La Mancha
As mentioned in the video, this is a wine producing machine of a region. Some of the better super cheap table wines of the world come from here, as well as good value boxed wines. We bring it up in this lesson because it’s always important to know where some good values are to be found.
One of our consistent favorite Spanish boxed wines is a brand called Shania, which doesn’t actually come from La Mancha but rather from a nearby region called Jumilla (part of the Mediterranean coast discussion below).
Winesearcher: La Mancha
Wine Folly: Underrated Spain: Castilla-La Mancha Wine Region
Jancis Robinson: Castilla-La Mancha
Eat This: Best Boxed Wines (a pretty good list that I agree with for the most part)
Mediterranean Coast
Main grapes of the coastal regions (Winesearcher): Garnacha, Monastrell, Cariñena
Key wine regions of the Mediterranean Coast: South-central (this is the land of the bargain big red wines, regularly found on our table at home especially in the cooler months).
- Jumilla
- Yecla
- Alicante (a home of the distinctive Alicante Bouchet grape)
- Valencia
Key wine regions of the Mediterranean Coast: Northern, near Barcelona (which contains Priorat, one of the most important wine regions of modern Spanish wine).
- Terra Alta
- Montsant
- Priorat
- Penedes (main home for Cava production)
- Alella (super neat under the radar region for white wines)
Focus on Priorat
Wine Folly: In Search of the Best Wines of Priorat
Trek Pyrenees: History of the Priorat Wine Region (well done timeline)
Trek Pyrenees: The “Priorat’s Miracle” (the regeneration of the wine region after almost 100 years of abandonment)
Spanish Wine Country: Priorat and Montsant Wine Regions (great photos of the steep vineyards, plus a list of producers with tasting rooms)