Thursday Club with talk RADIO: White Wine from Rueda, Spain

What and where is DO Rueda?

Nestled up in the central-north part of Spain, with Galicia to the west and hugging the northeastern corner of Portugal, we find the wine region of Rueda. It forms part of the greater Castilla y Léon area and was the first of the 9 official regions within it to receive its own delimited status, earning the title ‘Denominación de Origen’ (or ‘DO’ for short), where strict rules around quality keep standards high. 

DO Rueda is most famous these days for producing zesty, fresh and fruity, un-oaked white wines made largely from the Verdejo grape, which considers Rueda to be its spiritual home. Sauvignon Blanc is it’s wing-man and a few other white varietals are now permitted into the blends, namely Viura, Palomino Fino, Viognier and Chardonnay. More experimentation is happening however with how these wines are made - and with the wines below, we can taste the difference! 

Diez Siglo Rueda Verdejo

Let’s start with Verdejo. This is a classic example of type: vibrant and refreshing, with notes of hay, guava, peach and orange-lemon citrus. Catch that characteristic hint of fennel on the finish too. Yum!

Find it at Amps Wine Merchant for £9.80 a bottle.

Excellens Sauvignon Blanc 2020

Next up, let’s see what Sauvignon can do in Rueda. Bright and clean again with its famous pale green tinge, this is a fruitier style of the grape, with powerful notes of cut grass, apple, blossom, tropical fruit and herbs. We can also so a creamier weight here thanks to some ageing of the wine on its lees (dead yeast cells left over from alcoholic fermentation). 

Find it at Fine Wines Direct UK for £9.89 mixed 6 price. 

Amador Diez 2015

Here’s what happens in Rueda when you add some age and some oak. It was named in tribute to the winery’s (Cuatro Rayas) former president, Amador Diez de Íscar. The top of this producer’s tree, this wine is produced from the best parts of their ancient, 100 year plus pre-phylloxera vineyard. Hand made at just about every level including bottling and in very limited quantities, this is a wine made to age. If you love white Rioja, you’ll love this! Think spicy orchard fruits, quince, honey, toast and spice, all with a cool, saline kick. A fantastic splash-out bottle. 

Find it at Ultracomida for £34 a bottle.

Read the full article on DO Rueda here.

DO Rueda: Spiritual home of the Verdejo Grape

With all eyes back on Spain for deliciously versatile and food friendly wines that can also dazzle at the top end, we look to DO Rueda to see what’s new and why we should be paying attention to this refreshingly different wine region.

What and where is DO Rueda?

Nestled up in the central-north part of Spain, with Galicia to the west and hugging the northeastern corner of Portugal, we find the wine region of Rueda. It forms part of the greater Castilla y Léon area and was the first of the 9 official regions within it to receive its own delimited status, earning the title ‘Denominación de Origen’ (or ‘DO’ for short), where strict rules around quality keep standards high. 

DO Rueda is most famous these days for producing zesty, fresh and fruity, unoaked white wines made largely from the Verdejo grape, which considers Rueda to be its spiritual home. There are still a handful of pink, red, sparkling and sweet wines produced here, but these form less than 10% of all production. 

A brief history of DO Rueda

Although Rueda as we know it today is a comparatively new wine region, with a focus on its  grassy, native Verdejo grape, the origins of winemaking here go back to the Middle Ages. It is said that Verdejo arrived in Rueda via the Moors from north Africa more than one thousand years ago and was all but forgotten as more oxidative, ‘rancio’ styles of wine became popular in the area. Some vines endured however and even today, many very old Verdejo vines of over one hundred years old can be found, which give the grapes that grow on them more complexity and textural minerality. 

As a variety itself, the true value of Verdejo in Rueda was recognised back in the 1970s as a native grape that would please the palates of Sauvignon Blanc lovers and such like, so it was championed by key Spanish producers, including Marques de Riscal of Rioja. Today, Verdejo is the most widely used grape variety in Rueda and accounts for over 80% of all plantings. In fact, 97% of all wines in DO Rueda are now white, led by Verdejo.

The Verdejo Grape: King of DO Rueda!

The Verdejo grape is much loved for its heady aromatics of fresh herbs, cut grass and refreshing lemon citrus as well as ripe, tropical fruit notes and bitter, lime zest kick. It’s a relatively robust grape that has learned to withstand extreme climatic conditions from hot sun to very cold nights, so is well-liked by winemakers. And although Verdejo is most famously served young and unoaked, more styles of wines are coming to the fore, which help increase the versatility of wines from this region. For example, barrel fermentation is on the rise, which adds a creamy texture to the wine and often, a subtle, vanilla spice note from the wood. We’re also seeing more ageing on the lees (the dead yeast cells left after the first alcoholic fermentation), which adds roundness and flavour. Some wineries are now also using ultra modern, egg-shaped, concrete tanks in their winemaking, which allows the wine more contact with the lees, thus adding layers of complexity. Utterly delicious. 

While Verdejo is very much King of Rueda however, it does not work entirely alone. Other white grapes permitted in the white wines of DO Rueda are Sauvignon Blanc, which is Verdejo’s right hand man, but also some Viura, Palomino Fino, Viognier and Chardonnay. 

Key styles of white Rueda Wines

Rueda White: Rueda’s flagship wine style is a young white that is light and fresh, yet fills the palate with lush fruit. These wines must be made from at least 50% Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc (the two principal grape varieties), though the other white grapes above are allowed. 

