Journey through Spain at Regional Wines
Spanish wine is hot. It is literally as well as figuratively steaming. It is the produce of an intensely arid, sun baked land, Spanish vino is nearly all grown on dry earth in regions with low rainfall and is most famous for soft, smooth wines with immediate appeal and approachability. Its new wave Chardonnays and super good value Cavas (bubbly made the same way as champagne, only aged for a shorter period of time) are among the many treasures that offer great value for money. The zesty cooler whites from the north west corner of the country are the only ones to benefit from a maritime climate and mostly famous for Albarino, but other intriguing whites and lighter bodied reds also come from there.
Which brings us to our new winery of the month, a modern company with deep roots, owned by the maverick winemaker, Telmo Rodriguez.
That company is called Compañía de Vinos Telmo Rodrigue and it was established in 1994 The aim of the game was to re establish old vineyards full of native Spanish grape varieties in forgotten regions where wines could be made using modern and ancient methods. This means that stainless steel and concrete fermentation vats co exist happily alongside the occasional new oak and, far more frequently, large old oak foudres and barrels in varying sizes. No oak is a strong theme in these wines, as you will discover when journey through Spain with us this month.
Our wine tour of Spain will take us through the regions of Navarra, Rueda, Alicante, Toro, Aragón, Valedorras and Cigales where we will taste Tinta de Toro (aka Tempranillo), Garnacha, Monastrell, MencÍa, Verdejo, Viura and Godello, among other grapes.
Spanish tastings
Wine Wednesdays
Join us on Wine Wednesdays every week in store to taste Spanish and other wines we have open - we are bringing the Coravin back in store and look forward to seeing you.
And wait there's more...
Saturday 27 August from 2pm onwards
Join us store for a complementary taste of Telmo Rodriguez wines, hosted by myself and Georgia Limacher of Vintners NZ, which imports these wines.
Spanish wine highlights
2019 Telmo Rodriguez Corriente RRP $30.99 / Special $28.99
Buy here
Tempranillo, Garnacha and Graciano grapes grown on bush vines create the dark, delicious stewed fruit complexity in this full bodied Rioja. It's made from vineyards in the cool Lanciego area in Rioja Alavesa on flat shallow soils on stony ground with low fertility, which typically leads to impressive fruit concentration, which certainly shines in this wine. Flavours of blackcurrant, plum and dried fruits are supported by smoothness from aging in a combination of large and small oak barrels and foudres, of varying ages. This adds delicious notes fudge and vanilla to the exciting structure and taste of this wine.
2020 Telmo Rodriguez Gaba Do Xil Godello $31.99 Special $29.99
Buy here
Godello is a white grape that is native to Spain and most at home in Valdeorras DO in Galicia, north west Spain. This region boasts a mixture of maritime and continental climates with high rainfall and high altitude enabling the retention of concentrated flavours of zesty citrus alongside dry, full bodied wine styles.