Wine Review

A Spanish Wine ‘Value for Money’ Experiment

After a few years of organising wine tastings and meeting people from across the world who have an interest in Spanish wine, there remains a constant theme to how people view wines produced here: they’re good value for money. This isn’t always a view the Spanish wine industry is thrilled about, but one that it finds hard to shake. Is it true, though? I had a think about it and realised that I can’t actually be sure. This is partly due to my decision to drink as broadly as possible, but also due to the fact I rarely drink wines that would be considered “Good value” by your average consumer. Simply put, as I’ve been trying to wrap my head (and lips) around the framework for a global industry within a few years, it’s meant that pretty much all my income has gone towards that goal. Benchmark wines often carry hefty price tags, although there’s certainly been a bit of irresponsible cherry-picking along the way, and normally only expensive wines make it to the shores of Barcelona from distant lands. For example, you can get a decently made bottle of New Zealand Pinot Noir in the UK for a little above £10; good luck in Barcelona for less than €20-25.

Well, as fate would have it I’m now in an excellent position to investigate this further. Namely:

I appear to have ran out of money.

I no longer have to prepare for international tasting exams (famous last words)

I’ve always wanted to explore the idea (perceived wisdoms should be tested where-ever possible)

Well, it’s not like I’m going to suddenly stop drinking, is it?

So with that in mind, I winced at the remaining funds in my bank account and started to plot how to go about it. It might sound obvious at first, but there are a few issues to be taken into account. First and most importantly, where is the line drawn for ‘good value’? This has been discussed a few times and ultimately, it depends on your own finances. In my local bodega, I can remember more than a few times when potential customers have left in a huff because there’s no bottled wine for less than €4 available. On the other end, I’ve seen people goggling at €100+ wines in Monvinic that are ‘good value’ because they’re less than ½ the going market rate. Like most things in life, it’s all relative. The next decisions are mainly based around red/white/styles/quantity etc. This is a lot easier as, despite the relatively affordable wines I’d be looking at, there’s still only so many I can afford and so they balance out quite naturally against the budget.

The one criteria that I hadn’t previously considered was variety. Given we’re talking about value here, are we talking about value amongst the better known appellations of Spain, or as a general rule? When it comes to vinous powerhouses like Rioja, there are wines available at every price point and in a variety of styles. Would the same be true of someone popping into their local bodega in a small village in Andalucia? Given that my own Spanish drinking experience tends to hover around the same 10-15 appellations, it also seemed like a good opportunity to stretch my own taste buds and become better acquainted with wine from Ucles, Arribes, Menorca and Pla I Llevant. After a lot of thinking under the influence of an ill-advised 11pm coffee, I came up with the following list of rules for the experiment:

No bottle can have a retail value of more than €10 (I pulled the number out of the air. It’s arbitrary but feels about right)

Each wine must be red (easier to compare within a single style)

Each wine must come from a different region, ideally from a new (at least to me) producer or at least a wine within a portfolio I know, that I haven’t yet tried.

Where possible, opt for indigenous grape varieties over international

2 hours later, and I’ve ordered what is perhaps the most sensible wine order I’ve ever placed; at least in terms of cost per bottle if not in terms of quantity. 24 bottles of Spanish red wine, from 24 different regions and producers, each under €10 a bottle; €7.90 a bottle on average. They’ll all be drank over the coming 2 months, and I’ll post a detailed tasting note per wine as I go. Who knows if I’ll actually end up with a semblance of an answer to whether Spain really does offer good QPR at lower price points. It’ll be a valuable experience either way, I’m more likely to be able to pay my rent and it’s a great excuse to re-explore some of the ‘lesser’ wines of the country, as well as digging into regions to which I rarely, if ever, venture. Stay tuned for more, and for anyone who’s curious as to exactly what I’ll be drinking, the wines are below:

Wine Region (DO, VdlT, etc) Price (€)
Alquez 2015 Calatayud 9,20
Finca La Estacada 12 Meses 2015 Ucles 6,90
Parotet Vermell 2016 Valencia 6,90
Benito Santos Joven 2015 Monterrei 8,20
Torremayor 2014 Extremadura 8,45
Calderona Crianza 2010 Cigales 7,95
Abadengo Roble 2014 Arribes 7,30
Merluzo Tinto 2016 Menorca 9,50
Botijo Rojo Garnacha 2015 Valdejalon 9,40
Gordo 2014 Yecla 9,50
Blau Marí 2016 Tarragona 6,30
Can Rich Yviça 2016 Ibiza 7,80
El Aprendiz 2014 Tierra de Leon 8,95
Guelbenzu Vierlas 2015 Ribera del Queiles 5,70
Sincronia Negre 2016 Mallorca 9,95
Son Caló Negre 2016 Pla I Llevant 7,15
Tres al Cuadrado 2014 Vino de Espana 7,95
Finca Antigua Crianza Único 2012 La Mancha 7,15
Bajondillo 2016 Mentrida 7,50
Gaba Do Xil Mencía 2015 Valdeorras 8,35
Abadal Franc 2016 Pla de Bages 7,80
Dos Marías Roble 2015 Binissalem-Mallorca 7,25
Quadis Crianza 2014 Cadiz 7,60
Clos Lojen 2016 Manchuela 6,90

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.