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Spanish White Wines – Completely Underrated?
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I use this wine key: Forge de Laguiole Ebony
I have used the following glass in this video: Spiegelau Definition Universal Glass
I have tasted the following wines in this Video:
2023 Bodegas Guimaro – Pedro Rodriguez Perez Cepas Viejas, Ribeira Sacra, Spain
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/bodegas+guimaro+-+pedro+rodriguez+perez+cepas+viejas+ribeira+sacra+spain/2023?referring_site=KSB
2021 Bodegas Emilio Moro ‘La Revelia’ Godello, Bierzo, Spain
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/emilio+moro+la+revelia+godello+bierzo+castilla+y+leon+spain/2021?referring_site=KSB
2020 Forjas del Salnes – Rodrigo Mendez a Cruceira Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/2020+forjas+del+salnes+-+rodrigo+mendez+a+cruceira+albarino+rias+baixas+spain/2020?referring_site=KSB
2022 Bodegas Rafael Palacios ‘As Sortes Val do Bibei’ Godello, Valdeorras, Spain
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/raphael+palacio+as+sortes+val+bibei+godello+valdeorras+galicia+spain/2022?referring_site=KSB
2022 Bodegas Mengoba Cruz Dona Blanca, Bierzo, Spain
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/bodegas+mengoba+cruz+dona+blanca/2022?referring_site=KSB
2023 Suertes del Marques Vidonia, Valle de la Orotava, Spain
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/suerte+marquis+vidonia+valley+de+la+orotava+canary+island+spain/2023?referring_site=KSB
The 100 Point Scoring System (from www.robertparker.com):
96-100: An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase and consume.
90 – 95: An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines.
80 – 89: A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor as well as character with no noticeable flaws.
70 – 79: An average wine with little distinction except that it is soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine.
60 – 69: A below-average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannin, an absence of flavor or possibly dirty aromas or flavors.
50 – 59: A wine deemed to be unacceptable.
It may be one of the most exciting categories in the world of wine, but it does not get enough attention. Spanish whites are fascinating and have blown my mind a few times recently. In addition to their potential quality, they tend to be affordable and very diverse in style, so there is a lot to discover.
I did dive deeper into white Riojas last year, but there is more to Spain’s White wine scene. Spain is the third biggest wine-producing country in the world, only behind Italy and France. While it is best known for producing rich red wines, particularly from Rioja and Ribera del Duero it might come as a surprise to you that Espana produces more white wine.
In 2021, Spain produced 14.4 mhl of red and 17.4 mhl of white wine, making Spain more of a white wine country. I find it truly amazing how diverse the whites from Spain can be – from fresh and fruit-driven wines to rich and oaky ones.
You might think Spain is too hot to produce lively whites, but that is only partially true. Spain is in the South of Europe, and you can see Africa from its southernmost tip. Its climatic conditions, however, are diverse, and it is possible to produce a wide range of styles.
Much of Spain is covered by a plateau, the Meseta Central, that allows producers to plant cool vineyards at higher elevations. Additionally, the north-west coast, from Galicia to the Pyrenees, is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, and it is therefore rainy and relatively cold.
The areas at high elevations and the ones influenced by the Atlantic can produce lean and vibrant wines. Maybe not what people expect out of Spain. So let’s dive into the lineup to taste interesting wines.
48 Comments
Spanish whites are fascinating and thank you Konstantin for this long overdue review because they are and have been flying under the radar for decades. Those in the know are aware of the northern stuff like Alberino but might miss the excellent progress of Txakoli. Ley's talk about the great unknown whites from Navarra and even more from Rioja itself. Verdejo is taken for granted too. However, the entire south of Spain, including the islands, is a magnificent culture of wine variety almost unknown to the outside world but responsible for fantastic wine at great prices. Spain is also producing the most incredible white wine from traditional styles such as excellent Chardonnay in Somontano. The best value is in Murcia and Andalucia and do not be frightened to try because they are extremely interesting wines and great value. WT
It would be great if you could add a map overlay / image pop-up to your videos whenever you mention a location. Sometimes I can put specific wine growing regions on the map, but not individual vineyards. Would help with learning more!
Just bought a Godello for the first time – looking forward to tasting!
You are right, are new Stockinger barrels (Austrian) in Vidonia VP. Back label wrong, sorry
I thank you Konstantin for such a great content and direction into Spanish wines!
Amazing tasting, amazing wines, great knowledge!
Alvarinho? Monção e Melgaço!!!!
You just have to include some of the better Garnacha Blanca and Viura from NE Spain and you're nearly done!
I am amazed over the discipline not to swallow all these great wines.
Fitting to your topic I served myself a 2023 Cies Albarino from Rodrigo Mendez. Also an amazing wine with lots of flowers, salty citrus, complex mineral notes and a mouth watering acidity. I was happy to grade with 94 points, which I think underlines your point that there are many overlooked great white wines in Spain.
Try Cirneco from Terrazzo del Etna.
Hi constantin,
When visiting Ribera del duero last summer I found out that alot of the staple producers of the region had started to re-plant albillo vines. Pretty interesting grape, kind of a heavy white wine pple of Spain where drinking in the 50s and 60s.
