Spanish Wines That Make The Party Shine.

WINES THAT MAKE THE PARTY SHINE

Here’s a debrief on deliciousness from my recent trip to Spain. Having become a bit fed up with the lack of English sunshine, I decided to visit my youngest son in Salamanca. I’d highly recommend this UNESCO world heritage site for anyone looking for a short European break!

?I scribbled a few lines down about the wine I experienced throughout the trip; however, I am not just writing about the wine but instead about how it helped/hindered the best moments of the trip.

I’ve long been a fan of Spanish wine but I left the city feeling a bit confused. The wines I thought I loved were not my favourites of the trip, in fact, if anything they were my least favourite and they slightly joined the list of ‘old fart’ wines I crusade against. Here’s what, how and why, illustrated through three dinners, with some top buying tips after…

FRIDAY:

It’s a Friday night. We find ourselves in a buzzy tapas restaurant with many different flavours coming at us thick and fast. The wine list’s long with many wines that are new to me. We play safe. Looking for something white, fresh, full of fruit and it comes in the form of Terra Gauda Albarin? from Rias Baixas. This region is famed for its energetic, elegant, zippy dry whites, and this one, didn’t disappoint. Widely available for under ￡20 this bottle will not let you down. My merchant of choice would be?EW Wines .?Also look for another favourite of mine –?Lagar de Cervera ?which is on at Waitrose for under ￡15 a bottle.??

SATURDAY:

A bit more serious. The restaurant has tablecloths, a menu we don’t understand with our fairly useless Spanish, but thankfully the waiter speaks very good French – embarrassing, but we manage.?Carlos, our French speaking waiter recommends the food and it’s a meat feast. I see a favourite wine on the menu – Patalos del from Bierzo – not too far from where we were - so we order. One sip and I know it’s going to do the job - intense, packed with black cherry fruit, medium bodied and a bargain at €23.?

For bottle number 2, I went for, what in cricket terms would be a ‘middle stump’ classic, Vina Ardanza Reserva 2012 from La Rioja Alta. It’s always been a favourite of mine but it alters the mood. Heavy on the oak, rich in vanilla, spice and all things I think I love about Reserva Rioja, but it seems to sap energy rather than radiate it, so we revert back to another bottle of Petalos and hey … we’re right back up there again.

I highly recommend this wine and it’s available from?Ocado ?at ￡19 a bottle.??It’s made largely from the native Mencia grape, it’s 13.5% alcohol, bursting with black cherry and full of life.??An absolute cracker!

SUNDAY NIGHT – THE MOOD

It’s a table full of students so we play safe again, Albarinō for the white – everyone loves it and I spy a bottle of Marques de Vargas Reserva 2018 at €25 so we go for that too.?An old favourite of mine that I haven’t tasted for 5+ years and, even though it’s delicious, it just doesn’t do it for our group. I don’t see their smiles broaden and their laughter get louder.??It’s heavy and I want something light on its feet so we change tack and head for a bottle of Vinos Dido Tinto from Montsant right over in the East near Priorat and Barcelona. This does the job – the noise level increases, the smiles widen and I’m sure it’s not just because it’s bottle number 2. You will be able to find this bottle at?Master of Malt ?from under ￡20 and they describe it as bright, fruity and subtly mineral... I don’t have much to add. Now I’m not saying there’s not a time and a place for good Rioja. It’s a staple diet for us in the UK but what I am encouraging you to do is to join me on an exploration of the fruitier, fresher and more, or equally, dynamic wines of Spain and here’s where I am going to start:

Spain’s king of grapes: Tempranillo. For red wine lovers, experimenting with different grape varieties is essential. But if you think swapping your favourite Cabernet Sauvignon for a Merlot qualifies as exploring, you’re missing the boat. This dry, often regarded as spicy wine is Spain’s most planted grape with 300,000 vines nationwide. If you see it on the label, best to have a go!

Next up are the Bierzo reds. This famous wine region boasts its vast portfolio of grapes, one being the much-loved Mencia grape. My choice is?Ultreia from Raul Perez ?from Wine Direct.

Lastly, whites from Godello in Galicia such as?Alma das Donas . These 50-year-old vines are famed for their fruitful flavour, generated from the steep gradient they find themselves on. The region grows millions of varied vines but I must say, these are the top dogs.

To finish off this blog, I thought that I would mention that if you are like me, and that you love when wine jells the table, then this is what you should look for to lift the mood.

1.?????Avoid oaky wines. They can overpower your meal and even worse, the mood!

2.?????Stick to fresh vintages. Young wines that burst with flavour can never really bring the mood down!

3. ?13.5% alcohol. Forget about oak scaring grandma away, any wines that are over 13.5% can really alter the theme of the evening, from one of celebration and fun to one of mayhem and disruption. Trust me!