Two Spanish Wines at Wine Club‏

Albariño / Alvarinho from the western Iberian peninsular is becoming my new favourite stye after a couple of bottles of white Vinho Verde and a tasting of Terras Gauda wines.

So I was rather looking forward to trying these two smartly presented Spanish wines at my now-regular Thursday Wine Club at work.

I was a bit late putting the white into chill, but was able to decant the red before announcements, so it had had a good hour's airing before we got to it.

Fillaboa, Albariño, Rías Baixas, £14.99 M&S and independents
From the off, this proved very popular with everyone at Wine Club.

Served perhaps a degree or two warmer than ideal and with little time to breathe, it is typically golden colour in the glass.

The nose is complex with lemon, mineral, hints of blossom and something else rather elusive until a colleague nails it with the comment "young basil leaves", referring to a herbaceous pepperiness.

On the palate, there is candied lemon peel, peaches and nuts and a toasty yeastiness with good savoury, leesy depth of flavour. It feels rounded and balanced with good acidity and a persistent finish.

If you are expecting a spritzy, young, petillant Vinho Verde style Albarinho, this is a little different - with more leesiness and less sherbert, this is more considered and not so in-yer-face.

Serve as an aperitif or with lighter fish dishes.

It was also well received by Matthew Jukes and is available with a significant discount to the shelf price on the M&S website.

Bodega Emina Pasion, Ribera del Duero 2009, £12.99 Ocado
This Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero has a relatively restrained 13.5% alcohol and just 6 months in oak; deep purple in the glass there are some brick red hints of age.

It has an expressive, perfumed nose of ripe plums vanilla and spice, some mushroomy truffles and something else I recognise from similar  Spanish reds but can't quite place.

On the palate, there is sweet ripe fruit, grippy oak and spice. It is pleasant but not hugely impressive and feels as if it's given all it has got with the nose.

Underwhelming rather than in any way unpleasant, this is deemed mildly disappointing, and overpriced for the quality.

Links

M&S - http://www.marksandspencer.com/
Fillaboa on M&S website - http://www.marksandspencer.com/Fillaboa-Albarino-Rias-Baixas-2010/dp/B007O0O5IC
Ocado - http://www.ocado.com/
Pasion on Ocado website - http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Bodega-Emina-Pasion-Ribera-del-Duero-Spain-2009/64376011