Spain's Little Gems

Spain's Little Gems - We Brits have an appetite for Spain's finest wines

Rioja, chorizo and tapas, a marriage made in Heaven. There is something tantalising about a tapas board with a fruity full bodied Rioja. We Brits have an appetite for Spain's finest.

Surprisingly, almost thirty percent of all the wine made in Rioja is shipped to the UK, making the UK it's biggest consumer. Made from Tempranillo grape, for years it was made to sit in oak barrels for too long, masking the taste of the grape with too much vanilla oak from the barrel.

Nowadays the bodegas ship the wine much younger and as such the actual taste of the wine starts to shine through - savoury in nature with a leather and tobacco taste.

But there is a lot more to this fantastic country than just Rioja.

Follow the Duero river south west of Rioja and you are in the Ribera del Duero wine region.

Voted the best wine region in the world in 2012 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine and threatening to knock Rioja from its top position.

Soaring high temperature offer rich and meaty reds- still using the same Tempranillo grape as Rioja. If you like Rioja this is a must.

There are plenty more quality reds from Spain with a special note to Catalan's, Priorat. It's a Garnacha or Grenache grape (think Chateauneuf du Pape) but here the vines are filtered through ancient black slate and quartz soil giving a minerality to this delicious, bold (14.5 percent is common) wine. It's not a cheap wine but it scores incredibly high on the worlds ranking (Robert Parker Junior point system).

But it's to the white wine that I want to pay homage. From the Maritime region of Rias Biaxas, Galacia in the North West of the country comes one of the most interesting grapes, Albariño (pronounced al-baa-ree-nyo).

There are many myths attributed to the planting of this grape. Some say it derives from Riesling brought over from French/German monks in the 11th century. Whatever the truth is, this is a seriously stunning wine. You can pick up this wine from £6 in this country. Typically though you will find most at £10-£15. It's juicy, lively on the tongue with great acidity, like biting into a juicy apple - ready to take on any seafood or fish dish but a lot more versatile than just that. It offers honey and apple aromas.

Look out for this wine. If you see it, buy it, I've not had a bad one yet, although like most regions there are many different styles.

You will also find delicious white wines, Viura or Macabeo (same grape depending on the region). Known as the white Rioja, it is a lovely low acidity white and is incredibly easy on the wallet. Also wines from Rueda, principally made from Verdejo, fruity with a racy acidity again available for a song.

Red's hog the limelight in Spain which is great for you. This means the white wines are undervalued. Verdejo and viura blends are divine and very drinkable with or without food and around the £6-£8 price point.

Chill down a bottle of Albariño in the freezer for 30 minutes. Treat yourself to some king prawns. Finely chop a garlic clove and throw it in a hot pan of olive oil. Quickly fry the prawns until pink. Dunk with crusty bread and a good mouthful of wine, it doesn't get much better.

Food & Wine by Paul Sheerin
Pshearse@gmail.com