Wine Masters

Climate change and recuperating ancestral grape varieties are the two main topics of the Penedès episode. It's the story of the Torres Family. Together with Masters of Wine Tim Atkin and Christy Canterbury they give an insight in where they came from, where they are now and where they are heading. Miguel A. Torres: "Spain has to be on every wine list in the world, always."

When all vineyards in France were destroyed by Phylloxera, Rioja's success began. Rioja is known for two things: oak barrels and Tempranillo grapes. The Muga family is one of the few winemakers in the world to do the whole vinification process in wood and uses eggs to clarify the wine. Tim Atkin: "The average quality of Rioja is much stronger than the average quality of Bordeaux in my opinion."

The spectacular Priorat area once produced Spain's finest wines. But with Phylloxera and (civil) wars approaching, the vineyards were abandoned. This changed when the young hippie and pioneer Álvaro Palacios decided not to work in his family winery, but to start a winery on the steep hills of Priorat with one goal: to make fine wines from a single variety.

Sherry is made in Jerez and is probably the most well-known wine from Spain, but it fell victim to its own success with the export of the sweet sherries. The Hidalgo family produced sherry from the start and has always focused on dry types of sherry, especially Manzanilla, the driest wine in the world, because "the flor eats up all the sugar". These wines are very popular in the sommelier scene.

In Rías Baixas everyone has a small vegetable garden and vines in their backyard, especially Albariño. The Pazo Señorans family was a pioneer of Rías Baixas and issued its own appellation. Albariño is now being embraced as Spain's best white wine.