Ask anyone the world over to name a Spanish wine and you can bet your granny's false teeth the response will be Rioja or cava.
This isn't of course a bad thing. Both Rioja and cava come from traditional Spanish regions producing highly individual, often world-class wines and - unlike the faceless "creeks and "valleys" that often appear on wine labels today - they actually exist. What's incredible about Spain is that Rioja and Catalonia (the home of most cava) are only the tip of the iceberg, and all the unknown regions between and beyond are just waiting to be discovered." --- Susie Barrie
Vinos Singulares refers to a group of 5 boutique wine producers located in the region of Andalucia (Granada, Montilla, Ronda, Alpujarra) who are producing exceptional wines:
Barranco
Oscuro
"Mile-high wines of extraordinary complexity."
Marenas
"José Miguel Marquez made the first reds ever in Montilla.''
Naranjuez
"Antonio Vílchez produces nothing but extraordinary wines."'
Cauzón
"Ramón creates perfectly balanced wines at 900 m."
Vetas
"Juan Manuel Vetas' Pedit Verdot has real finesse and class."
Wine is a Love
Affair with the People and the Land."
"It is unclear precisely where vines were first cultivated in Spain or who brought winemaking techniques to the Iberian peninsula.
Various sources believe the first vineyards were cultivated on the southwest coast of Andalusia, which may also have been the entrance point for the first vines reaching the peninsula.
This seems to be the most likely theory, particularly given the presence of the Phoenicians there approximately 3,000 years ago. They were a trading culture and founded a port in
the southwest, which they called Gadir (now Cádiz). Later they moved inland, founding another city they called Xera (now Jerez), where they planted vines in the surrounding hills.
The warm climate enhanced the strong, sweet nature of the wines, allowing them to stand up well to long journeys. By the early Christian era this factor, combined with the deeply rooted commercial spirit of the
Phoenicians, made Spanish wines one of the most frequently traded products in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
The Romans continued to produce wine on the peninsula, introducing their own particular techniques over time - for example, the addition of resins and aromatic essences, and ageing in small clay amphorae in sunlit attic
areas or next to chimneys.
According to contemporary accounts these wines acquired fruity and floral aromas and flavours, and a much-appreciated smoky taste. The need to supply the vast empire and its legions with wine contributed to building up Hispania's already notable wine trade.
The decline of the Roman Empire and
invasion of Hispania by northern barbarian tribes brought wine making in Spain to a temporary halt, although the subsequent arrival of the Visigoths counteracted this influence.
Due to their contact with the Romans in the outlying provinces of the Empire, the Visigoths placed great significance on winemaking.
The arrival of the Arabs in the 8th century slowed
the development of winemaking as the Koran prohibited the consumption of fermented and alcoholic drinks. Despite this religious prohibition, the cultivation of vineyards continued and even prospered under Moslem rule even if they were reoriented to the production of grapes or non-fermented must. Certain dynasties were liberal in their treatment of the dominated Christians and allowed them to continue cultivating vineyards and making wine, particularly in the monasteries."
--- Wines from Spain
"Ermergent regions are one of the most exciting areas for research. There has always been a popular supposition that anything south of Madrid and everything
south of La Mancha was roasted rubbish, shriveled on the vine
by the merciless sun, etc.
What people forget is that eastern Andalucia is the most mountainous part of Spain (including Spain's highest peak, Mulhacen, at 11,424 ft (3, 482 m) and has the second-highest vineyards in Europe. The combination of merciless sun all day and a massive temperature drop at night allows bodegas to make wines of quite astonishing quality.
The Alpujarra mountains are a particularly high-quality area, split between Contraviesa-Alpujarra in the province of Granada and Laujar-Alpujarra in the province of Almeria, with vineyards to 4,488 ft (1,368 m) making nearly mile-high wines of an extraordinary complexity, especially whites from the Vigiriega grape (extinct everywhere else on the mainland) and reds from Tempranillo, Granacha, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The soil is schist, and there are no insect pests and almost no cryptogams at these altitudes." - Wine Report, 2007
"The key to making red wines in Andalucia, where it is not unusual for summer temperatures to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the shade, is to protect the vines from the ravages of the heat. As a result, growers have sought out high lands where there are cooling breezes and the soils are acid and balanced. But this has led them to rugged terrain and steep slopes in areas such as the Alpujarras (Granada/Almeria), the mountainous parts to the north of Seville and the Ronda mountains (Malaga), which are gradually being planted again with vines. And most of these vines are red varieties.
Manuel Valenzuela was the first to establish vineyards at such heights, in a district called Costa-Albondon. Growers had previously been reluctant to go so high, resigning themselves to making rough, cloudy wines.
He tells us his small vineyard called Cerro de las Monjas is at an altitude of almost 1,400 m (4,593 ft), one of the highest in Continental Europe. His home and winery, Cortijo Barranco Oscuro, is in Cadiar, Sierra de la Contraviesa, in the midst of the Alpujarras.
He set out as a winemaker, some would say at great risk, using organic methods. He tried out varieties that were reminiscent of times past, such as the rare white Vijariego, which only exists in Granada and the Canary Islands. But he also tried his hands at some of the French and Italian stocks that are famous on the international wine-growing scene.
His most representative wine is named after its altitude: Barranco Oscuro 1368. It is made from Granacha, Cabernet (both Sauvignon and Franc), Merlot and Tempranillo." --- Gourmet Spain, 2010
"Andalucia, where continents start and end, where seas converge, a melting pot, the home of rich cultures with a wine-growing tradition that dates back thousands of years.
Its multiple landscapes include fertile plains with gently-flowing rivers, Europe's largest desert and the highest slopes of the Iberian Peninsula.
