America and in the Mediterranean.
The Romans continued to produce wine when they arrived on the peninsula and altered wine producing and storing to their specifications. They added aromatic agents and resins and aged the wine in amphorae in warm areas such as near chimneys and in sunny attic areas. The Romans needed to supply its legions over its vast empire with wine and this built up Spain’s wine trade. The wines they produced had floral aromas and flavors and even a smoky taste.
New DO in Rioja?
There could soon be a new DO in the Rioja Alavesa subregion / Credit: DOCa Rioja
The movement in the DOCa Rioja is not new: For years, numerous producers in Spain s best-known origin have been trying to split off from the DOCa Rioja. They are all located in the Alavesa sub-region on the northern bank of the Ebro. This is where some of Rioja s highest quality wines grow.
Under the Basque-Spanish name Arabako Mahastiak/Viñedos de Álava they now want to go their own DO ways, as various media report. Both the Basque and the Spanish governments have agreed to this step. The initiative will now be submitted to Brussels for approval.