Bruce Anderson

The Spanish winemakers with a missionary zeal

It is time to begin with an apology, and hope. In the course of these columns, I have already admitted to a deplorable ignorance of Spanish wine, including sherry. The finest sherries are subtle, complex, powerful — and excellent value. The same is increasingly true of other Spanish wines and there again, I am lament-ably ill-informed.

There have always been serious Riojas. But a couple of decades ago, the late Bron Waugh lamented the fact that most Riojas left a hint of eggshell on the palate. In those days, he had a point. The principal Spanish grape is Tempranillo, which also produces excellent reds from the Ribera del Duero. There, the climate is harsher than in the rest of the Rioja vineyards. This makes additional demands on the wine-growers, which they often triumphantly surmount. The high point of Ribera del Duero is Vega Sicilia, generally regarded as the supreme product of Spain’s vineyards, and priced accordingly. Then again, I have not tried it often enough to judge, but I remember listening in about 30 years ago to a conclave of experts who seemed to know everything there was to know about Spanish wine. They appeared to agree that Vega Sicilia was unreliable. Good vintages would be followed by indifferent ones, with prices significantly exceeding quality.

‘D’you mind if I don’t shake your hand?’

That was never the case with either the whites or the reds from Vina Tondonia, the finest Rioja I have encountered. The white Gran Riservas attain an effortless old age. This is one of the world’s great wines.

But in recent years, beyond the well-known names, Spanish winemaking has hugely improved. Dear Bron’s doubts are no longer applicable, as I discovered at a tasting sponsored by the Instituto Cervantes, the Spanish equivalent of the British Council. Its director, Ignacio Peyro, is a superb ambassador for Spanish culture.

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