Gran Vino de Rueda: This is a new category dedicated to high quality and for wines made using low yielding, older vines that are at least thirty years old.

Rueda Sparkling (‘Espumoso’): Most sparkling wines here are produced using the ‘traditional method’ like in Champagne, but some are tank method. Semi-sweet (semi-seco) sparkling wine is also produced here. 

Rueda Pálido: The Pálido is a very traditional, oxidised style of fortified wine that resembles dry Sherry. It is stored in oak barrels for at least three years before release. 

Rueda Dorado: This historic wine style is a slightly sweeter version of the Pálido and must be fortified and barrel-aged for at least two years. Like the Pálido, it is making a comeback.

Pink & Red Rueda Wines

Very few red wines are produced in Rueda, but those that are, tend to focus on the approved red varieties: Tempranillo, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Garnacha and Syrah. They are also now categorised as ‘oaked’, ‘Crianza’ or ‘Reserva’.

Lively, fruity rosé wines may be made if at least 50% out of the approved red wine grape varieties (above) are used. 

What to eat with Rueda Wines

Rueda wines are some of the most versatile in the whole of Europe, easily fitting in with many styles of food from all sorts of countries! Rueda whites, thanks to their high acidity and grassiness, can handle vegetables and salads, pair brilliantly with fresh goats cheese and feta particularly and simply adore most kinds of fish, from seafood risotto to ceviche. This style of bright, zesty white can also handle more tricky matches, such as asparagus or tomato better than other whites and works very nicely with fresh herbs.

The more weight and texture the wine might have thanks to its age, barrel fermentation or lees aging for example, the more flavour and weight of food it can take. Try the heftier, almost nutty versions with creamy poultry dishes, garlicky, baked, fleshy fish dishes or lighter red meats such as pork loin or young lamb. 

Three Rueda White Wines to Try

Diez Siglo Rueda Verdejo

Let’s start with Verdejo. This is a classic example of type: vibrant and refreshing, with notes of hay, guava, peach and orange-lemon citrus. Catch that characteristic hint of fennel on the finish too. Yum!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13%
Find here: £9.80

Excellens Sauvignon Blanc 2020

Next up, let’s see what Sauvignon can do in Rueda. Bright and clean again with its famous pale green tinge, this is a fruitier style of the grape, with powerful notes of cut grass, apple, blossom, tropical fruit and herbs. There is also a creamier weight here thanks to some ageing of the wine on its lees. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £10.99

Amador Diez 2015

Here’s what happens in Rueda when you add some age and some oak. It was named in tribute to the winery’s (Cuatro Rayas) former president, Amador Diez de Íscar. The top of this producer’s tree, this wine is produced from the best parts of their ancient, 100 year plus pre-phylloxera vineyard. Hand made at just about every level including bottling and in very limited quantities, this is a wine made to age. If you love white Rioja, you’ll love this! Think spicy orchard fruits, quince, honey, toast and spice, all with a cool, saline kick. A fantastic splash-out bottle. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £34

For more information on Rueda, keep an eye on Instagram and our Thursday Club with talkRADIO articles!

Thursday Club with talk RADIO: Classic Iberian Wines

This week on talkRADIO, we are continuing the Iberian theme for the summer as most of us can’t get out to Spain or Portugal. I’ve gone for three wines in very different styles that you may have heard of, but not be sure what they are. We have a white, a red and a dry sherry. Yes! It’s time to taste that again.

ILUSIONISTA, Verdejo, Rueda, Spain. 

Rueda is another Spanish wine region that favours white wine, and these whites are made with a grape called Verdejo. If you like a more tropical style of Sauvignon Blanc, you will love this. It’s aromatic, zesty and limey with notes of smoky passion fruit and guava. There’s a creaminess here too that makes it a great food pairing wine and as you’d expect, it loves Spanish cuisine. Try it with seafood, white meat, carpaccios, sushi and semi-cured cheeses.

Find it for £11.15 from Vinissimus here.

Tio Pepe Fino Sherry, Jerez, Spain.

Don’t run away! This is not the sweet stuff your nan drinks. Sherry is one of the most misunderstood wines in the whole world. I think it’s because the word itself sounds sweet! The truth is, classic, ‘proper’ sherry is dry. Bone dry. If you’re into salted almonds, twiglets and salty umami goodness, then you should give it a try, chilled in a small glass. It’s incredibly moreish and fantastic with salty snacks. Fino is made with a grape called Palomino fino, hence the name. It’s made as normal dry white wine, then fortified with grape spirit to around 15% and aged in barrels under a type of yeast bloom called ‘flor’. You could also switch thing up and try it in a ‘Tiojito’ instead of rum. So refreshing! Here’s more on Fino and the other style of Sherry here.

Find it for £10 from Sainsbury’s here and many other stores

Extra Special Douro Red, Portugal.

In the past when we thought about red wine from Portugal, it was all about Port: a fortified red. Nowadays however, Portugal is producing some fantastic DRY red wines that are totally unique to the country and provide fantastic value for money as they are less famous than others. The main red wine grape used to make quality red Port is Touriga Nacional and the Douro wine region is king for this. It often forms the backbone of the red wine blends (they’re usually always blended), with the rest being made up by several local red wine grapes. Always big and bold, think blackberry, prune, blackcurrant and cinnamon spice. Open it up early to give it some air and it would love some grilled meat or even dark chocolate.

Find it on offer for £4.88 (down from £6.50) at Asda here.