Spanish Whites
We have thousands of wines. Although we carry many national brands, that is not our focus. The following are well made and generally more interesting wines that we are proud to recommend.
Banisio Verdejo, Rueda, Spain, 2020 ($12.99) - Banisio is a brand name that combines two mythologies: the Roman Bacchus and the Greek Dionysus. The Banisio team sources grapes from over 50 Spanish wineries, producing red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero and this white wine from Rueda. D.O. Rueda sits WNW of Madrid, about 65 miles from the Portuguese border. The grapes for this wine come from 2300 - 2600 feet above the Duero River and just a few kilometers from the city of Valladolid. The microclimate includes 2600 hours of sunshine per year (a lot), but cool nights that maintain acidity. The wine is light, clean, bright, and lively with tropical fruits up front and anis and green apple in the background. Wine Enthusiast: 90 “Lively in the mouth, it offers flavors of grapefruit, lemon zest, and lychee with a note of orange blossom on the finish.”
Gulp Hablo Verdejo, 2020, Spain ($15.49/full liter!) - Here it is: the perfect summer sipper. Clean, crisp, dry, plentiful, and cheap! By the pool? Perfect! At the beach? Perfect! Picnic? You get the picture. The Washington Post: Excellent $17 “The name is a pun on “gulpable,” and the liter bottle gives us 33% more wine than the standard bottle. Flavors of lemongrass, star fruit, and straw frame a medium body, and soft acidity keeps it refreshing. Delicious. This wine checks a lot of extra boxes, too: certified organic, biodynamic, and vegan.” Alcohol: a light 11%. It’s a great value in a full liter. Certified by Sohiscert (organic) and Demeter (bio-dynamic). There’s also a (more expensive) orange version that’s a good example of the type.
Bodegas Hermanos Peciña Rioja Blanco, 2021 ($15.99) - Bodegas Hermanos de Peciña is old school, even though it dates only to 1992. Founder Pedro Peciña had worked for over 20 years as head agronomist for La Rioja Alta. The Peciña winery and vineyards are in San Vicente, which, is in Rioja Alta but not near Haro with the other traditional Rioja houses. Rather it is on the northeast side of the Ebro river near the border of the Basque Alavesa zone. The vineyards, some of the finest in the appellation, are on hillsides averaging 1600’ in the foothills of the Sierra Cantabria Mountains. Made from Viura grapes, this lovely wine is fermented on its skins for 24 hours for extra body and texture, then released after a year or two in the bottle for additional complexity.
Wine Advocate (Luis Gutiérrez): 91+ “A fresh expression of Viura from San Vicente de la Sonsierra with a moderate 12% alcohol, a low pH, and high acidity, reflecting a cooler year, with lemony aromas and hints of fennel and hay. The palate is fresh and the flavors clean and persistent, with a pleasant twist on the finish. It was bottled unoaked. Drink 2023-28.” Practicing organic. Natural and vegan.
Soto del Vicario Go de Godello, Bierzo, 2018 ($16.89) - Godello is a Spanish white grape that should be more popular. A “rescue project;” it was nearly extinct by 1970 until a few advocates planted it, made wine from it, and successfully promoted it. Today, it is one of Spain’s more important grapes, along with Albariño, Verdejo, and Viura. There are many styles, including oaked, but most are aged in stainless steel and display lovely minerality and acidity with richness and the fruit of wildflowers. Soto del Vicario’s version is one of the oaked ones, but it only saw 4 months in new French barrels. The oak doesn’t show, but it gives some fatness on the entry. The wine is a little lighter than some, but it has great liveliness. It’s barely off-dry - perhaps ripe is a better term - and it shows complex flavors of passionfruit, green apple, and a just hint of grapefruit. Unique and delicious. Godellos tend to age well. Advised of such, I once put a Godello in my cellar. Eight years later, it was delicious!
Vicente Gandia Bobal Blanco Blanc de Noirs, Utiel-Requena, Spain, 2020 ($16.99) - This unique and fascinating white wine from the red Bobal grape obviously saw no skin contact. It’s pale yellow with a very faint red hue. It’s relatively light, but it still has some texture, in part from a three-day cold soak before pressing and in part from a short stay in used American oak barrels. The pressing was very light, extracting only 45% of the grape weight. The flavor profile shows strawberries, white flowers, and forest fruit. So pretty!
