THE VERDICT

Cask-fermented Palomino from Cádiz. Garnatxa Blanca from Terra Alta. Macabeo from Aragón. It was no wonder that such a variety of grapes and regions won praise from the judges and earned Outstanding scores. However, it was one of Spain’s better-known white styles that performed best across the board. White Rioja accounted for three Outstanding wines and 13 Highly Recommended. ‘The Riojas were all benchmark, high-end offerings; sophisticated oak, quite classically styled,’ noted Matthew Forster MW.

While the three Rioja top scorers were made from Viura, other varieties worked well too. ‘I found some of the really individual characteristics of Tempranillo Blanco came through, which is exciting,’ said Beth Willard. ‘Some of the younger wines were really lovely, which reflects where Rioja is with its white winemaking.’

Verdejo from Rueda also put in a solid performance with 10 Highly Recommended wines. ‘Rueda is a great alternative to New Zealand Sauvignon,’ noted Willard. ‘Verdejo is a fabulous glass of wine; it’s fresh, with limey, lemony character and a really sharp acidity. It shows there’s a lot to offer in these classic Spanish regions.’

In contrast, a classic style that didn’t perform as well as expected was Albariño. ‘There was consistency at a good level,’ said Willard, noting the 12 Highly Recommended wines – however none of them delivered a wow factor. ‘Probably because they were young; most were 2019 and they just didn’t have a lot of character,’ added Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘Albariño is now producing some really quirky wines and really individual winemakers – but we didn’t have any of those here.’

So what did deliver? ‘We had an amazing Palomino from Cádiz,’ said Evans. ‘And something that really sang out to me was Godello, which had this lovely honeyed character.’ Producing 11 Highly Recommended wines – most from Galicia – Godello is ‘an interesting choice if you want to try something that’s not Atlantic but is a little bit fresher’, she added.

‘Garnacha Blanca was the takeaway for me,’ said Forster. While conceding it is ‘thought of as quite rustic’, he added: ‘We found some illuminating examples – lovely wines, open-textured, rich and concentrated with the oxidative characters lending complexity rather than dragging the fruit down. I think there’s plenty of mileage in that grape variety.’

Although grapes such as Garnacha Blanca or Forcada aren’t familiar to most, they aren’t new. In fact they demonstrate a trend for winemakers in Spain to return to their roots and celebrate their old-vine heritage.

‘You might call these wines “new wave”, but they’re actually really old winemaking regions and old wines that are undiscovered,’ explained Willard. ‘The current generation of winemakers are going back to the origin and resurrecting the cultural history and richness of Spain, which is really exciting.’

Indigenous varieties also capture a uniquely Spanish character in a way that international varieties might not. ‘Even with the diversity of style, there is always something that you can identify as Spain,’ noted Forster.

The judges agreed that the inherent diversity of indigneous Spanish whites is a key part of their appeal for wine lovers. ‘We’ve gone across a whole range of wines, and the ones we liked were a complete mix of different styles, so everybody will find something to love,’ concluded Evans.

‘Verdejo is a fabulous glassBeth Willard