Spain and Portugal are famous for the two standard fortified wines, Sherry and Port. Lately, Spanish Rioja has been gaining popularity as a high quality red wine.

Spain

Spain is best known for fortified Sherry and red Rioja on the export market. There might be some other stuff as well, but they are harder to find on store shelves.

The Rioja region is the best known region, and produces high quality red wine from Tempranillo and other grapes. Rioja is regarded as Spain's best red wine production. In addition to the regulatory designations, you may also see the terms Vina de Crianza (aged two years, at least one of which is in oak), Reserva (aged at least one year in oak followed by two in bottle), and Gran Reserva (aged at least two years in oak and three in bottle, plus one more year in either oak or bottle).

The Riax Baixas region is best known for Albarino based white wine. Some people suspect that Albarino originates from the Rhine and was brought over a thousand years ago, as the varietal characteristics bear some resemblance to the common German varietals.

The Penedes region is best known for Cavas, a Champagne-like sparkling wine (Freixenet is Cavas). It also produces table wine from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Garnacha (Grenache), Cabernet Sauvignon, and other standard varietals. Torres, one of Spain's largest producers, is here.

The Spanish regulatory system goes from Vino de Mesa (table wine), to Vino de la Tierra, to Denominacion de Origen (DO; a quality regional wine designation), to the highest Denominacion de Origen Calificada (DOCa).

Sherry

Sherry comes from Jerez and is a fortified wine (fortified with grape brandy) made from Pedro Ximinez, Palomino, and Moscatel grapes. It may or may not be sweet, and the color ranges from light yellow to deep brown. Sherry has a distinctive strange woody oxidized flavor that is unlike any other wine (if your old Chardonnay starts tasting like Sherry, it means it has gone bad).

There are several distinct classes of sherry spanning a broad range in strength and development. An important factor in some sherries is flor, which is the yeast that floats on the surface during fermentation. Sherries are fermented with significant air exposure, unlike every other wine in existence. This accounts (partially) for its unusual flavor.

From lightest color to darkest, we have:

Fino
This is light yellow in color and very dry, with full flor development during fermentation.
Manzanilla
This is Fino aged by the sea in Sanlucar de Barrameda. They say you can taste the salty influence of the sea air...
Amontillado
This is deeper and darker in color, but permits only partial flor development. The concerns raised in Edgar Allen Poe's short story about a Cask of Amontillado are unfounded in real life.
Oloroso
Deep brown in color, oloroso is full bodied and anywhere from dry to somewhat sweet. No flor.
Cream
Cream Sherry is oloroso that is sweetened with sweet wine made from sun-dried grapes (not quite raisins, but close). It is very sweet and is usually served as dessert wine.

Sherry is not made vintage; the process involves rotating each year's wine through blending and aging with the previous decade or so; the result is wine that comes from a dozen years, added successively, and aged together.

Portugal

Portugal produces a variety of red and white wines, which aren't terribly well known because everyone wants Port, the great fortified wine of Portugal.

In Portugal, the wine regulations include Denominacao de Origem Controlada (DOC; the best), Indicacao de Proveniencia Regulamentada (IPR; a lesser designation), and Vinho Regional (large named region designation). Vinho Regional is not necessarily the lowest designation as the appellation borders are kind of funny, and Vinho Regional allows blending from a broader region that makes more sense. Port has its own set of rules.

All About Port

Port (Porto) is a fortified wine that is produced in the Duoro region in northern Portugaul. The fermentation process is stopped prematurely by the addition of brandy, resulting in high residual sugar and about 20% alcohol.

Port tastes sweet but intense, and very heady due to the high alcohol level. It is a deep purple color.

There are numerous levels of Port. Most port is a blend of grapes from several years, but you can also find vintage port on the more upscale end of things. The designations you'll commonly see are:

Ruby
This is young port, aged about 3 years.
Tawny
This is a blending of older, mature wood-aged ports
Colheita
This is port from one vintage aged seven years in wood
Vintage
This is port made entirely from grapes in one year, and bottled after two years in wood. Vintage port should be allowed to age in the bottle for a couple decades before consumption. A producer might not make a vintage port for every year; this is done only on good years.

Vintage port can be very expensive, so watch out.

You'll notice that many port producers have decidedly English-sounding names like Sandeman and Cockburn. This is because the Brits love port, and import it in large quantities, and set up companies to manage production and importation hundreds of years ago.

Wine Comments

Spain

White Marques de Caceres, Rioja Blanco 2007 (DOCa)
Very fruity, dry, and crisp, with abundant citrus and pineapples.
$7 / bottle

White Marques de Caceres, Rioja Blanco 2000 (DOCa)
Light and crisp fruit flavors, no oak, and a slight citrus and yeast flavor. Relatively simple.
$7 / bottle

White Vicente Gandia "Fusta Nova" Moscatel 2004 (DO Valencia)
Sweet nectar, white raisins, and almonds. Heady and rich.
$13 / 500ml

White Oro Penedes Hill, Muscat-Xarel.lo 2004 (DO Penedes)
Blend of Parellada/Macabeo/Xarel.lo/Muscat 20/20/25/35. Riesling-like floral fruit, light tropical hints, slightly sweet, very short and watery finish.
$8 / bottle

White Lagar de Cervera, Albarino 2000, Riax Baixas (DO)
Light, smooth, fruity, with grape, pineapple, citrus, and other tropical flavors. Medium finish. Uncomplicated.
$15 / bottle

White Bodegas Santo Cristo, Moscatel Ainzon NV (DO Campo de Borja)
Dense, sweet peach, melons, honey, and nectar. Thick texture, bright on the tongue, heady.
$14 / bottle

