Spain on Top: wines, olive oil, cheeses…

You have a moment to yourself, an elegant yet simple dinner. You’ve prepared a wonderful salad drizzled with Italian oil that you’ll accompany with a great Swiss cheese and a glass of the best French wine. Delusional! You should know that if you had chosen those products with a Spanish origin, it would have been cheaper... and even more delicious!

To be honest, it is something that not even we Spaniards had realized. Accustomed to these delicacies being for internal consumption, we missed their international potential. Even here, we were capable of acting distinguished by placing a Burgundy wine on the table when we had the excellent vintages of El Bierzo at hand; but everything changed toward the 90s of the 20th century, and we finally became aware of the treasure we had in our vineyards.

It is true that we have "only" 70 denominations of origin and that we don't even come close to the many French ones, but, gentlemen! We are talking about regions that provide great variety and quality: refreshing Galician white wines, powerful reds from Castilian regions, delicate elixirs from vineyards swayed by the Mediterranean, ingenious and sparkling Andalusian varieties, and, above all, those that come from the wine region par excellence, La Rioja. It’s not just us saying it; if we take a simple look at the lists of wine gurus like Stephen Tanzer or Robert M. Parker, we will see Spanish wines with the highest scores. Don't believe us? Well... it’s a perfect excuse for you to one day take one of the many winery tours that can be done in our country, which make the discovery trip of the protagonists in "Sideways" look like a Sunday stroll.

We move from one vital liquid to another capital one: olive oil. Not too long ago, Tom Mueller, author of the book , recounted that a large part of supposedly Italian origin oil was actually Spanish and, on top of that, was adulterated. Do we need to say more? Don’t make it complicated and try a bottle of our real oil. It is produced practically all over Spain, although the areas that produce the most are Andalusia and Extremadura.

The world of oil is an entire universe and numerous varieties exist. If you ask any Spanish housewife, she will be able to tell you the differences between extra virgin olive oil (with less than 0.8% acidity), virgin (with acidity less than 2%), a blend of refined and virgin oils (with acidity not exceeding 1%), and olive pomace oil (chemically treated and mixed).

Another distinction comes from the type of olive used: there is arbequina oil, delicate and ideal for seafood and salads; cornicabra, slightly spicy and perfect for roasts; hojiblanca, use it with oily fish; and picual, intense and a good complement for hams, cured meats, and cheeses.

By the way, and speaking of cheese, we also have quite a few. Although the exact number is not known, it is speculated to be over 200. It’s just like with the wines. There aren't as many as the French ones, but certainly many more than the Swiss, although we repeat that we are not talking about quantity but quality.

Whatever your taste, you will find a Spanish cheese that will delight you: if you like intense flavors, there is nothing like Cabrales (Asturias) or Idiazábal (Basque Country and Navarre); if, on the contrary, you like a somewhat acidic flavor, you have to try Mahón (Balearic Islands); if you prefer something milder, you have tetilla (Galicia); if you are looking for something creamy, don't miss out on a torta del Casar (Extremadura); and if you want to experiment with all flavors without moving from your spot, nothing beats the multiple cheeses of La Mancha. Mind you, we’ve only mentioned five out of two hundred. You have a lot to discover!

It took us a long time to realize what we have, but we are making up for lost time. Now these three specialties are known and enjoyed all over the world. But there is nothing like trying them where they are produced. Are you coming with us?