Spanish Wine 201

Trusted by 20,000+ students

Master the wines of Spain

Spain has more vineyard land than any country on earth and a lineup of grapes most drinkers haven't met. We break down the regions, the labels, and the history that make Spain one of the world's most dynamic wine countries.

4 chapters
1 videos
5h
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Introduction

Become a Spanish wine expert

Spain has more land planted to vines than any country in the world and a lineup of grapes most drinkers haven't met yet. We move from Rioja and Ribera del Duero through Galicia and Andalucía, taught by Christine Marsiglio, our Director of Education.

What you'll learn

Four modules. Spain end to end.

Each module groups Spain's wine regions by climate and tradition, from the Tempranillo of the Ebro to the volcanic vines of the Canaries.

Part 1: Northern Heartland

The Ebro & Duero Valleys

Spain's two great river valleys. Tempranillo-led Rioja with its Crianza / Reserva / Gran Reserva classifications and American-oak signature, the high-altitude power of Ribera del Duero and Toro, the white wines of Rueda, and the Mencía revival in Bierzo.

Regions covered: Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Toro, Rueda, Bierzo, Navarra

The Ebro & Duero Valleys — Part 1: Northern Heartland

Part 2: Catalunya & the Mediterranean

Slate slopes, sparkling wine, sun-baked reds

Catalunya is two wine worlds — Priorat's dense, mineral reds grown on llicorella slate, and Cava, Spain's traditional-method sparkling out of Penedès. Then south along the Mediterranean coast to Monastrell and Bobal country: Jumilla, Yecla, and Valencia.

Regions covered: Priorat, Montsant, Penedès, Cava, Jumilla, Yecla, Alicante, Valencia

Slate slopes, sparkling wine, sun-baked reds — Part 2: Catalunya & the Mediterranean

Part 3: Atlantic Spain

Green Spain's cool-climate whites

The cool, rainy Atlantic coast — "Green Spain" — produces Spain's freshest wines. Rías Baixas Albariño, Ribeira Sacra's heroic-viticulture Mencía from terraced river slopes, and the Basque Country's Txakoli. A corner of Spain that drinks like a different country.

Regions covered: Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras, Ribeiro, Monterrei, País Vasco

Green Spain's cool-climate whites — Part 3: Atlantic Spain

Part 4: The South & the Islands

Sherry, central plateau, volcanic vines

The Meseta's Vino de Pago estates and the vast Castilla-La Mancha; Andalucía's Sherry — the solera, fortification, and the dry-to-sweet style spectrum from Fino to PX; and the volcanic Canary Islands, where ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines still grow in lapilli pits. Spain's most distinctive corner.

Regions covered: Madrid & Gredos, Castilla-La Mancha, Jerez / Sherry, Canary Islands

Sherry, central plateau, volcanic vines — Part 4: The South & the Islands

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Your wine guides

Taught by world-class wine educators

Spain's winemaking heritage runs deep. You'll learn from a James Beard award-winning author of the bestselling Wine Folly book and one of the world's most credentialed wine educators. Over 20,000 students taught.

Christine Marsiglio

Director of Education

Christine leads the course, drawing on her WSET Diploma teaching to decode Spain's regions, grapes, and label classifications.

Director of Education and one of only 35 Bollinger award-winning Masters of Wine worldwide.

Read full bio

Christine is our Director of Education and one of only 35 Bollinger award-winning Masters of Wine worldwide.

Before Wine Folly, she taught the WSET Diploma in London and contributed to the latest global Diploma materials. She also led tastings at Decanter, running panels and organizing the Decanter World Wine Awards.

She's the rare expert who can teach at the Master of Wine level and still meet a beginner where they are.

Madeline Puckette

Wine Folly Founder

Madeline frames the broader story, how Spain became one of the world's largest and most dynamic wine producers.

Wine Folly co-founder, James Beard Award winner, and New York Times bestselling author.

Read full bio

Madeline co-founded Wine Folly in 2011 and turned it into the world's go-to wine cheat sheet.

She's a James Beard Award winner, a New York Times bestselling author, and was named both Wine Blogger of the Year and Wine Communicator of the Year by the International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Her articles, infographics, and videos are what made wine knowledge feel approachable to a generation of drinkers.

student reviews

What students are saying

“I love the modern, straightforward, and visually engaging approach of these courses. I especially appreciated seeing Spain featured in its own dedicated chapter. Highly recommended!”

Juliana S.

“I love the modern, straightforward, and visually engaging approach of these courses. I especially appreciated seeing Spain featured in its own dedicated chapter. Highly recommended!”

Juliana S.

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