Spanish wine and Tapas

Last Tuesday I attended a wine tasting devoted to Spanish wine and tapas. Spanish wine is not as fashionable as French and they do not produce the volume of Italy, the biggest producer of wine in the world (Spain is third after France).

As wine region Spain is well-positioned to the south of that hot climate belt to the north and south of the equator where most global wine is grown. I like and drink Spanish wine, it offers the best value for a reliable drinking wine.

I also like the practice of eating tasty tit-bits as a wine accompaniment. The problem with most tastings is insufficient sustenance so the imbibers get drunk rather too quickly.

We tasted seven wines: two sherries, the dry manzanilla best served chilled  and the treacly sweet Pedro Xinenez; two whites: an Albarino and white Rioja; three reds – a Ribero del Douro, a Rioja and a Southern Spanish Jumilla red.

I am a keen fan of Albariño, a Galician wine usually around £10-12 a bottle. Tesco offer one, el Rey, in their finest range at £10 which I drank in the week and would certainly recommend.

Most rated by the group on Tuesday was the Momo Ribero del Duero (£11.50)

The Manzanilla, Jumilla ( £5.75) and Ribero are obtainable from the Wine Society.

This is non-profit making cooperative and I source a lot of my wine from them.

They also offer monthly mixed cases of varying prices.