The best Spanish white wines, chosen by our critic

The best Spanish white wines, chosen by our critic

, The Times

All change for Spanish white wines. The wet dog-scented, oxidised, leathery, oaky Spanish whites of old are rapidly disappearing, replaced by fresh, breezy, characterful, indigenous whites with real charm — precisely the crowd-pleasing styles that most drinkers want, with prices at the top end that are a lot less than the French and Italian equivalents. Consequently, almost every Spanish producer is upping their white wine production. Remarkably, last year about 55 per cent of Spain’s output was white.

Rioja is a good place to start your modern Spanish wine tour as white wine production has more than doubled in the past decade and viura, the region’s dominant white grape, has had a facelift. Adding complexity, care of old vines, higher-altitude plantings, skin contact and fermenting viura on its yeasty lees (sediment) has given the grape an impressive contemporary spin. Check out The Society’s White Rioja 2022 (thewinesociety.com, £9.95), blended with garnacha blanca and malvasia, aged in a variety of different aged oaks care of French and eastern European barrels and, finally, stainless steel. It’s a terrific, nutty, golden, quince and orchard fruit gem.

Southwest of Rioja is Rueda, the region that kick-started Spain’s new wave white revolution because of the verdejo grape’s citrussy, sauvignon blanc-like zing. Go further south still to La Mancha where the verdejo grape, enhanced with 30 per cent chardonnay and 15 per cent sauvignon blanc, is responsible for The Gathering Storm (Majestic, six for £7 each, or £8.50 a bottle), a delicious, non-vintage, zesty and gentle grapey fruit gem.

• The hard-to-reach Spanish wine region that’s worth the effort

Galicia steals the show, though, with rafts of different grapes and styles. Kick off with the simple, saline, stainless steel-aged, fresh baked brown-bread scented The Best Albariño 2024 (Morrisons, £12). Better still, dive into Ribeiro, where Pazo do Mar is a lovely treixadura, torrontés, albariño, loureira and godello blend — see star buys. Finer still, and a match for top drawer burgundy, is Ribeiro’s northern neighbour, the historic Ribeira Sacra.

This is home to the pioneer Javier Rodriguez’s 2022 Lapola Dominio do Bibei, a thrilling greeny-white, 14 per cent mineral wallop of intense, complex, herby, lemon zest and toasty oak (nywines.co.uk, £33.95). Made mostly from godello, with a dab each of albariño, dona blanco and treixadura, fermented and aged in large oak barrels, nab this brilliant example of Spain’s modern white wine revolution. Viva España!

Spanish stars2024 Bodeguero Rioja Blanco

12 per cent, Aldi, £3.99, down from £5.99
Get your skates on for this rich, yellow apple, wine of the week white rioja — it’s only £3.99 until Wednesday.

2024 Louro do Bolo Godello

14 per cent, bbr.com, £24.50
Godello is Galicia’s rising star, try this gorgeous, full-bodied, rich, nutty, stone-fruited mineral charmer.

2024 Pazo do Mar Ribeiro

12.5 per cent, thewinesociety.com, £9.95
A delicious, fragrant, floral, zesty, unusual five grape Galician white, with exotic torrontés to the fore.

2024 Definition Albariño

12 per cent, Majestic, £13.50
A bright, breezy albariño, with austere, zesty, saline, preserved lemon zip from the brilliant Martín Códax co-op.

This week’s best supermarket buys2023 Extra Special Uco Valley Malbec, Argentina

14.5 per cent, Asda, £10
A cockle-warming, robust, fruity, smoky malbec with masses of ripe blueberry fruit aged for a year in the barrel.

2023 Villa Verde Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Italy

13 per cent, Morrisons £5.95
A cheap as chips, hearty, rustic montepulciano grape red with just enough earthy charm to pop up here.

2023 Bird in Hand Two in the Bush Shiraz, Australia

13.5 per cent, Tesco, £12, down from £15
Grab this bold, spicy, black-fruited, part-new French oak barrel-aged, big food-loving Adelaide Hills shiraz.

2024 Bird in Hand Two in the Bush Chardonnay, Australia

12 per cent, Tesco, £12, down from £15
A vibrant, surprisingly lively, green apple-licked French oak barrique fermented and aged chardonnay.