There’s nodoubt about it, Spain is the most exciting country in Europe when it comes towine. As Europe’s second most mountainous country, with exposure to seas andoceans on every side, it’s very diverse in terroir, culture, language andlifestyle.

Innorthern Spain there are four main wine producing areas: Rioja, Galicia,Catalonia and Ribera del Duera in Castilla y Leon. Each is unique and producesfine wines with its own Denomination of Origin guarantee. The heart ofwine-producing northern Spain is Rioja, which has produced high quality winesfor centuries. (In the 1800s Rioja benefited from its alliance with Bordeaux,conferring technological advantages unknown to other Spanish regions.) Butquality doesn’t stop in Rioja. Navarra is home to many of the most modern andcutting edge producers. Calatayud and Campo de Borja are home to some of thegreatest Grenache vineyards in the world outside of the Southern Rhone, andPriorat and the surrounding area of Montsant in Catalonia produce some of therenowned Spanish wines.

Sarah JaneEvans, the world’s leading authority on the wines of Spain, begins with ahistory of the region: from phylloxera, the replanting of different, andinternational, varieties through the aftermath of the Civil War and the effectson the wine industry, to recovery and innovation in late 20th century, thepromise of the 21st century and the rediscovery of indigenous varieties, aswell as a quick detour through the recent effects of the economic crisis. Shethen takes the sub-regions in turn, starting with a profile before opening outinto discussion of the key producers and their top wines.

Evans’ surefootedguide to the wines of northern Spain is an essential companion for anyoneinterested in Spanish wine, from students and professionals to interested winetourists.