Celebrate Mother's Day with Spanish Wines
It's a day all about making Mom happy — and these are happy-making wines.
Let's throw out the myth of what "Mom wine" can be.
Spain's wine culture is ancient — grapes have been grown and wine has been made there for thousands of years.
Today, it's home to an astounding variety of styles, colors and flavors. In the red wine country of Rioja, producers like López de Heredia and La Rioja Alta are global standard bearers for quality.
Inspired by classic French wines, especially Bordeaux, they chose specific varieties to plant and designate where to plant them, to reflect a desired style. They craft their own barrels, and age their wines much longer than legally necessary.
The resulting wines are rich, complex and earthy — a complete and distinct experience in their own right, and something which would satisfy any lover of Bordeaux blends or Napa Cabernets.
This is the kind of authenticity that Mom will appreciate.
Shop Rioja in NYC.
Shop Rioja in SF.
In Spain's northwestern corner, white wine reigns supreme.
Albariño is the crown jewel of Galicia.
In the right hands, meticulous farmers like Bodegas Albamar or Bodegas Fefinanes craft wines of intense salinity and minerality.
We love them for what they are, and what they express (the Atlantic Ocean is often a short walk away from the granite-rich vineyards, imbuing the wines with a distinct savory note), but just as much, we love them for their versatility.
A Sancerre devotee, for instance, will find much to love in a great bottle of Albariño.
Shop Albarino in NYC.
Shop Albarino in SF.
Though its classic wines are important and delicious in their own right, it's the New Spain movement that truly fascinates us: a younger generation of winemakers who choose to highlight their distinct terroirs, and purity of fruit, working with minimal intervention in the vineyard and the cellars.
In the Canary Islands and beyond, the four person team of Envínate has made it their goal to both preserve local winemaking techniques and to bring lesser-known appellations and varieties to a wider market.
Shop Envinate in NYC.
Shop Envinate in SF.
In the Penedès, Raventos has moved away from the official Cava DO in favor of Conca del Riu Anoia — they find there are too many subpar Cava wines to associate their name with.
So they rise above and make some of the finest sparkling wines we've ever enjoyed, from Spain and beyond. We love a great bottle of Prosecco as much as the next person, but it's hard to beat a bottle of Raventos' bubbly rosé, whether we're sipping, toasting or mixing.
Shop Raventos in NYC.
Shop Raventos in SF.
Maybe you (or Mom) already know and enjoy these wines.
But if you aren't familiar, there's no better time to get to know these producers and their incredible bottles.
Mom deserves a treat — we hope she'll share these treasures with you!