Spain is an enigma. When you think of the
largest vineyards in Europe you pr obably
think of France. Spain, however, has 700,000 more acres of grapes than
France. If you think about staples of the Mediterranean diet such as
olive oil, most tend to think of Italy, yet Spain produces almost double
the amount of olive oil than Italy. Although Spain is no larger than
say, Texas, its climate and terrain vary all over the map. Wedged
between France and Portugal--with the Atlantic on its north and west
edge and the Mediterranean along the east and south--Spain has
everything from mountains to near-deserts to sunny coastal plains. This
creates a multitude of microclimates to grow a diverse variety of
grapes, from delicate sparklers to seriously gutsy reds to that
quintessential Spanish specialty, sherry.
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