Red Torres, "Coronas" Tempranillo 2000 (DO Catalunya)
Thick, jammy texture, with mushroom and leather flavors. Claret style. Tasty.
$10 / bottle

Red GranRojo, Garnacha 2005 (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla)
Bold plummy fruit, international style, firm stemmy tannins.
$12 / bottle

Red Abrazo, Garnacha 2005 (DO Carinena)
Forward fruit, stemmy tannins, bloody mouthfeel like Sangre de Toro but not as approachable. Rough and harsh.
$7 / bottle

Red Cruz de Piedra, Garnacha 2005 (DO Calatayud)
Bold and spicy with long tannins and very pure fruit.
$8 / bottle

Red Tapena, Garnacha 2005 (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla)
Dry and fruity with light incense and smoke flavors. Tasty.
$8 / bottle

Red Torres "Sangre de Toro" 2004 (DO Catalunya)
Dark fruit and strong but not overpowering tannins with leather and oak notes. Very dry but very easy drinking.
$7 / bottle

Red Marques de Arienzo, Rioja Crianza 1999 (DOCa)
Biting attack, with strong wood ash flavor and very plummy fruit. Warm and heady.
$11 / bottle

Red Bodegas Palacio, "Cosme Palacio y Hermanos" Rioja Crianza, 1997 (DOCa)
Fruity with dark incense and smoke flavors with spicy wood. Medium body and intensity, with fascinating cherry and blackberry fruit. Soft, with a medium finish.
$10 / bottle

Red Marques del Puerto, Rioja Reserva 1996 (DOCa)
Spicy, heavily oaked chocolate wood. Deep musky aroma with incense and some astringency.
$19 / bottle

Red Bodegas Montecillo, Rioja Crianza 2000 (DOCa)
Racy cherry, tea, and leather. Rather astringent, with prominent spicy oak. Warming.
$9 / bottle

Red Castillo Perelada, Reserva 2000 (DO Emporada Costa Brava)
Rich smoke and incense nose with supple dark fruit and smooth mouthfeel, serious but still easy drinking. Excellent and accessible.
$14 / bottle

Red Borsao, "Tres Picos" Garnacha 2003 (DO Campo de Borja)
Strong and bracingly tannic, dry and bloody.
$13 / bottle

Red Riscal, Tempranillo 2001 (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y Leon)
Dark and smoky, with tea and mint tones over heavy earth.
$10 / bottle

Fortified Alvear, Solera 1927 Pedro Ximinez (DO Montilla Moriles)
Pure liquid raisins, heady with a nutty wood feel.
$21 / 375ml

Fortified Gonzalez Byass "Nectar" Pedro Ximinez Sweet Sherry (DO Jerez Manzanilla)
Dark and syrupy sweet raisins with toasty nuts and faint mushrooms. Powerful and sweet, very rich, long finish.
? / bottle

Fortified Wisdom and Warter, Extra Amontillado Sherry
Strong nutty flavor, and a primary flavor best described as shitake mushroom. Long and lingering. Very strong and intense.
$11 / bottle

Fortified Domecq, Medium Dry Amontillado Sherry
Off-dry, with a deep toasty wood flavor and roasted almonds.
$13 / bottle

Fortified Lustau, "Capataz Andres" Solera Reserve Cream Sherry
Rich nutty flavor, with strong wood undertones. Thick, syrupy texture, very intense and alcoholic.
$14 / bottle

Sparkling Segura Viudas, Cava Brut Reserva NV (Penedes, Spain)
Coarse texture, rather light and simple grape and citrus flavors. Somewhat acid and rather simple.
$9 / bottle

Portugal

Red Dom Martinho, Quinto do Carmo, Alentejano 1997 (Vinho Regional)
Muted fruit, with a slightly spicy and astringent impression. Light wood flavors with berry fruit dominate. Medium to full body, and slight potential for aging.
$10 / bottle

Red Messias, Douro Reserva 1999 (DOC Douro)
Old and leathery, with pepper notes and dense earth and tar and a touch of licorice. Chewy and pleasant, but with a surprisingly short finish.
$10 / bottle

Red JP Azeitao, Setubal Peninsula Vinho Regional Terras do Sado 2004
Cloyingly soft and mellow, with simple tannin and fruit and a dry mouthfeel.
$7 / bottle

White Famega, Vinho Verde "bottled 2004" NV (DOC Vinho Verde)
Very effervescent, high acid, brutally tart but not unpleasant, with Champagne-like yeast and honeysuckle notes.
$5 / bottle

White Arca Nova, Vinho Verde 2002 (DOC Vinho Verde)
Light and effervescent, with bracing acidity and tart crispness. A touch biting and green. Requires food.
$7 / bottle

Fortified Cockburn, Special Reserve Porto, NV
Sweet grape and raisin flavor, exceptionally smooth. Heady and strong, with a raisin and date finish.
$15 / bottle

Fortified Taylor Fladgate, 20 Year Tawny Porto NV
Dense raisin, date, and nuts over moderate wood. Smooth.
$50 / bottle

Fortified Warre's "Heritage" Ruby Porto NV
Fruity dark raisins, light wood. Dry and spicy. Very heady and alcoholic.
$12 / bottle

Fortified Warre, 20 Year Tawny Porto NV
Off-dry, rich raisins and dates over intense wood. Heady.
$45 / bottle

Fortified Warre's, "Warrior" Special Reserve Porto, NV
Raisin and plum, with prune and wood incense notes.
$16 / bottle