It’s spring again in Ireland, though you might be forgiven for not believing me given the snow that has fallen recently. Whatever the weather is doing, spring is time for the SuperValu Spanish wine sale, or should I say more properly the SuperValu Spanish and Portuguese wine sale, as wines from both countries are included.
Here are a brace from each country that are well worth snapping up.
Adega de Monção Vinho Verde Alvarinho 2022
Alvarinho / Albariño’s homelands are both sides of Portugal’s northern border with Spain, i.e. Vinho Verde and Galicia. The cool, maritime climate makes for fresh, refreshing whites from a host of local varieties. On the south side of the Minho, varietal Alvarinho is mainly found in the subregion of Monção e Melgaço, based around the two villages of the same name.
While I am a fan of all the different local grapes, this is a shining example of what a single varietal can do. It’s clean and fresh, but intensely fruity. There’s bright citrus here, with stone and tropical fruit notes riding along. This would work well as an aperitif, with seafood and white fish, or just catching a few rays with friends.
- ABV: 13.5%
- RRP: €10 down from €13
- Source: sample
- Stockists: SuperValu stores
Paço das Côrtes Fado Friendship Reserva 2021
Funky bottle, funky wine – but in a good way. The blend is 40% Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), 30% Alicante Bouschet and 30% Syrah. On arrival at the winery the bunches are destemmed and sorted then vinified separately in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks.
This is a very approachable and quaffable red, lighter in fruit, body and structure than the Riojas below, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There’s a touch of vanilla on the nose and palate, but otherwise this is all about fresh, ripe red fruits – think raspberry, cranberry, redcurrant and strawberry. Enjoy this with a charcuterie board or lightly chilled in the sun.
- ABV: 13.5%
- RRP: €13 down from €10
- Source: sample
- Stockists: SuperValu stores and supervalu.ie
Pagos de Labarca AEX 2020
This is one of Pagos de Labarca’s top wines, though noticeably doesn’t have an age / quality designation on the front – at least not in the normal Spanish way. “AEX” is short for “Alta Expresión”, Labarca’s “High Expression” wine made from vines of 35 years and older. There’s no Grenache here, it’s almost entirely Tempranillo with just a 3% seasoning of Graciano. Alcoholic fermentation is carried out in stainless steel tanks, but then the must is transferred to a mix of American and French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation, lees ageing and then finally maturation for 18 months.
This is a modern Rioja, with intense red and black fruits, both vanilla and smoky spice. There’s even some quality chocolate spinkled in there. Above all it is concentrated yet super smooth
- ABV: 14.5%
- RRP: €20 down from €25
- Source: sample
- Stockists: SuperValu stores and supervalu.ie
Conde Valdemar Rioja Gran Reserva 2015
This wine isn’t normally available at SuperValu but can be found at some off licence chains and independents – at a significantly higher price than this offer. Compared to the Pagos de Labarca this is definitely a more traditional style of Rioja, both in terms of blend (86% Tempranillo, 8% Garnacha, 3% Graciano, 3% Maturana) and ageing (34 months in oak barrels). Those barrels hail from France (70%) and the USA (30%).
Despite close to three years in oak, the wine is bursting with fruit – blueberries, strawberries and blackberries to name a few. The fruits are just a little muddled rather than super fresh now, but this wine is still in the flushes of youth. so much so, in fact, that I’d recommend decanting this for several hours if you can,
- ABV: 14.0%
- RRP: €20 down from €25
- Source: sample
- Stockists: SuperValu stores
Conclusion
Just like Vanessa Williams, I saved the best for last. I’d be very happy drinking any (all?) of these wines, but the Conde Valdmar was the most impressive. So much so that I popped in to my local SuperValu and bought myself a few more bottles!