Spanish wines are produced in the southwestern European country of Spain. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over 2.9 million acres (over 1.17 million hectares) planted - making it the most widely planted wine producing nation but it is only the third largest producer of wine in the world. The country has an abundance of native grape varieties, with over 600 varieties planted throughout Spain though 80 percent of the country’s wine production is from only 20 grapes - including Tempranillo, Albariño, Garnacha, Palomino, Airen, Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel·lo, Cariñena and Monastrell. Major Spanish wine regions include the Rioja and Ribera del Duero which is known for their Tempranillo production; Jerez, the home of the fortified wine Sherry; Rías Baixas in the northwest region of Galicia that is known for its white wines made from Albariño and Catalonia which includes the Cava and still wine producing regions of the Penedès as well the Priorat region.
Spain has a similar classification system to France and Italy, with all classified wine regions regulated under the Denominación de Origen (DO) system. Red wines are often labelled as Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva. In Rioja and the Ribera del Duero, Crianza wines are two years old, with at least twelve months spent in cask (elsewhere the oak ageing may legally be restricted to just six months). Reservas are three years old (at least one year in cask), Gran Reservas five years old (two in cask, three in bottle).
Vino de Mesa (VdM): These are wines that are the equivalent of most country´s table wines and are made from unclassified vineyards or grapes that have been declassified through "illegal" blending. Similar to the Italian Super Tuscans from the late 20th century, some Spanish winemakers will intentionally declassify their wines so that they have greater flexibility in blending and winemaking methods.
Vinos de la Tierra (VdlT): This level is similar to France´s vin de pays system, normally corresponding to the larger comunidad autonóma geographical regions and will appear on the label with these broader geographical designations like Andalucia, Castilla La Mancha and Levante.
Vino de Calidad Producido en Región Determinada (VCPRD): This level is similar to France´s Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) system and is considered a stepping stone towards DO status.
Denominación de Origen (Denominació d´Origen in Catalan - DO): This level is for the mainstream quality-wine regions which are regulated by the Consejo Regulador who is also responsible for marketing the wines of that DO. In 2005, nearly two thirds of the total vineyard area in Spain was within the boundaries a DO region.
Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa/DOQ - Denominació d´Origen Qualificada in Catalan): This designation, which is similar to Italy´s Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) designation, is for regions with a track record of consistent quality and is meant to be a step above DO level. Rioja was the first region afforded this designation in 1991 and was followed by Priorat in 2003, and Ribera del Duero in 2008.
西班牙葡萄酒產區
西班牙擁有世界上面積最多的葡萄種植園，但嚴酷的生長環境和比較粗放式的種植，使總產量少于意大利和法國，位居第三。西班牙擁有600種以上的葡萄品種，以白色品種占多數。近年來西班牙在釀酒技術方面已有長足的進步，受到國際的肯定。
西班牙葡萄酒級別：
Vino de Mesa (VdM): 是最低級別葡萄酒，產區及品種都不受限制的葡萄酒，所有不隸屬其它等級的葡萄園出產的酒，或品質不符規定而被降級的葡萄酒，都只能用Vino de Mesa的名稱出售，常常由許多來自不同產區的葡萄酒混合而成。
Vinos de la Tierra (VdlT): 相當于法國的Vin de Pays地區餐酒
Vino de Calidad Producido en Región Determinada (VCPRD): 法定產區的高級葡萄酒，又分為兩種：DO 及DOC
Denominación de Origen (DO): 即DO，法定產區酒要成為DO產區，除了要建立嚴格的管制系統，同時所生產的葡萄酒也必須遵從傳統的釀造方式。
Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa/DOQ): 即DOC，優秀法定產區酒，此標準自1991才設立，此種產區的酒皆須在原產地裝瓶。
法定產區的高級葡萄酒（VCPRD），依照培養時間的長短，又分為下列三級：
Crianza：二年以上的培養期，橡木桶培養一年、瓶中培養一年的優質紅酒。
Reserva：三年以上的培養期，橡木桶培養一年、瓶中培養二年的優質紅酒。玫瑰紅或白葡萄酒則需二年即可。
Gran Reserva：五年以上的培養期，橡木桶培養二年、瓶中培養三年的優質紅酒。玫瑰紅或白葡萄酒則需四年即可。