Julie & Neil Swift live in the Peak District and enjoy socialising and tasting a wide range of wines.
Read more about Julie & Neil Swift and see other articles by this author.
ABV: 12.5%
Closure: Natural Cork
Price: £6 Approx
The first time I came across this wine was in one of Anthony Worrall Thompsons restaurants. It was recommended that it would be best with steak or stews but we all had something different and it complimented everything from vegetarian to sausages extremely well. I could drink it everyday with everything!
This wine is in a dark green bottle, these bottles generally contain red wines, as darker bottles can help preserve the wine by protecting it from light.
Get your nose in to the glass, wow wow wow, the smell of Damsons is fantastic. It reminds me of late summer evenings scrumping damsons from the orchards and then eating homemade damson pie with vanilla custard. The colour is also Damson!
Talking of homemade, Damson wine is the best kind of wine to make for flavour.
There is almost a very dark chocolate taste, but it is a beautifully creamy smooth and very well rounded wine with a slightly spicy long in the mouth finish which I happily give full marks 10/10.
Valdepenas is known for several good quality wines that are some of the best value wines in Spain. The name derives from Val de Penas which means Valley of Rocks (Stones). It is a collection of small valleys and a sheltered plain with clay soil and a high level of limestone with good drainage. There is a sunny climate which contributes to maturing the grape which in turn makes great elegant wines from the southern part of La Mancha.
Bodegas Los Llanos was established in 1875 and the label shows what seems to be the winery at around that date. A lovely touch I thought.
The definition of Crianza varies slightly but from my understanding it usually spends two full calendar years maturing with a minimum of six months in an Oak Cask and the remainder in a Vat or Bottle. It is followed by Reserva and Gran Reserva which are matured for longer.
We bought this wine from Smart Wines.
