Spain's 'New' Whites

by Peter McCombie

Long one of the big three producers Spain use to struggle to match France and then Italy for glamour, but those days are long gone. The country is a powerhouse, both for quality and quantity, so the annual Spanish tasting is a must for me.

 While red wines tend to dominate our thinking on Spain (last time I looked something like 40% of Spanish wine sold in the UK was Rioja, most of which is red) the whites get better and better, so this year I decided to focus on whites.

We’ve got used to crisp Albariños from Riás Baixas in Galicia and fruity, aromatic Ruedas, but they get better and better. Meanwhile the modernising revolution in Spain has seen both the rediscovery of more traditional varieties and the application of modern techniquesto forign inports. Godello is set to join Albariño and Verdejo as a key indigenous variety with Xarel.lo starting to perform well, sometimes in a relatively trad oxidative style but increasingly in a more modern, mineral style. I found some really delicious fresh Sauvignons, one unexpectedly from Valencia and some fascinating blends of French and Spanish varieties.

I’ve lived here too long to be conned into thinking the latest warm weather means Spring is here, but it isn’t far away. Do yourself, and your customers, a favour as you gear up for a Spring wine list revamp: check out some of the excitng, new style, Spanish whites.