It reminded me of all the trendy mineral/orange stuff pple are into now.
For those who laughing about the confusion (Pacific/Atlantic) believe me guys is not that hard to make a mistake during such an educational videos! Plus do you think that he don't know where Pacific & Atlantic are? Well think again 😉, any idea what is MW? Make some research please 🙂 🍷
I love Spanish whites especially from Tenerife. My absolute favourite from there is Palo Blanco from Envinate. I also love La Comtesse from Pazo Barrantes and the Rioja Blanco Reserva from Remirez de Ganuza. The white Gran Reserva by Tondonia is just stunning but that winery is already over-represented here.
Love the "me so pale" reference 😅
Ok, so the pacific one is settled (you corrected that). Next one: guimaro is a Galician word. It is not a dialect. It is a full official language, with lively literature an probably more romantic history than what you would call Spanish.
Anywho…. Back to wine:
Albariño: a bit of a shame that you did not try out unoaked examples. Both young and aged. You would be surprised of both and probably more of the gasoline character of the aged ones, yes you would compare it with a Riesling. Doña Branca: used to be frowned upon. High yields, "southern character". Supposedly close to the Mersegueira: subtle grape from Valencia. I tasted some coupages with a low percentage of this grape lately and I was really surprised of the extra character it gave the wine.
Don't make too many videos about Spain: we love our price quality ratio !!!
Yeah Bierzo. There is a reason it is not well known: Most of the wines are quite simple. And so is Mencia. The varietal Godello that btw grows in other regions, too is top notch.
We, the Spanish people, know how good are our white wines. Minerality, freshness, acidity… And if you can get someone with a lot of years, try It. Look for: Luis Anxo in Ribeiro(Galicia).
I discovered Godello several months ago and loved it! Great video! 🥂
Most Spanish whites I drink are… cava. Maybe I need to try other things.
Luis Cañas white wine! One of the best value for money white wines out there.
Excellent! He finally removed the "egghead eggy head hat"! Now he looks totally fine!! Bravo! Generally, it's best NOT to induce an egghead look upon ourselves.
Rafa Palacios ❤
Still Jerez white wines with palomino fino are so underrated. Love those!
Plastic corks are vastly more environmentally friendly than cork, both to make and to recycle. That is far more important than some pseudo-philosophy about being "close to your vineyard". Let's maybe get over ourselves.
1:55 Pacific? Slip of the tongue, right?
Well, should've reed the comments first
Plastic? It beats a corked wine!
Yes, some great whites from Sanlucar region. In Andalucía Probably Palamino. Salty and yeasty.
Think you ment Atlantic, not Pacific.
Yesss!! More Spanish wines please!
I never even heard of spanish white wines. I dont seem them sold here in USA.
For those still up in arms about the ‘Pacific’ blooper, can I just say: “Calm down!”?
Unfortified palomino, ohhh yeaaah, there's a lot there to enjoy. Galician wines, Carnary islands…
If you want an amazing producer with a great story: Envinate. Their Tenerife wines of both rojo and blanco are some of the best (especially their single-vineyard bottles). Check them, out!
Great video as always. Next Topic maybe. Italian Whites. Timorasso. Arneis etc.
Konstantin BITTE!, The weather in north Spain can not be influenced by the Pacific. 🙂. I'm sure is an oversight or a glass of good white wine too much 🙂
While I am a fan of tempranillo grapes such as Albariños and Verdejos are amazing. Marin Codax, Salneval, and Coto have been my top picks for years.
Konstantine– isn't Listan Blanco just another name for Palomino??
Albariño was my personal favorite discovery on my last trip to Spain. Great for summer if you don't want to order the touristy sangría, or its more locally acceptable cousin, tinto de verano.
Would appreciate some kind of pricing. I know it is market dependend but these wine range in pricing quite a bit. Price quality might be way better at the start
Can you perhaps remember to remove the glasses in front of the camera. Not so bad this time, but last it was really distracting.
Beside that I love your videos!
You know that one of the most famous and expensive wines in Spain is white? Castillo y Ygay Gran Reserva. And Viña Tondonia whites are just delicious.
Heading to Spain soon – thanks for the update!
Try Clos Apalta from Chile!!!
Another great topic and video. I'm so glad to hear your glowing assessment of the Palacio As Sortes. I have a few bottles of the 2023 in my cellar waiting to go. In Britain, with the duty and VAT, it is £56 a bottle. I hope it is delicious, but I wouldn't call that super affordable.
Love this video. Spanish whites (and Portuguese too) are very good.
Listan Blanco is actually the same variety as Palomino Fino, which could explain the similarity with the Ubu wine.
White wines from Galicia are definitely the most apreciated in Spain, especially the ones from Rías Baixas such as Gerardo Méndez's Albariño do Ferreiro (Cepas Vellas top cuvée from 250+ year old vines is amazing). Ribeira Sacra can also produce great whites, Lapola and Lapena, produced by Dominio do Bibei are some examples. Personally, whites from Tenerife are amongst the best wines in Spain, especially the ones from Envínate.
Keep the videos coming learning so much from you 🫠
Vidonia is superb wine. 👍