THE VERDICT

Producing fresh, fruity reds and rosés in a variety of styles, Spain’s Bobal grape is ready to step into the spotlight. Julie Sheppard reports on Decanter’s first tasting of this native Spanish variety

Nearly everything we tasted today was a wine you could enjoy and recommend,’ praised Christine Parkinson. ‘It’s as though there’s this whole grape variety that’s been waiting in the shadows, that suddenly leapt out fully fledged, ready to feature on wine lists and become our new favourite.’

The quality of the six Bobal rosés impressed. ‘I really liked the lightercoloured wines,’ said Beth Willard. ‘They were super-fresh and delicate, pretty in colour, but they lost nothing with the intensity of fruit; there was still lots of lovely red fruit character.’

There was good diversity among the reds. ‘It quickly divided between those who felt they needed to use oak, and those who didn’t,’ Sarah Jane Evans MW observed. ‘We saw the differentiation between winemakers who are still making the more classic, traditional, domestic-style red wine, where an intrusion of oak dominated the fruit,’ agreed Willard. ‘But then you get the more modern – or more international – style, that’s much more balanced. I think Bobal makes a lovely, fruity, intense and often very fresh style of red wine.’

‘The freshness is amazing,’ agreed Evans. ‘If we’d been doing this tasting five years ago, we’d have been saying, “Bobal is a rustic grape and there’s a problem with the tannin”. Nobody talked [then] about the freshness. But you’ve got a grape here which you don’t have to tamper with to produce wonderfully fresh wines.’

Bobal’s great value was noted, too. ‘At any price point, these wines will offer quite a lot of value, as they come from regions which don’t necessarily have the same sort of iconic estates as in Priorat or Rioja, for example,’ said Willard. ‘So the pricing isn’t hanging off those halo wineries. You’re going to get a lot of wine for your money.’

‘The other bonus is that, because of the climate in these regions, a lot of these Bobals are organic,’ added Evans. ‘So if you’re looking for that, it’s something worth checking out.’

Why is Bobal on the rise? ‘There’s a new generation coming into Utiel-Requena and Valencia, and quite often they’re taking family vineyards and bringing outside influences,’ said Evans. ‘Others are happy to really question what they’re doing, or to recognise that they’ve got these amazing old bush vines. I suspect there are a few people having to fight against tradition, but actually the turnaround has been very rapid. There are people who know about the external market, about foreign tastes, and are making those wines.’

‘I think a broader trend is trickling down into lots of different regions,’ commented Willard. ‘Winemakers and growers are saying to me that they’re

‘Bobal can create its own space in the market with these new wine styles’

Beth Willard

actually returning to their past. Yes, there’s the influence of modern technology and winemaking, but all they’re doing is going back to these wonderful old vines – which are like the jewel of Spain – and indigenous varieties, and respecting the terroir.’

The next step is communicating this to the world’s wine lovers. ‘There’s no perception of Bobal among consumers at all,’ said Parkinson. ‘Bobal would normally only sell if it was very cheap or if it wasn’t really featured as Bobal.’

‘But that’s OK,’ added Willard. ‘Bobal can [therefore] create an image. It’s really easy to say, no matter how you pronounce it, which is an advantage – and it can create its own space in the market with these new wine styles. Doing a tasting like this, where you can identify some really top wines, is the best starting point.’

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current- release vintage of reds or rosés made from 100% Bobal, or blends of at least 70% Bobal