The Seduction Of Spain
Where Ancient Terroirs Meet a New Generation of Wine Lovers

From the timeless Tempranillo of Rioja to the powerful vineyards of Ribera del Duero, expressive Garnacha and the delicate bubbles of Cava, Spanish wine is finding a new audience in Vietnam. Each glass carries something of its origin: landscape, memory and centuries of tradition, poured for a new generation to discover.

There are wines that announce themselves through reputation, and others that seduce more slowly. Spanish wine often belongs to the latter. Perhaps that is part of its charm. Behind every bottle lies a country of extraordinary contrasts: Atlantic winds and Mediterranean warmth, ancient vines clinging to austere hillsides, cool high altitude vineyards and cellars where Tempranillo waits patiently in oak and darkness. Spain does not speak with one vinous voice. It whispers through hundreds of landscapes. And increasingly, Vietnam is listening. 

For decades, the Vietnamese wine table has been familiar with the great names of France, Italy, Australia and Chile. Spain, despite possessing one of the richest wine cultures in Europe, remained comparatively discreet. Today, that landscape is shifting. Vietnamese diners are travelling further, tasting more widely and becoming increasingly curious about what lies beyond the familiar label. For Spanish wine, the timing could hardly be more intriguing. 

A Country Poured into a Glass

Rioja remains a beautiful place to begin. There is something timeless about Tempranillo shaped by oak and patience, its generous fruit gradually giving way to spice, tobacco, leather and savoury complexity. Yet even within Rioja, there is no single expression. 

Tempranillo

Sierra Cantabria Crianza captures the region with an approachable elegance, balancing fruit and maturation with the ease of a wine made for the table. At the other end of the spectrum, San Vicente 2019 reveals Rioja at its most profound. Produced from a single vineyard and awarded 100 points according to So Sexy Wines, it belongs to that rarer world where wine moves beyond pleasure towards contemplation. 

Travel west and the same Tempranillo grape assumes another character in Ribera del Duero. 

Ribera del Duero

Here, Torremoron Reserva 2014, matured for at least 24 months in oak before further ageing in bottle, speaks in a deeper register of dark fruit, spice and time. These wines tell one of Spain’s most compelling stories: a grape may remain the same, yet soil, altitude, climate and the hand of the winemaker can transform its voice entirely. 

Beyond the Familiar 

To understand Spain only through Rioja and Ribera del Duero would be to miss much of its magic. The country unfolds through an extraordinary mosaic of wine regions. Galicia faces the Atlantic, giving freshness and saline energy to its wines. Priorat emerges from dark slate and rugged hills. Calatayud, elevated and sun drenched, gives Garnacha intensity without surrendering its perfume and vitality. 

Galicia

From this landscape comes Señorío de Ayud, an organic Garnacha represented in Vietnam by So Sexy Wines. Expressive with red fruit, flowers and spice, it offers a glimpse of a younger, more exploratory Spain, one increasingly interested in organic viticulture and in allowing individual terroirs to speak more clearly. 

Then comes Cava, Spain’s answer to those moments when stillness gives way to celebration. Reyes de Aragón Gran Reserva Cava, awarded 96 points according to its Vietnamese distributor, brings fine bubbles together with citrus, stone fruit, brioche and almond. It has freshness, but also the complexity that comes with ageing. More importantly, it reminds us that serious sparkling wine need not wait for an occasion. Sometimes opening the bottle creates the occasion.

When Spain Meets Vietnam 

Perhaps the most seductive chapter is written not in the vineyard, but at the Vietnamese table. The cuisines of Spain and Vietnam appear very different, yet they share something instinctive: an understanding that eating is a communal pleasure. Plates are passed, conversations overlap and a meal acquires its own rhythm. 

Vietnamese cuisine, with its herbs, acidity, delicate sweetness, smoke, freshness and umami, invites a more imaginative approach to wine. 

The fine bubbles and acidity of Cava can dance beautifully alongside seafood and crisp fried textures. Garnacha finds an easy companionship with charcoal, grilled meats and aromatic spice. Tempranillo can embrace slow cooked beef, roasted meats and dishes with deeper savoury flavours. 

Left to right: Torremoron Reserva 2014 and San Vicente 2019

The pleasure lies in abandoning rigid rules. Spanish wine does not need to remain beside jamón, Manchego or tapas. Its future in Vietnam may be far more interesting when Albariño meets the sea, Garnacha encounters the grill, or an aged Tempranillo arrives beside a Vietnamese dish it was never traditionally intended to accompany. That unexpected harmony is where discovery begins. 

A Sommelier’s Eye 

Wine, however, does not travel from one culture to another by bottle alone. It needs storytellers. In Vietnam, So Sexy Wines has become a reputable specialist importer and distributor, particularly known for its carefully selected Spanish portfolio. Founded in 2015 with only six wines, it has grown into a collection of around 90 labels spanning different regions, styles and expressions of Spain.

Behind the selection is Alfredo de la Casa, sommelier, wine writer and educator, whose extensive knowledge and understanding of wine have made him a familiar figure within Vietnam’s wine community. 

Alfredo de la Casa

For de la Casa, selection is not simply about finding prestigious names. His approach is grounded in knowing the wines, understanding the people who make them and searching for bottles that possess both authenticity and value. That personal eye matters in a market where discovery can otherwise become overwhelming. 

His work through tastings, masterclasses, writing and wine pairing has also helped make wine less intimidating and more conversational. Particularly compelling is his interest in pairing wine with Vietnamese cuisine, an approach that allows European tradition to enter into dialogue with local flavours rather than remaining confined by convention. 

His portfolio tells that story beautifully. Reyes de Aragón Gran Reserva Cava brings sparkle and finesse. Señorío de Ayud reveals the expressive side of Garnacha. Sierra Cantabria Crianza opens the door to Rioja, while Pinna Fidelis Crianza and Torremoron Reserva 2014 explore the personality of Ribera del Duero. Finally, San Vicente 2019 takes the journey into the realm of the collector. Six bottles. Six different conversations with Spain. 

The New Pleasure of Discovery

This may be the moment Spanish wine has been waiting for in Vietnam. A new generation of drinkers is emerging for whom prestige is no longer the only compass. They want to understand what is in the glass: the grape, the vineyard, the vintage, the maker and the story. 

Left to right: Sierra Cantabria Crianza and Señorío de Ayud

Spain is particularly well placed to reward that curiosity. It possesses wines worthy of the world’s finest cellars, yet also offers remarkable discoveries at more approachable levels. There is pleasure in choosing a famous Rioja, but perhaps an even greater thrill in finding an unfamiliar Garnacha and realising that it speaks to you. Wine appreciation becomes personal at precisely that moment. 

Tastings, masterclasses, wine dinners and events such as Spain Top Wines are bringing these conversations closer to Vietnamese sommeliers, restaurateurs and consumers. The more one tastes, the more Spain reveals itself not as a single wine country but as a continent of flavours within a country. 

Spain, Closer Than Ever 

The story of Spanish wine in Vietnam is still being written, and that may be its greatest attraction. Every bottle opens another door: Rioja and Ribera del Duero today, perhaps Galicia, Priorat or Jerez tomorrow. With knowledgeable sommeliers such as Alfredo de la Casa helping translate those landscapes for Vietnamese drinkers, Spain suddenly feels much closer. 

Left to right: Reyes de Aragón Gran Reserva Cava and Pinna Fidelis Crianza

Because great wine is never only about what is poured into the glass. It is about where it came from, who made it, how long it waited and, finally, who we choose to share it with. Sometimes all it takes is one bottle to begin a journey. And Spain has many more waiting to be opened.