Rest of Spain
Something of a split here. Taking in, basically, ‘anywhere south of Madrid or in the sea’ our tasters had a disappointing experience with the whites, but were keener on the reds. Yes, there was some patchy stuff in the early rounds, but once we were at the medal-giving stage, there was some good wine on offer, and the prices were competitive.
This is handy, because getting these wines from unknown regions into a customer’s glass is the definition of the words ‘hand-sell’.
From The Tasting Teams
‘There’s potential here. Though I’d like them to be more approachable, so you’d want a second glass rather than just one glass at 15% alcohol.’ Erik Simonics, Annabel’s
‘Unfortunately, we didn’t find quality or value for money in the whites.’ Lionel Periner, team leader
‘The problem for Spain is how you sell a wine from La Mancha, for example, as it’s going to go on a part of the list that just says “Spain”. It’s not a selling point to say La Mancha.’ Sarah Jane Evans MW, team leader
‘This region used to be just about pumping out mass-produced jammy wines, but even at around £10 here it showed it’s really grown up in terms of winemaking.’ Dave Cushley, Prestonfield House