Spanish wines

Spain is the third largest producer of wine in the world –  true or false? True. After Italy and France it produces 3 million bottles annually. Italy leads the way then France.  So Spain produces more than Australia or USA. Spain also has the largest expanse of vineyards but these are planted widely for water irrigation.

The more you study wine the more you realise it’s a simple subject made complex.

Almost all wine is cultivated between 30-50 degrees in both hemispheres and near a river. Think Spain, think Rioja but the Albarino wine of Galicia is becoming more and more popular and rightly so as it’s so zesty. Rioja produces white and red and as it’s fermented in a barrel has an oaky nose. Sherry is produced in and around Jerez.

We started the tasting with a Manzanilla and I am partial to this  chilled dry sherry.

I find taken as an aperitif it still extends to a first course of fish. I am not so keen upon the treacly sweet Hildago  Pedro Xininez though these are far more expensive.

We sampled all of these with some Tapas bits. I do appreciate in Spain alcohol is really imbibed without food. It is also a failing of wine tasting that you do not partake of food though the Sussex school does organise wine tasting over a lunch on a Saturday.

Spain produces great drinking wine around the £8-10 mark but does not have the cachet of France. Try some …