Spanish wine is enjoying a surge in popularity on the international market thanks to revolutionary changes in wine-making technology. Spain's entry into the European Union in 1986 sparked new wine laws that have greatly improved the quality of her wines.

Not many years ago, the only Spanish reds imported into the United States were from the Rioja or Ribera del Duero regions in Northern Spain. Today those long-established names are joined by wines from regions around the country -- Priorat, Montsant, Bierzo, Toro, Jumilla, Calatayud and Yecla. There are 62 names of origin recognized by Spanish wine laws and they offer the consumer a wide variety of grapes and styles of wine.

Although Spain lists more than 600 varieties of indigenous grapes, only a handful are used in the wines we drink in the United States. With 2.9 million acres of vineyards, Spain is the world's most planted nation but it trails Italy and France in total production.

This is largely due to the low yields of vines planted in dry, infertile soil. That produces grapes with concentrated and complex flavor profiles, which are essential for making exceptional wines. Spanish wines are among the best values on wine store shelves.

Our state wine shops are currently stocked with a rich selection of Spanish reds at attractive prices. In addition to many fine Riojas and Ribera del Duero bottles, there is an impressive variety from other regions, some made from grape varieties rarely tasted outside Spain.

For the oenologically curious, I suggest the following:

• Bodegas Hijos de Juan Gil 2005, PLCB #26445, $16.99. Jumilla region, 100 percent monastrell (Spanish for mourvedre). From 40-year-old vines planted 2,100 feet above sea level where rainfall is less than 12 inches a year. The soil is chalky limestone and sand. Day and night temperatures can vary as much as 75 degrees. Such extreme conditions stress the vines and result in concentrated fruit and full-bodied and aromatic wines that spend 12 months in French oak. This wine was rated 90 points by Robert Parker.

• Mano a Mano Venta La Ossa 2005, PLCB #26494, $16.99. Castilla La Mancha region 85 percent tempranillo, 15 percent merlot. Castillo La Mancha is the central plateau that surrounds Madrid. Most of the region produces a pleasant white wine from the airen grape. This red from old vines spends 12 months in oak, which adds a smoky character to the black currant and chocolate aromas.

• Decendentes de Jose Palacios Petalos del Bierzo, 2006, PLCB #26871, $21.99. Bierzo region, 100 percent mencia. The mencia grape is a variety indigenous to the Bierzo region. The vines are between 40 and 90 years old and produce a wine with aromas of violets and lavender layered with blueberry jam. Mencia has been compared to the cabernet franc grape, though DNA tests have not confirmed a direct relation.

• San Alejandro Las Rocas 2006, PLCB #26700, $11.99. Calatayud region of Aragon, 100 percent garnacha (Spanish for grenache). The vines producing this wine are from 70 to 100 years old and grow at high altitude, which means the yields are extremely low. The wine is packed with concentrated flavors of black fruits and a nose of spices and minerals with undertones of cedar. It is round in the mouth and long on the finish. In short, it is a spectacular value and will be my house red this winter. It scored 91 points in the Wine Advocate.

• Anima Negra An/2 2005, PLCB #26701, $23.99. Island of Mallorca, 65 percent callet, 20 percent mantonegro-fogoneu, 15 percent syrah. The first two grapes are indigenous to the island. This wine is the antithesis of globalization; these regional grapes are rarely tasted outside Mallorca. Anima Negra is a new venture by three young Mallorcans who have taken local grapes from 50- to 85-year-old vines to make an elegant, silky and world-class red. The wine spends 12 months in French and American oak, 70 percent of it new. It received 91 points from Robert Parker.

• Abelis Carthago Lui Selection 2004, PLCB #26365, $21.99. Toro region, 100 percent tino de toro. This powerful and fleshy wine is handcrafted from fruit grown on 100-year-old, dry-farmed and ungrafted vines. 2004 was considered a nearly perfect vintage in the region. This boutique winery bottles only 2,000 cases annually. Tinto de toro is a local clone of tempranillo. This is a wine with a lot of aging potential that scored 93 points in the Wine Enthusiast and was named Editor's Choice.

• Castillo de Monesma Cabernet Sauvignon Crianza 2000, PLCB #25934, $19.99. Somantano region, Aragon 100 percent cabernet sauvignon. Although this wine is not made from indigenous grapes, I include it because it is a perfect example of a kind of exceptional quality-price ratio product that so many modern wineries in Spain are exporting. This is a powerful, Bordeaux-style wine with some bottle age for an affordable price. Wine Advocate said "it delivers a lovely perfume of smoke, spice, red currants and blackberries that jump from the glass" and gave it 91 points.

• Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos 2006. PLCB #25922, $13.99. Campo de Borja region 100 percent garnacha. The region adjoins Rioja to the southeast and is becoming recognized as a prime location for garnacha vineyards, giving the region the slogan: "Empire of Garnacha." A wine from the region won "Best Grenache Award" at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. 2006 was a wet year in the northern region so this wine is not as full-bodied as other vintages.

• Vega Sindoa 2005, PLCB #25591, $11.99. Navarra region, 60 percent cabernet sauvignon, 40 percent tempranillo. The Navarra region is in the foothills of the Pyrenees, a colder climate than most of Spain's wine regions. The Nekeas Winery that makes the Vega Sindoa is not far from Pamplona, the town that hosts the famous "running of the bulls" every June. This wine regularly receives 90 points in the Wine Advocate and was a Wine Spectator Best Buy. Thirteen months in oak barrels has smoothed out the tannins and given a round quality to this bargain-priced bottle.