Bodegas La Val Albariño, Rias Baixas-Spain, 2020 ($17.85) - There’s nothing like a good Albariño to pair with fish, chicken, light pasta dishes, or just sipping by itself. The grape is grown throughout the northwestern part of Spain, but it excels in the Rias Baixas district, a series of four estuarine inlets located on the southwestern coast of Galicia. Bodegas La Val makes a very pretty example and a good value. Wine Spectator: 88 “A vivid mineral note accents the sea breeze, lemon oil, chive, and apricot flavors of this lip-smacking white, which is harmonious and focused. Drink now. 30,000 cases made, 8,000 cases imported.”
Nisia Old Vine Verdejo, Rueda-Spain, 2021 ($17.99) - Jorge Ordóñez, a legend in bringing Spanish wines to America, discovered this lovely white. Rueda is one of four wine regions along the famous Duero River (Ribera del Duero, Toro, and the Port country in Portugal are the others). Rueda has sandy soils mixed with river stones, inhospitable to phylloxera, so Nisia is produced from 100% ungrafted vines planted between 40 and 80 years ago. At an altitude between 2300 and 2600 feet, the nights are very cool, preserving great acidity. The vineyards are head trained (no trellises), dry farmed (no irrigation), and cared for with the most sustainable and traditional methods possible. The farming is organic with no use of fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers. After undergoing a short cold soak and sorting, the grapes are partially destemmed and crushed. The must ferments 60% in neutral 500L & 600L puncheons and demi-muids and 40% in stainless steel tanks. It is then aged on the lees for 6-8 months before bottling.
The wine is silver-tinged yellow, the nose vibrant and focused, displaying fresh Meyer lemon, pear nectar, melon, and a hint of tarragon. There’s good depth of citrus and orchard fruit with honeysuckle and a touch of saltiness.
Ulacia Getariako Txakolina, 2020 ($18.99) - Oysters or clams in your future? Try this lively wine from the Basque region of Spain. Made from two indigenous grapes (Ondarrabi Zuri and Ondarrabi Beltza), it has mouthwatering acidity, notes of lemon and brine, and a touch of spritz.
Quinta Couselo Albariño, Rias-Baixas-Spain, 2019 ($19.99) – Native to Iberia, Albariño is most closely associated with the Rias Baixas area along the Galician coast of western Spain on the Atlantic, just north of Portugal. This damp climate requires a unique trellising system (Pergola), which keeps the vine canopy (leaves) and grapes overhead for better air circulation. Quinta Couselo sits in one of the best subregions, tiny O Rosal, with sedimentary soils rich in organic matter, acidic and deep. The winery grows Albariño, Caiño Blanco, and Loureiro grapes in two vineyards, one on the Carballas River (It is enclosed within the original walls built by Cistercian monks. Two ancient pines, which inspired the winery logo, are situated in the center of the Quinta estate and have survived O Rosal’s history for the last 250 years.) and one on an inland hill. The wine is electric: minerally with a touch of saline and tropical notes of pineapple and mango plus a tantalizing, lingering finish.
Paco & Lola Albariño, Rias Baixas - Spain, 2022 ($22.99) - This is one of our favorite white wines! Founded in 2005, Paco & Lola is the largest cooperative (Sociedad Cooperativa Vitivinícola Arousana) in the DO Rias Baixas, with 400 independent growers owning 500 acres of vineyards. This is typical of Galician small holdings.
Albariño is early ripening with small, tightly-packed clusters of deep golden berries at ripening. It's noted for its exceptional sugar-producing ability yet remarkably high acidity. The expression of any grape variety depends on the micro-climate, soil, and geography of the vineyard site where it is grown. Albariño is no different, and when grown in the Rías Baixas, it thrives in unique conditions: the oceanic climate of the nearby Atlantic coast, mineral-rich granite-based sandy soil, and low-altitude lands.
The abundant rainfall and humidity can easily lead grapes to rot, so growers use the emparrado method of trellising the vines horizontally overhead. This maximizes sunlight while keeping the vines away from ground humidity and facilitating airflow.
Paco & Lola is one of three members of LIFE + Atlantic Vineyards, a project committed to minimizing the use of chemical products.
Baixa Sirena Albariño, 2021 and 2022 ($21.55) - Baixa Sirena is one of several Spanish wines made by sisters Ruth and Ana de Andrés. Ruth is the winemaker; Ana is the defender of lost causes. They purchase grapes from various parts of Spain. The Albariño comes from several vineyards scattered in the Valley of Salnes at different altitudes and with different exposures but all on granite soil. Like most Albariños, this has a wonderful saline character that pairs well with food, especially seafood. It features a lot of fruit and shows a fine balance between that fruit and its lively acidity. Nice wine!
