October 08, 2025

358: How Does the Biggest Misconception About Spanish Wine Make It a Hidden Gem for Wine Lovers? Sarah Jane Evans Reveals This and More in Her New Book

57 minutes

How does the biggest misconception about Spanish wine make it a hidden gem for wine lovers? How did Spain’s civil war and period of dictatorship delay the growth of its wine culture? What makes the vineyards of Priorat challenging to walk and unforgettable to visit?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Sarah Jane Evans, author of the terrific new book The Wines of Central and Southern Spain: From Catalunya to Cadiz.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.

Giveaway

Two of you are going to win a copy of Sarah Jane Evans' wonderful new book, The Wines of Central and Southern Spain: From Catalunya to Cadiz. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast. I’ll choose two people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!

Highlights

How did the memory of her parents bottling wine at home influence Sarah Jane’s perception of wine?

What is the Oxford vs. Cambridge University Varsity Blind Wine-Tasting Match?

What was Sarah Jane’s experience as a judge at wine competitions in Japan?

What’s unique about Japan’s peaches and why does Sarah Jane recommend them as a “can’t miss” on a trip to Japan?

Why was Sarah Jane initially drawn to Spanish wine?

What is the Officer’s Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic and why was Sarah Jane awarded this honour?

Why did Sarah Jane choose to write her Master of Wine dissertation on the alchemists of Sherry?

What is the significance of Sarah Jane’s choice to use first names when writing about winemakers?

What are the hallmark characteristics of Spanish orange wines?

Where are Spain and its territories located in Europe?

What’s the biggest misconception about Spanish wine?

Why does Sarah Jane consider Spain the most exciting country in Europe for wine?

How are winemakers reviving old vineyards in Spain?

What makes Casa Castillo’s Monastrell wines unique?

Key Takeaways

Unfortunately, people think of Spanish wine as cheap and cheerful. That image is hard to to get rid of. So when you look at a fine wine list, if you're in a Michelin-starred restaurant, you will start off with maybe Champagne, and then you'll have France, and then you'll get into Italy, and then, if you're lucky, Spain will come next. The good thing about that is that it makes very top wine in Spain, still very good value.

Since Spain had a civil war just before the Second World War, and after that, they had a fascist dictatorship that went on till the late 1970s, they didn't join Europe until the 1980s. So during that time of the dictatorship, they were told what to farm, where to farm, how to farm it. So there was no priority about fostering a wonderful wine culture. that's only really coming in the last 40 years. Spain has just been a little bit behind, but it has to escape, because you can't survive on paying growers next to nothing, making very cheap wines.

About Sarah Jane Evans

Sarah Jane is an award-winning writer. She travels widely as an educator and consultant, and is a Contributing Editor to Decanter. Her books include The Wines of Central and Southern Spain, The Wines of Northern Spain, Seville, Chocolate Unwrapped, and also the entries on Spain and Sherry for the annual Hugh Johnson Pocket Wine Guide. Sarah Jane received the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic awarded by the King of Spain for her work for Spain. Beyond Spain, her special interests in wine are Greece, South America and the great fortified and sweet wines of the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/358.

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By Natalie MacLean

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