Spain’s most overlooked wines, according to the experts

A historic rosé style and a little-known La Mancha sub-region are among the names tipped for wider acclaim, as db discovered during a discussion at Taste Spain in February.

During a podcast on the best aspects to Spanish wine during the Taste Spain event in London, db quizzed a couple of professionals on the below-the-radar gems of their native country.

The people were Ferran Centelles, former head sommelier at the legendary El Bulli, and now the drinks manager at the restaurant’s foundation, and Maria Naranjo, the director of food and drink at Spanish trade organisation ICEX.

For Naranjo, the spotlight fell first on northwestern Spain. She pointed to Galicia – particularly the historic region of Ribeiro – as a source of “refreshing whites” made from grapes such as Godello, Albariño, Loureira, and Treixadura.

Closer to her home area of La Mancha, Naranjo championed La Manchuela, a relatively young denomination that gained independent status in 2000. Situated between Utiel-Requena and Ribera del Júcar, and bordered by Almansa and Jumilla, the region produces wines from high-altitude vineyards dominated by the Bobal grape.

“This is a very special region, that produces very different wines, offering something different to the world,” she said.

High-voltage whites

Centelles broadened the discussion, pointing to a diverse range of exciting developments across Spain.

“So there are many of them, starting from Xarel·lo grape variety in Catalonia, which has this kind of high voltage and this bitterness that it’s super, super interesting,” he began.

Continuing, he said, “And there’s La Mancha, where we have very old Airen vines, and they are providing great, delicate wines.”

He also highlighted a revival in unfortified wines from Jerez in the far south of the country: “All these Sherry wines that are not today fortified: we call them Vinos de Pasto, or Vinos de Albariza, and they’re very promising, even reaching very top restaurants.”

Delicate reds

Turning to reds, he praised Garnacha from northeastern Navarra and the increasingly refined expression of Mencía from Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra, which he said, “Provide this kind of more delicate profile of wines.”

Looking ahead, both experts expressed optimism about Spain’s trajectory, with Centelles commenting, “So I’m very excited, because there are so so so many wine regions that I have enjoyed visiting and discovering wines; so it’s a beautiful future for Spanish wines, for sure.”

When the conversation turned to fine wine investment potential, Centelles suggested a new contender could soon join Spain’s elite regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero.

“I would love to see Priorat there, because it’s already built a reputation – it’s well-structured in terms of villages and crus and there are lots of great names behind the behind the labels,” he said.

He added, “So probably the third one [after Rioja and Ribera del Duero] will be Priorat… I think it can really reach the prestige market.”

Historic rosado

But perhaps the most unexpected highlight of the discussion was a historic style now being rediscovered: clarete.

“Sorry, guys, yes, there is a word I need to say… it’s clarete,” Centelles interjected. “It’s a very important name… the word rosé didn’t exist in Spain until the 20th century… but there is a word – clarete – that from the 16th century appears in our dictionary.”

He described clarete as a traditional co-fermented wine made from both red and white grapes, now gaining a following in high-end gastronomy in Spain.

“In top restaurants, we start to see some people betting on clarete… there are some very interesting claretes out there.”

One region leading this revival is Cigales, known for producing structured, deeply coloured versions of the style, by co-fermenting red grapes Tempranillo and Garnacha with white Verdejo and Albillo.

“They are super tasty, and I see them as the future of Spanish Rosado… very special,” he said.

To listen to the podcast in full, please click here.