Terras Gauda O Rosal, Rias Baixas-Spain, 2021 ($25.99) - Travel throughout Spain, and you’ll find this on the wine list at most of the best restaurants. Named for the O Rosal sub-region, this is the flagship bottling of Bodegas Terras Gauda. Terras (Land) Gauda (Happiness) was founded in 1990 by the Fonseca family. It is one of four wineries owned by Grupo Terras Gauda. The O Rosal bottling is always a blend, typically 70% Albariño with 15% each Loureiro and Caíño, given a cold soak and then fermented and aged in stainless steel. About one quarter is matured in contact with the lees for six months. They believe Loureiro adds aromatics (Loureiro is the word for bay leaf in the Gallego language) and Caíño provides structure. The 2021 is a little lighter in texture than most vintages, but it may develop with age. Wine Spectator: 90 “Delicate notes of fresh herb and wet stone accent the apricot and Meyer lemon fruit flavors in this lithe, light-bodied white, which is zesty on the palate, with a spine of racy acidity. Lightly creamy on the salty finish.”
Familia Torres Clos Ancestral White, Penedès-Spain, 2022 ($25.99) - Familia Torres opened its first winery in 1870. Today, it is one of Spain’s largest producers. Forty years ago, the family began a project to recover ancestral varieties, an act of wine archaeology that aims to restore a shared heritage. Forcada is the first recovered white pre-phylloxera variety to be vinified. In combination with Xarel·lo, it endows this fascinating wine with an incomparable authenticity. It was fermented in stainless steel, then aged for three months on fine lees. Its modest 12.5% alcohol and significant acidity (6.7 g/L) give it a harmony and balance that are very appealing. It may be unusual, but it isn’t weird. Just pleasingly different and well worth a try. James Suckling 92 “Some wet stones on the nose that extend to the palate along with limey fruit and pears. A hint of almond with bright, fresh acidity that lingers into the subtle, medium-long finish.”
Do Ferreiro Albariño, Rias Baixas-Spain, 2022 ($35.99) - A founding member of the appellation, Do Ferreiro makes this superb Albariño. The most recent review was the 2020 vintage: Wine Advocate (Luis Gutiérrez): 94 $40 “A blend of different zones and terroirs and the wine that defines the winery. It is serious and balanced, complex and very complete, with 13% alcohol, fully developed flavors and aromas, and a harmonious palate with vibrant acidity and a strong mineral/stony strike. It’s expressive and harmonious and combines power and freshness. Nine months with the lees.”
Costers del Priorat Blanc de Pissarres, 2021 ($35.99) – Here’s a wine type we’ve never carried before. We know and love Spanish whites from Rioja, Rueda, and Rias Baixas, but this Priorat wine is a unique blend of 60% Garnacha Blanca (Grenache Blanc, which gives a citrus energy and a Mediterranean character), 30% Macabeo (mineral elegance), and 10% Pedro Ximenez (warmth). Subtle yet very classy when well chilled, it starts to display its character as it warms up. Clean and varietal (think a lighter version of white Chateauneuf du Pape), it is crisp and balsamic with Mediterranean character. Although not an orange wine, it saw three days of skin contact before fermentation and comes from vines that were planted in 1934 and 1935! It was fermented and aged half in stainless steel and half in two-year-old French oak. Serve around 52-55 degrees as an apèritif or with seafood dishes or a Catalan salad. We also have their red!
Valdespino Oloroso Sherry Solera 1842 VOS ($49.99/500ml) – This is one of the finest sherries we’ve ever tasted. Literally from a solera that was started in 1842, it is richly flavored and remarkably complex with nicely melded notes of anise, date, orange bitters, and toffee. A slightly sweet edge carries the fruitcake- and Christmas pudding finish. Wine Advocate writer Luis Gutiérrez reviewed a less expensive cuvée: 95 “It is a very serious Oloroso, even if it’s not totally dry. It offers bitter almonds, hazelnuts, incense, Cuban cigar ash, and dark chocolate as well as a complex, very intense, round, and ample palate. This wine really fills your mouth. Very intense and with great acidity, it represents very good value for the quality it delivers. I’ve often called Valdespino “the Romanee-Conti of Jerez.” They represent quality and tradition at the very top of the Sherry hierarchy. The winery, soleras, and brands are old, registered in 1875, but with documentation about their commercial and wine-growing activities going back to the 13th century. Their recent history starts in 1999 when José Estevez purchased the company from the Valdespino family. Today Valdespino is the jewel in the crown of the Grupo Estevez, which also includes Real Tesoro and La Guita.