Michael Schachner

No region is more synonymous with Spanish wine than Rioja. Sprawling along the Ebro river in North Central Spain, Rioja has built its reputation on red wines that balance elegance and power. Though it most often stars its signature Tempranillo grape, these red blends can include other varietals like Garnacha and Graciano. They’re celebrated for their ageability and complexity, most of which comes from the region’s distinct aging classifications.

Amid a sea of more renowned reds, Spain’s best varietal and blended whites have been making their mark. There are dozens of very good to excellent bottlings made from Albariño, Godello, Verdejo and Viura, as well as more obscure varieties like Treixadura, Tempranillo Blanco, Garnacha Blanca and even Palomino, the main grape for Sherry.

A typical summer day unfolds in the Colchagua Valley as a powerful sun rises over the vineyards in the Andean foothills that form the region’s eastern edge. Hours later, that same sun will become a fireball in a cloudless azure sky. Below, on the valley floor and up the craggy hillsides that mark the southern and northern boundaries of Chile’s most textbook wine valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and other vines soak up potent solar rays on their way to eventual ripeness.