Spanish Wine Experience

This week bubbles! So you know Roque is happy. And not just any bubbles. It's not Cava, it's not CORPINNAT, it's not even from the peninsula! A sparkling wine from...Lanzarote! That's right; there's more to Spanish sparkling wine than you'd think at first glance. To dive into the theme the boys have a sparkler from Los Bermejos winery.

Betanzos? What's a Betanzos when it's at home? Well, it's a small town in the far north of Galicia near the crashing Atlantic coast, and not an area usually associated with wine. Yet historically there was wine there and a few winemakers created VT Betanzos in an effort to promote their vinos! Conexión Mandeo is the bottle they'll being trying; a white wine with a weird grape!

As with many Spanish regions, back in 2019, just before the pandemic, Priorat underwent some big classification and structural changes. So we thought, given it's been a while, it was time to head back to Priorat and see what's going on. To accompany us a Vi de Vila from Cims de Porerra! 

It's time for another grape-centric podcast. We have alreasdy covered Garnacha and Tempranillo and now it's time for the King of the white grapes Albariño. To dive into the history, flavours, styles and regions of this fantastic grape they sample a Valencian version from Bodegas Hispano-Suizas.

VC Cebreros - how did this region escape us for so long?! Just out west, over the Madrid border, is a high altitude mountainous Vino de Calidad wine region called Cebreros up in the Sierra de Gredos. Today, with special guest Rick Fisher SWS, we sample a bottle of Viña de Ayer Albillo from winemaker SotoManrique!

Maturana what now? Yes, that's right; we're back with another weird grape. This week it's a vitually non-planted and unknown white variety from Rioja. The crazy thing is that it's one of the oldest in the region! Roque and Luke are enjoying a bottle of Clipeo; an organic small production fancy pants bottle.

Sherry. That famously misunderstood wine; sometimes sweet, sometimes drier than bone dry. Always fortified. But what if a sherry winemaker decided to release a sherry...unfortified? Well that's what Luke and Roque have this week. A bottle of Socaire from VT Cadiz. 

This week Roque and Luke head back to Bierzo; one of their favourite DOs. Why? Well, since 2019 a lot of Spanish wine regions have been undergoing major changes to their rules and regs. So they plan to revisit and drink their way through the changes. This week Banzao's Godello Vino de Villa. 

What goes into a wine? Grapes? Sure. Fermented ones? That's right. And sometimes more than one type. The idea of a blended wine isn't new, but it's not often talked about. Bordeaux is a blend, Rioja traditionally is a blend. Today we wanted to talk about blending with an awesome little wine that puts the idea of the coupage foremost. Pasotismo from Aragon. ¡Nuevos episodios! / New episodes!

We have had only a few rose wines - or rosados - on the podcast over the few years. But something we've never really touched on is the idea of ageing a rosado. Can you barrel them and age them? Should you? And what do they taste like? This week they open a bottle of Huella de Aitana from Navarra to find out!

We love the weird grapes episodes. It's always fun for us to take you a world of wine that is marvellously off the beaten track in the hope we fuel your interest in discovering new varietals. And this week it's not one, not two, but five grapes all in one wine from the Canary Islands. Bimbache from the El Hierro island!

Yes, you read that correctly! Over the many years of giving winetastings we have been asked countless times 'Is supermarket wine any good?' or 'how do I choose wine in the supermarket?'. So we thought, we should talk about that, as it's a huge part of the wine industry. To dive deeper Roque has brought a supermarket wine to put Luke to the test!

Have you heard of Tempranillo? Of course you have. But do you really know about it? It is Spain's premier red grape of course, but most people only know it in realtion with Rioja. Tempranillo is the superstar, but why? Where is it from and where is it planted? To dive into this mythical grape Roque and Luke are drinking a bottle of Palacio de Villachica from DO Toro!

Yes, you read that correctly, Juan Ibañez. Could be the name of a Spanish bloke; but no, it's a grape! Actually it goes by many weird names and hails from the Aragon region of Spain. This week we try a bottle of Anayón Parcela 65 from DO Cariñena made from said grape. But what's it like and is it any good?

This week something a little different. Four different wines! Four?? That's right. But not the usual glass-bottled, labelled, from the wine-shop variety, no. Vino a granel, or 'bulk wine' is all the wine that is not bottled. Roque was down in Murcia and brought back a red, a white, a vermouth, and a sherry, all siphoned off into plastic containers. But what is the truth behind vino a granel really...

Well aren't we all lucky that Roque had a little alcohlic jaunt with his family to the paradise island of Menorca recently. Fortunately, being always attentive to the needs of our audience, he brought back a bottle of wine to try! And try we will, for we've never had one before! A bottle of red from Bodegas Binitord; one of only a handful on the island.

¿Qué deberías hacer si eres una famosa bodega de culto de la Ribera del Duero? Dirigirse al sur de La Mancha y empezar a hacer un vino de Pago... obviamente. Esta semana Luke y Roque se beben una botella de tinto Pago Florentino VP. La pregunta es: ¿deberían haber dejado el Duero en primer lugar?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Following a few weeks off - due to Christmas, New Year, Three Kings and a lot of craziness in the shop, Roque and Luke are back to toast the new year. On this episode they go over what happened in 2021 and highlight some of their standout wines of the year. Also they have lots of juicy plans for 2022, which they discuss we the usual seriousness they give these topics.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Following a few weeks off - due to Christmas, New Year, Three Kings and a lot of craziness in the shop, Roque and Luke are back to toast the new year. On this episode they go over what happened in 2021 and highlight some of their standout wines of the year. Also they have lots of juicy plans for 2022, which they discuss we the usual seriousness they give these topics.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Following a few weeks off - due to Christmas, New Year, Three Kings and a lot of craziness in the shop, Roque and Luke are back to toast the new year. On this episode they go over what happened in 2021 and highlight some of their standout wines of the year. Also they have lots of juicy plans for 2022, which they discuss we the usual seriousness they give these topics.

Another week and yes, another Vino de Pago! They've been popping up on our radar and we've been snagging them when we are able. This week we take a trip the middle of nowhere in Albacete province and try an intriguing 100% Merlot from Pago Guijoso! Enjoy!

This week Roque and Luke are bringing you a wine that is the niche'st of the niche. You may have not heard of the region Almeria; it's a small province in the east of Andalucia. Not traditionally wine country, it's more famous for cowboy movies and vast beaches. There are wine areas though, but this isn't from one of them. Sierra Almagrera is a range of hills facing the Med and there's one winery...

What's that? Two weird grapes in a row? Well yes! There are so many in this wonderful country and we just got one in the shop that we just had to try with you all. Forcallat is an almost extinct Valencian variety that we have never tried in its pure form; and this week we have a bottle of La Forcallà de Antonia to help educate our palates! Enjoy!

We are back again at this Halloween time of the year with another weird grape; an island grape at that. Mallorca has a few local varieties that nobody has ever heard of. Today Roque and Luke sip at a bottle of Mantonegro red wine. Supernova from Bodega C'an Verdura!

Another week, another yummy wine, and another return to the wonderful world of the Vinos de Pago. This week Roque and Luke have a bottle of Petit Hipperia from one of the country's newest Vino de Pago zones. She's big, she's boozy, and she's got a horse on the label.