Gone are the days when Spanish red wines had a reputation for being uninspired, with only a few good wines from Rioja giving wine lovers anything to get excited about. Today, the country produces some of the world’s best-loved bottles, with some 43 million people worldwide consuming Spanish wines on a regular basis, according to a recent study.
As well as some fine wines accompanied by a predictably high price tag, the country also produces some of the best value wines around, which perhaps goes some way to accounting for the wines’ huge popularity. After all, with today’s financial climate taking its toll on wine buyers’ budget, everybody is looking for a bottle that will deliver plenty of bang for their buck.
Those looking for a spectacular red wine that won’t require taking out a second mortgage should look no further thanInspiración Valdemar Edición Limitada 2004, which took Gold Medals in the Rioja and Spanish Red Wine categories at the 2009 International Wine Challenge. This intense Rioja impressed the panel of 370 judges at the prestigious awards – considered one of the most important events in the world of wine.
The wine was described by the judges as ‘penetrating’, ‘intense’, ‘deep’ and ‘dark’, with attention drawn to the long, ‘concentrated’ finish and ‘elegant tannins’. The double win certainly proves the credentials of this fine yet relatively affordable wine from the Bodegas Valdemar stable, whose wine-producing roots go right back to the late 1800s. To see what all the fuss is about, you can pick up a bottle for around £20.
Another big Spanish winner at the International Wine Challenge was Campillo Gran Reserva 1995, from the Bodegas Campillo winery. A bold, bolshy wine made using 100 per cent hand-picked Tempranillo grapes, this wine was aged for two years in French oak and another five years in the bottle, resulting in a truly elegant wine. Bodegas Campillo wines have a strong reputation, with famed American wine critic Robert Parker rating several of their bottles as ‘exceptional’.
In-the-know wine buyers are getting particularly excited about wines from the Toro region, which is located to the south west of the famous Ribera del Duero wine producing region. The red wine grape from here is known as Tinta del Toro and is a strain of Tempranillo that is smaller and has a thicker skin than the standard Temperanillo grape. Robert Parker has hailed Toro as the world’s ‘next great wine region’ and a Toro wine picked up the maximum 100 points under Parker’s hugely influential wine ranking system.
The wine in question was the 2004 vintage Bodega Numanthia Termes. At around US$250 a bottle, this is far from an everyday glugging wine, but if you want to try the wine that has got the USA’s most influential wine critic all of a fluster, it may be worth the investment. Described as big and powerful yet restrained and balanced, this is a wine that would age well, so it could be a good investment to buy it now and save it for that special occasion. For those who just can’t wait to see what all the fuss is about, no problem – it’s also deliciously drinkable right now.
Another Spanish red wine producer that has got the critics chattering is El Nido, based in the country’s Jumilla region. Wine reviewers worldwide have been giving rave reviews to the producer’s red wines, with the 2003 vintage said to be best of the bunch. Parker gave the wine 97 points out of the maximum 100, praising its ‘extraordinary richness’. Wine Spectator gave it a similarly high ranking and the wine comes with a correspondingly high price tag – around US$120-130 a bottle.
An altogether more affordable tipple is the 2005 Campo de Borja Borsao, from Bodegas Borsao. Described by one critic as’the best cheap red wine in the world’, this fruity, fun but sophisticated wine retails at less than US$10. The wine is a Grenache blend from Spain’s Aragon region and is a great introduction to Spanish red wines for those who want to get a great bottle without spending a great deal.
Grenache wines in general are generating something of a buzz at present, with Jumilla, Alicante and Montsant being the key regions to watch. Whatever your taste and whatever your budget, Spanish red wines offer something to tempt every wine lover’s palate.
