Spanish Wine Rocks

I recently came back from the Spanish Islands and had the chance to reacquaint myself with the Timpranillo grape. Huge robust Reds, excellent with Paella and Tapas, which seemed so perfect even in the hotter climes of the Med. The Spanish are very passionate about this grape. The wine from the grape they rate as highly as anything from Barolo, Bordeaux or Southern Australia. It's easy to get hold of, mainly found in Rioja and Navarra so look out for Marques de Caceres, Marques de Riscal and Vina Ardanza, all excellent.

The real surprise though was a lovely white wine produced by the massive Torres company called Vina Esmeralda. Readily available from Oddbins it retails at a mere £6.99 and is an excellent example of a Moscatel and Gewurztraminer mix producing a wine that is very easy to drink, very fruity with a slight hint of spice from the Gewurz. Try it one of these warm evenings, chilled and in a clean glass it is a very welcome change from the numerous Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs in this price range.