Spain

Full bodied, impeccably fresh and deliciously zingy dry white made from Spain's Treixadura white grape (usually used in blends) - an awesome wine to drink with seafood. 

Ribeiro is a northern Spanish wine region and home to the little known but excellent quality Treixadura grape.

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.

Dark and delicious Tempranillo comes from Toro DO, a wine region where this great red grape is known as Tinto de Toro and is typically a more deeply coloured, tannic variation on the Tempranillo theme. 

This wine is made with grapes grown on several different vineyards in Toro and was fermented with native yeasts then aged for six months in stainless steel tanks.

The result is a smooth, full bodied, unmistakably dry and savoury red wine with earthy notes and firm big tannins, which are suggestive of a region with hot days and cool nights, which lengthen the ripening season and enhance the balance in this wine by providing refreshing acidity to its smooth, rich, full bodied style. 

Telmo Rodr?guez is one of Spain?s most dynamic wine pioneers, using native grapes, biodynamic growing methods and old bush vines to express a wide range of flavours from this vast and diverse wine country.

The Muriel Family has been making wine since the early twentieth century and this brand forms the flagship offering.

Here we have 100% Tempranillo which to be labelled as a Crianza must age for at least 18 months with a minimum of six months in oak. This wine has actually spent a year in American oak and the flavour profile is testament to this, with beautifully integrated vanilla and coconut notes that combine effortlessly with the dark and red berry flavours. An elegant wine with plush tannins and a fullness of body as is befitting the style.

Drink now and over the next couple of years with poultry, veal and cured meats.

This Reserva Tempranillo from Valdepenas is a great example of the quality coming out of Spain at the  moment.  Ripe and juicy, yet also with hints of oak and complexity.  Grapes from their oldest, low-yielding vineyards were combined with those of younger vines to create a blend of rich dark fruit with smooth vanilla and rich cocoa. 12 months in American oak barrels, followed by a further 24 months in the bottle add a silken texture to the blend.  Superb with hearty stews and char-grilled steaks as well as a variety of tapas.

"Dark cherry red with a savoury bouquet infused with redcurrant fruit and cake spices, then spicy and savoury to the taste with lifted red berry fruit, a touch of orange zest and peppery spices. There's a nice touch of smokiness coming through, underlying earthy notes and a long dry finish lifted by vanillin oak and mint. Tannins are firm yet the wine is ripe and juicy with a pleasing generosity. Fantastic presentation.  13% alc."

Treixadura (90%), Albariño (5%), Godello (3%), Loureira (2%)

Appearance:  attractive pale yellow , steely border with greenish tinges

Nose: Great intensity with aromas of Fuji Apple and Williams Pear, stone fruit (white plum, lychee, peach).  Subtle notes of yellow flowers which lead to freshly-cut grass, moss, balsamic herbs and a mineral base of riverbed stones and a delicate smokey touch

Palate: Creamy, full entry leading to citrus notes (lemon peel, mandarin) and stone fruit.  Subtle hints of fennel. Vibrant and well-structured.  Powerful yet elegant.  Intense minerality (granite, riverbed stones).  Great character and structure with a long finish.

Food matching:  Shellfish (langoustine, soft shell crab, spider crab), oysters, clams and coastal fish (sole, bream, John Dory). Also poultry and game (rabbit, hare and quail)

Txakoli, pronounced cha-coal-ee is a lightly sparkling, dry white wine from the north of Spain, made to drink while it's young (typically within a year of bottling). Its high acidity  and low alcohol make it taste clean, fresh and zingy. It's made from the rare Hondarrabi Zerratia grape, which is a relative of the French white grape, Petit Manseng, which is found not too far north of here in southern France. 

Maraved? is the name of an ancient Spanish coin and this wine is an excellent example of a Tempranillo and Syrah blend, made from old Spanish dry farmed and organically certified vineyards. Deep purple with a ruby rim, displaying aromas of red fruit and blackberries with slight spicy notes of freshly ground pepper. Medium bodied and juicy on palate, yet with fine tannins and a refreshing finish.

The continental climate, with sunny days and cool nights, allow for intense fruit and excellent varietal definition, while retaining remarkable freshness. The Organic Grapes are picked at night and in the early morning hours and shipped quickly to a state-of-the-art winery for destalking, light crushing and fermentation under temperature control in stainless steel. Maceration lasts for 8-10 days to achieve a perfectly balanced style without excessive extraction. No oak is used to achieve a pure expression of the combination of Tempranillo and Syrah.

Maravedi is the name of an ancient Spanish coin and this wine is an excellent blend of Chardonnay and Airen (an indigenous Spanish white grape). The flavours are smooth and creamy with Chardonnay strutting its flavoursome, approachable taste in every mouthful. It is made from dry farmed, organically certified vineyards in the La Mancha region of Spain, south of Madrid, which is Spain's largest wine region.

If you are looking for a treat yourself or for the wine lover in your life, here is a Spanish red that will surprise and please in equal measure. 

This full bodied wine has the dark fruit flavours of a Mediterranean wine but is beautifully balanced by the naturally high acidity of the Mencia grape, which provides a sense of freshness to the wine. This fascinating blend of five grapes is mostly Mencia which makes up 90% of the wine with the remaining grapes being Brancellao, Mouton, Souson and Garnacha Tintorera. The wine was aged for 12 months in old French oak barrels. 

Spain is known for its wealth of old vines, mostly grown en vaso (in the shape of a vase) and low to the ground to keep them anchored since there is no trellis they can rely on for support.

These sturdy vines have hefty trunks and, impressively, produce grapes even when they are 100 years of age and older. The fruit tends to taste extremely concentrated and is not exactly plentiful on these old vines, which can yield as low as one to 1.5 kgs of grapes per vine but the results are worth retaining these beautiful, noble and commanding old plants. 

Beronia Reserva is made from a selection of the best grapes from the oldest Tempranillo vines, plus some Graciano y Mazuelo. After a spell undergoing cold pre-fermentation maceration and controlled fermentation with periodic pumping over to extract the desired colour and aromas, the wine spent 18 months in mixed French and American oak barrels to create the unmistakable 'Beronia Style'. Lastly the wine was left to rest in the bottle a further 18 months before being released to the market.

Atractive and intriguing on the nose it displays nutty aromas ? roasted almonds, walnuts ? followed by notes of plum primarily but also ripe fruit and a pleasant hint of white pepper, which all add complexity and freshness. Full bodied the palate, the wine displays balanced acidity. The flavours are mostly of ripe fruit, whilst the finish is sweet and smooth, bringing to mind cacao and roasted hazelnuts.

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.

This is 100% Tempranillo Bianco cultivated by Mart?n Alonso Etayo and his wife, Gloria, who run this most incredible estate in the Rioja Baja. Expect medium acidity with bold citrus flavours of lemon and mandarin which are softened by stone fruit flavours of melon and peach.

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.