Spain

Accolades:
90/100 - James Suckling
91/100 - Bob Campbell MW

"The nose here has attractive, deep-set blackberries and plums that follow on the palate with assertive, mocha-flavored oak that builds on the finish. Drink or hold." James Suckling

"From the Jumilla region in central Spain from grapes grown in certified organic vineyards. Rich, flavoursome red with dark berry, savoury/new leather, spice, baked earth and vanilla flavours. Gutsy red with a pleasingly rustic edge. Best with food." Bob Campbell MW

Tasting Note: Deep-red coloured wine with purple edges, with an extremely intense aroma of red and ripe fruit, pleasantly creamy, accompanied by touches of toasty oak. It is fruity and flavourful in the mouth, meaty and gamey with smoked charcuterie notes and soft, ripe tannins. Vanilla and cinnamon accent the finish.

Winemaking Notes: The harvest is done by hand at the optimum ripening time. Each grape variety was separately fermented and macerated with their own peels during 15/20 days at a controlled temperature no higher than 28?C. Ageing: 4 months in American oak barrels.

Certification: Organic

Alcohol: 14.5%

Varietal: Monastrell, Syrah and Petit Verdot

Region: Jumilla, Spain

An insanely good red wine at an incredibly affordable price, this spicy Syrah comes all the way from Spain. Dark fruity flavours sit in a robust and beautifully integrated, full-bodied wine, which spent six months ageing in American oak. Lovely drinking now and over the next two to three years. 

This wine is made from Tempranillo, Grenache, Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano grown on clay-limestone terraces from the Tertiary era, located  on  the slopes of Montes Obarenes and Sierra Cantabria. 

After fermentation with indigenous yeasts in oak vats, the wine is Aged for 26 months, in new French oak barrels made at Muga's own cooperage. The wine is fined with fresh egg whites, bottled and then remains in cellar for at least 18 months for further ageing.

The wine is a deep black cherry colour in the glass. The nose is complex, with aromas of dark fruits and hints of cedar wood, scrub and spice.

The palate is elegant and harmonious with more red fruits than the nose with lovely integration of acid and tannin.

Food pairing This wine will go well with red meats, lamb and all types of game dishes.

Xarel-Lo is famously used in the production of cava along with a few others - but here it is made as a varietal wine from vines planted in 1974 in the high altitude of Pendes.

Fermentation was in stainless steel tanks with fine lees contact for three weeks to retain the fruity freshness and add texture.

The result is a youthful and vibrantly fruited wine with sweet herbal scents and fresh green fennel.

This tasty pink sparkling Spanish wine comes from Bodegas Alta Alella, which uses the Matar? grape in this wine. This is grown organically, hand harvested and aged for 15 months on lees following the second fermentation. That's the same time frame as the majority of champagnes but this lovely dry sparkling wine comes to us all at a mere fraction of the price. It has zero dosage so it's bone dry in taste and is bursting with delicious flavours, a medium body, refreshing style and a long finish. 

Pares Balta has made a name for itself on our market thanks to its accessible bubblies of great purity. Working with the Xarel-lo grape variety in maceration for this cuvee, the estate offers a remarkably fragrant orange wine whose profile will appeal to both fans of the genre and anybody curious about the style. Great choice to mix things up as an aperitif or to bring a new twist to a Thai dinner.

If you're a fan of dry white wine, try this sensational Spanish white from Telmo Rodriguez, one of the country's most revered winemakers for his role in reviving indigenous grapes and giving them a new lease of life with modern winemaking methods. 

This is 80% Verdejo and 20% Viura with dry, crisp, delicious flavours of ripe lemons and oatmeal notes. It's made from organically grown bush vines from vines at 750 metres altitude in Rueda, 90 minutes' drive north west of Madrid, on the fringe of Toro DO. The climate here is continental with hot summers,  cold winters and extreme temperature fluctuations. Rueda is a white wine only appellation and all grapes in this wine were hand picked into small baskets, then cool fermented in stainless steel with no additions - it's natural, but without the marketing noise - aside from a small touch of sulphur at bottling. 

Basa is a not-so-fruity Rueda Verdejo with the Viura in the blend to add zest and length to the wine. 

A gorgeous dry white - a must try.

