INTRIGUING IBERIANS

This month is all about the profusion of vinous delights that emerge from the vast and varied Iberian peninsula; from sun-baked plains, to wild and wet mountainous terrain, Spain and Portugal’s wine regions offer up a veritable smorgasbord of styles, colours, and price levels. But you won’t find one mention of Rioja, Cava or Port in this column; these familiar names are already well-established;  instead I want to take you on a Hispanic wine tour outside your comfort zone – trust me.

Nestled amongst the arid fields between Madrid and Valencia, lies Cuenca, best known, to date, for its sheep farming.  Cue a white wine with, appropriately, a sheep on the label; Oveja blanca Dry Muscat 2015 (was £10.75, now £9.46) is the brainchild of a family wine producer who has brought in the expertise of an internationally renowned Master of Wine and roving winemaker, has thrown the rulebook away and is playing around with new styles. This is dry Muscat, and when it says dry, it really is; floral, fragrant, it smells of pink grapefruit and fresh green table grapes, with a hint of delicate acacia honey. For those who love super-dry wines, don’t be put off by the Muscat name – this is bone dry, with ripe peach fruit and a searingly crisp finish.  I tried this with a Lebanese sweetly-spiced fish dish, and a platter of Middle-eastern mezze with tahini dip – spot on, and fabulous value.

Skipping over the border to Portugal, let’s head first to the northern region of the Minho.  Now, the words ‘Vinho Verde’ may cause shudders in some readers who remember the old guard of Mateus Rose and insipid sweet Portuguese whites. Track forward three decades, and true, authentic Vinho Verde is making a welcome comeback. Crisp, bone dry, with an edge of spritz, these wines are at their best drunk very young, very fresh, and with the added bonus of being far lighter in alcohol than most dry whites. Quinta da Lixa, Vinho Verde 2015 (was £8.95, now £7.88) sits at a refreshing 10.5% alcohol, and is as fresh as a daisy, with lipsmacking lemon and lime crispness and the crunch of granny smith apples.

Staying in Portugal, but moving south, the Dao, one of the country’s oldest, most traditional, but now frequently-overlooked regions, lies south of Oporto and the  more famous Douro Valley.  Until recently the red wines had a reputation for being tough and chewy, but now styles are softening, as exemplified by International Wine Challenge Silver medal winner A Descoberta 2013, Casa da Passarella (was £10.50, now £9.24). This gorgeously rich, voluptuous red is enveloping in its irresistible warmth and charm.  Dark, rich and brooding, flavours of ripe blackberries, sweet mulled wine spices, black cherries and dark chocolate, trip across the tongue. I can’t think of anything better with slow-cooked roast lamb and rich game dishes at this time of year.  Portuguese red wines are still often undervalued and underrated – let this one seduce you.

No wine piece about Spain is complete without including Sherry, one of the most misunderstood and underrated drinks around. Sherry is having a well-deserved revival, especially in tapas bars, after years of being relegated to the drinks cupboards of great aunts and grannies. From Jerez, in the deep south, the land of Flamenco and heat, and close to Seville, this golden wine is totally unique.  There are several styles – Fino and Manzanilla are searingly dry, and simply the best aperitifs on earth, to be drunk icy cold – ideally with a bowl of olives, salted almonds or a  prawn or two.  Best bought in half bottles, to keep it at its freshest,salty, tangy, characterful and unique La Guita Manzanilla NV(was £5.75, now £5.06) is mouth-wateringly crisp – once smitten, never forgotten.

Luscious, treacly-sweet La Luna PX (was £8.95, now £7.88 for 37.5cl)  is just one other fabulous Sherry, as intensely sweet as the Manzanilla is dry.  If you fancy a spot of wine and chocolate matching, come and try this, amongst other wines of all styles, at an early evening tasting, at the Igloo, Abbey Hotel, where Spencer Hyman, founder of artisan chocolate company Cocoa Runners, and I will be proving the point that these two favourite treats can work extremely well together.  For anyone who loves both wine and chocolate, don’t miss this - Click here to book tickets online

Salud!

All Spanish and Portuguese wines will have at least 12% off the normal price throughout February, with 20% off case purchases.

By Angela Mount - Bath Magazine, February 2016