Starting with perhaps Spain’s most iconic wine region, Rioja, we’re putting the spotlight on Bodegas Moraza. On top of their employment of spontaneous fermentation and biodynamic farming practices, what separates Moraza from the rest of the crowd in Rioja is their departure from the classic, intensely oaked Rioja, instead favoring the use of concrete tanks. This yields wines that are structurally atypical for Rioja (lighter, texturally softer) but with a character that is undeniably true to place. The fruit is generously concentrated, and delivers whispers of that muskier, smokey quality that many of us have come to associate with Spanish reds.

Moving further west, in the region of Castilla y Leon, we find a returning favorite winery: Cantalapiedra. Their ‘Lirondo’ bottling is back and should find itself right at home in the U.S. as the weather heats up faster than we can keep up with. The estate has developed a reputation as bearers of some of the finest expressions of Verdejo, not just in Rueda or Castilla y Leon, but in all the winemaking world. ‘Lirondo’ is without doubt the readiest to drink, and most refreshing of their white wines. Aged on the lees for 6 months in stainless steel, unfined, unfiltered, and without addition of S02, this bottle is demanding to be drunk under the sun and outdoors. A pretty bouquet of flowers and bright citrus transition to a palate of stone fruit with a minty finish, all with a slightly prickly texture; a perfect picnic companion.

Onward in our Quixotic journey through Spain’s wine world we go, next stop Catalunya! Another returning favorite, familiar to many of our beloved clientele, is the Catalan winery, La Rural. Although only founded in 2018, brothers Xavi and Andreu Padro have already left their mark on Catalunya’s abundant natural wine scene. Their Sumoll is what we’ve decided to focus on today. What’s so fascinating about this wine is that it sees a whole 8 months of maceration on the skins, only to yield a wine that is still relatively light, and deceptively easy to drink. There is a menthol and tobacco-like element on the palate, which, along with beautiful watermelon fruit and nicely balanced tannins, mean this wine can handle anything from barbecue fare to croquetas.

Chambers Street Wines is no stranger to the Canary Islands, and we’d be remiss to put out a Spanish offer without highlighting one of our favorite wine regions in the country. Along with the benchmark producers Bodega Los Bermejos and Suertes del Marques, we’re excited to highlight the work of winemaking couple Loreto Pancorbo and Gabriel Morales of Tierra Fundida in Tenerife. Tea-infusions, racking done by gravity, whole-cluster fermentation, and aging in concrete tanks are just a handful of the many hands-on methods the couple employ, delivering truly non-interventionist wines. Titled ‘Wanderer’, their D.O Tacoronte bottling of 95% Listan Negro delivers signature Canary Islands character with its gravelly, smokey perfume, and the fruit that follows onto the palate signifies attentive and careful farming. A real gem, new to the scene, and only 900 bottles produced!

Beyond the geographically removed Canary Islands, there’s plenty of diversity amongst Spain’s mainland wine regions, and we’ve selected some wines to reflect some of our favorite expressions of Spanish terroir. Not far removed from the nation’s capital, Madrid, lies the Sierra de Gredos, a mountain range famed particularly for its wines made from Garnacha. Las Pedreras Vinedos y Vinos tend to a mere 3.2 hectares of vines, yielding some of the most elegant wines in the entire country. Their ‘Los Arroyuelos’ cuvee comes from vineyards over 70 years old, roughly all at 1000 meters in altitude, and each parcel gets its own treatment: there’s used French oak and stainless steel being used, in a range of sizes as well. The result is arguably the most seductive and dressed up wine of today’s offer. You can drink now, or put away for a few years, and wind up with a smile on your face either way.

-Nick Douglas