The social drinker

Every year, more Irish people travel to Spain than to any other country, so it seems likely that we are at least as familiar with Spanish wine as with the wines of producers such as Italy and France.

Perhaps this was the calculation behind SuperValu’s decision to hold a wine sale, starting this week, that focuses entirely on wines from the Iberian peninsula. Whatever the reason, the group’s wine sale offers plenty of good wines at reasonable prices.

Spanish wine usually isn’t that subtle. In fact, many varieties are about as subtle as Donald Trump on the hustings — big, overblown and fruity, but that’s OK in a wine.

At a recent tasting, a red called Honora Vera for just €10 caught my eye. This wine from the Calatayud area, which sits between Madrid and Barcelona, uses the garnacha grape; a variety of the better-known grenache grape, to give a big, rich, almost spicy taste, that is ideal for drinking while sitting in front of the fire and relaxing.

Another red that stood out was Torre Oria 80 Years, which is also selling for €10. Made from 80-year-old bobal vines, this is a soft wine with intense, dark berry flavours, and it is well worth a try.

Among the many other fine wines on sale, I have to highlight La Unica, which sells for €20 in the sale, but could easily cost €100 in many Dublin restaurants. Produced from a blend of wines from varieties of the tempranillo grape from Rioja, Burgos and Zamora, it is quite simply superb (in the aforementioned Donald Trump sort-of-way).

The wine comes in a box with handpainted labels, but don’t let these gimmicks put you off; the rich cherry and berry tastes are special. This would be a great wine to drink with cheese, preferably the sorts of hard cheese you often find in Spain; or sharp, spicy tapas. It’s worth buying in quantity if you have the cash after Christmas, and drinking throughout the year.