Famed the world over are its great fortified wines, born from white varieties. But is there light beyond fortfied wines?
Andalucia's winemakers today are determined to prove that the answer is yes, and that the region is shining bright. With Andalucia's wealth of microclimates, it is not hard to trace top-quality reds...
As we trace the route of the new reds we reach Seville, though it produces less than 1% of the Andalusian reds...In the Sierra de Montilla, Jose Miguel Marquez of Bodegas Marenas, makes a few thousand bottles meeting the strictest of organic requirements. Is is no surprise that so many winemakers here choose organic methods considering Cordoba's great potential.
Andalucia is a generous land, as are its wines. Its wines have brought tears of pleasure to the eyes of both real people and ficticious characters. Its varied landscapes undoutedly have room for red wines, the aim being to place them on par with the famed Andalusian fortified wines." --- Spain Gourmet, 2010
"Antonio Vilchez draws our attention with his very personal red wines. His reds are suprising, made from Pinot Noir, a variety that sometimes struggles in soils that are not those of its native Champagne or Bourgogne. But, in this Alhama Valley, the Sierra Nevada works its magic with icy winds that keep temperatures down, saving the vinestocks from the summer heat.
Back in 1807, Simon de Roxas Clemente (1777-1827), Spain's most illustrious wine historian, described 116 grape varieties in Andalucia alone - a rich heritage of red and white, aromatic and native grapes.
Back when the dreaded phylloxera arrived (in 1878 in Malaga, from where it spread to the other Andalusian provinces), the Andalusian wines that were in demand the world over were the different types of fortified wines, made from white grapes.
Obviously, growers did everthing they could to save these precious vines. This meant the red ones were often neglected or, at most, were only grown in small pockets for local consumption...(continued below)"
"...Two hundred years after that historical compilation, each of the eight Andalusian provinces is seeing a profileration or red wines, many of them of excellent quality. The good thing about the disaster was that it left growers free to choose the variety that best suited their land, their microclimate and, above all, their tastes. The quest for new red wines in Andalucia began about 30 years ago...
Today, every possible red variety is grown here, from all sorts of origins: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot from Bordeaux together with Pinot Noir and the favorite Syrah from Bourgogne, alongside Portuguese, German, Austrian, Italian and, of course, Spanish varieties.
And some winemakers have been making admirable efforts to recover almost-forgotten native varieties: Tintilla de Rota, Jaen Tinta and Rome Tinta...Granada has plenty to offer in the red wine line.
The town of Cortes y Graena in the district of Guadix (part of Vino de la Tierra Altiplano de Sierra Nevada), with its lumpy, stony clay, described by the locals as "turron-like" and easy to hollow out to form cave-dwellings, is home to small vine growers with tiny wineries. Ramon Saavedra grows his vines laong the Cauzon River, a tributary of the Alhama, and produces no more than 8,000 botttles.--- Gourmet Spain, 2010
Ramon's wines:
"Perched on the edge of a staggering ravine, the town of Ronda cuts a striking figure.
If we look back in history, we find that vines were grown on these high lands even before Roman times. The coins minted in the neighboring Roman town of Acinipo (4 BC - AD 4) bore a bunch of grapes on their reverse side.
But the phylloxera showed no consideration for history and the last traces of vines disappeared in the 1950s. Then, in the 1980s, pioneers coming from very different directions decided to restore winemaking in this very beautiful part of Spain...After a gradual start, Ronda became the most representative location for red wines in Andalucia.
...Almost 30 years later, the local reds are being awarded high points in the specialist press both in Spain and elsewhere. In this monumental town, a magnet for tourists, the wines have taken off thanks to their success with visitors (Ronda is one of Andalucia's most visited cities).
After Prince Hohenlohe had started planting vines [around Ronda] on the advice of his friend Lichine, the task was completed by Juan Manuel Vetas, a Spanish emigrant brought up in Bordeaux who then stayed on, taking charge of the winery and planting a small vineyards in his own garden. He soon found that the vinestock that worked best in the local conditions was Petit Verdot.
Today he is considered to have one of the best Spanish red wines made from this variety: Vetas Petit Verdot." -- Gourmet Spain, 2010
This seems to be the most likely theory, particularly given the presence of the Phoenicians there approximately 3,000 years ago. They were a trading culture and founded a port in
the southwest, which they called Gadir (now Cádiz). Later they moved inland, founding another city they called Xera (now Jerez), where they planted vines in the surrounding hills.
The warm climate enhanced the strong, sweet nature of the wines, allowing them to stand up well to long journeys. By the early Christian era this factor, combined with the deeply rooted commercial spirit of the
Phoenicians, made Spanish wines one of the most frequently traded products in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
The Romans continued to produce wine on the peninsula, introducing their own particular techniques over time - for example, the addition of resins and aromatic essences, and ageing in small clay amphorae in sunlit attic
areas or next to chimneys.
much-appreciated smoky taste. The need to supply the vast empire and its legions with wine contributed to building up Hispania's already notable wine trade.
The decline of the Roman Empire and
invasion of Hispania by northern barbarian tribes brought wine making in Spain to a temporary halt, although the subsequent arrival of the Visigoths counteracted this influence.
native Champagne or Bourgogne. But, in this Alhama Valley, the Sierra Nevada works its magic with icy winds that keep temperatures down, saving the vinestocks from the summer heat.
about the disaster was that it left growers free to choose the variety that best suited their land, their microclimate and, above all, their tastes. The quest for new red wines in Andalucia began about 30 years ago...
And some winemakers have been making admirable efforts to recover almost-forgotten native varieties: Tintilla de Rota, Jaen Tinta and Rome Tinta...Granada has plenty to offer in the red wine line. 
Ronda cuts a striking figure. 
