Wine has been an essential part of The Spanish cuisine for many centuries. Spain is also a major wine producing country with more land dedicated to
viticulture than any other country in the world. In recent years the quality of Spanish wine has been discovered in the US with imports increasing every year. Spain has instituted a system of
Denomination of Origin (DO), so that the consumer is assured that the wine meets the standards of quality and is produced using accepted methods and grape varieties. Each denomination of origin is
controlled by a regulating counsel that ensures that the wines given the denomination meet strict standards in several areas in addition to the geographic area and grape varieties. The standards
requires adherence to specified vineyard and winemaking practices, a maximum yield and a minimum alcohol content