This gorgeous smooth fruity red puts Spain's best foot forward every year with its spicy aromas and ripe smooth fruit flavours. 

Now owned by the renowned sherry producer Gonzalez Byass, Bodegas Beronia was created in 1973 by a wine and food club and is now considered a benchmark Rioja house.

A deep picota cherry red colour with a garnet edge, this wine is clean and bright. It is complex on the nose, with aromas of cherry and raspberry standing out, complemented by herbal notes - rosemary and thyme - and hints of cinnamon and tobacco. Very fresh and tantalising on the palate, this wine displays a plethora of flavours, the most prominent of which are the confected notes of vanilla and chocolate.

The village red 2016 Bellmunt, shows lots of elegance and balance. It seems like 2016 was a great year at the property, and many wines show really well. This is a blend of 65% Garnacha, 30% Carinena and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from younger vines and deeper soils, and it's a more approachable face of Priorat, with red fruit aromas and a medium-bodied palate with very fine tannins and great balance. This shows great purity, and there is no oak after an elevage of ten months in a mixture of 1,500- and 3,000-liter oak vats and 3,300-liter concrete vats. 

Wine advocate 92 points

Bodegas Casa Castillo is located on the plateau of Jumilla where its 174 hectare vineyard enjoys a high altitude and the cooling influence of the Mediterranean. Lovers of Bandol reds will enjoy this lovely smooth, full bodied red from Casa Castillo, a blend of Monastrell 60%, Garnacha 20% and Syrah 20%. 

It's made from old bush vines which provide very small amounts of highly concentrated juice. Modern winemaking with cold macerations retains freshness and new French oak provides structure. The wines are generally bottled unfiltered to allow them to be as expressive as possible and they are a bargain for the quality produced.

The Tempranillo (78%) comes from 30-year-old vines in our Cuesta (Cenicero) and Montecillo (Fuenmayor) vineyards. The Garnacha (22%) comes from La Pedriza vineyard in Tudelilla (Rioja Oriental). This 70 hectare property offers unbeatable conditions for growing this variety. Its nutrient-poor soil, covered with boulders, results in great varietal typicity, rich in aromas, with a pleasant, elegant structure. We started picking these plots in mid-October. 

The grapes were harvested manually and transported to the winery in refrigerated vehicles. Alcoholic fermentation took place spontaneously. Malolactic fermentation concluded at the end of the year. In March 2013, the selected wines were put in barrels to start ageing separately: the Tempranillo for 36 months with six manual rackings, in American oak barrels averaging 4 years in age and the Garnacha for 30 months with five manual rackings, in barrels with two and three wines. The final blend was bottled in March 2016.

Outstandingly bright, lively and intense garnet red, with an incipient cherry red rim. The first nose is very intense, with spicy, balsamic and ripe fruit notes. After swirling, aromas of black pepper, sweet liquorice, nutmeg, coffee, vanilla and cinnamon make their appearance. Mouth full of flavours, with a pleasant acidity and balance, and very polished tannins that enhance the harmonious structure. Complex and elegant aftertaste with spicy and balsamic hints. 

To enjoy right now, but with a long life ahead.

Made from 100% Tempranillo fruit aged for 36 months in American oak and held for five years before release and now with some decent age under its belt - what's not to like. Bold and powerful with spicy fruit and mellow tannins Rioja Reservas really are a law unto themselves and given half a chance the oak just melts into the aged tertiary flavours harmoniously.

Tempranillo is one of the world?s most popular on trend red grapes at the moment and it?s easy to taste why in this earthy little bottle of deliciously full bodied goodness. 

New on our Under $25 stand now ? pop in for a bottle or half a case.

Laya is a banging Spanish red made from a blend of heat loving Garnacha Tintorera and Monastrell, both of which thrive in the dry arid climate of Spain and in this wine their big bold flavours are well balanced by being grown on vineyards at altitude. This wine is made from grapes grown at 700 to 1000 metres above sea level on limestone soils; two factors that encourage great quality grapes, which express themselves in high quality wines, thanks to the closer than usual proximity to the sun and the cool nights, which stretch out the growing season and provides refreshing acidity to the grapes.

Oak maturation was brief, which soften this wine, adding complexity.