Difficult pronunciations for one whose Spanish proficiency does
not extend beyond the menu at Taco Bell. That Spain has so many
grape varieties likely has to do with climate diversity. The
snowcapped Pyrenees separate Spain from France in the northeast.
In the northwest and southwest, Spain borders the North
Atlantic. The North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea collide
to its south at the Strait of Gibraltar, where Spain’s
southernmost tip is only nine miles from Morocco. It is bordered
by the Mediterranean Sea on the east. Temperatures in Spain
range from desert hot to subarctic. Remarkably, wine grapes are
grown across almost the entirety of the country. The Phoenicians
are often credited with originating the wine cultures of Europe,
but when they arrived in Spain, a wine culture had been in
existence for hundreds of years, preceding their first
settlement of Cadiz in 1100 BC. Spain ranks third in world wine
production, behind France and Italy. Spanish wines are well
known in Europe, but they are a tougher