90 POINTS FROM WINE SPECTATOR AND WORTH MORE

One of the things I love about Spain is that you can pluck wines like this straight off the supermarket shelves. Six years old and quite possibly drinking at its peak without us having to worry about any cellaring. It's a mere 4 euro and an extreme bargain.
Medium weight with plenty of serious complex flavour from the bottle ageing. 



SENORIO de la ANTIGUA 2012 MENCIA
GRAPE VARIETIES: Mencia
REGION: Leon, Spain
A/V: 13.5% 
PRICE: 3.99 euro 
FROM: Aldi, Spain
        RATING: 5/5 from me 

THE RED DRINKERS WHITE

The label is quite vague but the wine is unequivocally huge. This is a big rich, wooded, full bodied dry white. If you like this style you'll rate it much higher. If you prefer light zingy whites, avoid at all costs.

VILLA REAL 2016 PREMIUM DOURO
REGION: Douro, Portugal
A/V: 13.5% 
PRICE: 3.99 euro 
FROM: Lidl, Portugal
RATING: 4/5 from me 

OUTSTANDING PORTUGUESE DRY WHITE

It's a rare white wine, at this price, that combines a textural complexity with a fine fruit and acid delicacy. This is an absolutely outstanding dry white that I could happily drink for the rest of my life.

CASA FERREIRINHA PLANALTO 2016 VINHO BLANCO SECO RESERVA
GRAPE VARIETIES: ????
REGION: Douro, Portugal
A/V: 12.5% 
PRICE: 4.99 euro 
FROM: Lidl, Portugal
RATING: 5/5 from me 

NOW HERE'S THE PROBLEM OF BUYING TOO MUCH WINE

When I arrive in a new country or find a new retailer with a range of wines I've never seen before I get excited. I'm obsessed with tasting wine and making sense of varieties and regions that I've never encountered before. 
Sometimes I buy so much that we can't taste them all before we move on to a new place where those wines aren't available.  And so it was with this little beauty. We bought it in Portugal and opened the bottle in Spain. 
It's a dazzling crisp dry white full of aromatic flavour that warrants a much higher price. I wish we'd bought more

MONTE DA FERRA 2016 VINHO BRANCO
GRAPE VARIETIES: Roupeiro, Arinto and Fernao Pires
REGION: Alentejo, Portugal
A/V: 12.5% 
PRICE: 1.99 euro 
FROM: Aldi, Portugal
RATING: 5/5 from me 

AN INTRIGUING QUADRUPLE BLEND

This is another bargain from the recent Continente sale. 
Complex, surprisingly mellow and warmly inviting this is a masterful blend. I would have loved an opportunity to taste the components individually before the blend was put together

MULA VELHA 2016 PREMIUM WHITE
GRAPE VARIETIES: Fernao Pires, Arinto, Chardonnay and Verdelho
REGION: Lisboa, Portugal
A/V: 13% 
PRICE: 2.99 euro [marked down from 9.99]
FROM: Continente, Portugal
RATING: 5/5 from me 

A SECOND LABEL THAT'S WELL WORTH A TRY .... providing you buy it at the right price

We'd already been impressed by this maker's Premium Red so this was an interesting comparison. A solid impressive little red that over delivers at the markdown price. But still the premium is well worth the difference.


MULA VEHLA 2016 VINHO TINTO
GRAPE VARIETIES: Touriga Nacional, Aragonez and Castelao
REGION: Lisboa, Portugal
A/V: 13% 
PRICE: 2.19 euro [marked down from 5.49]
FROM: Continente, Portugal
RATING: 4.5/5 from me at the reduced price

DEFINITELY NOT WORTH 9.99 euro!

That's the original asking price Continente reckon before reducing it to 2.99. Even then there are so many better wines out there.
This is quite a hard, austere white without much enticing fruit. Some will like it but the markdown claim annoys me.

CALHANDRIZ 2016 PREMIUM WHITE 
GRAPE VARIETIES: Arinto and Chardonnay
REGION: Lisboa, Portugal
A/V: 13% 
PRICE: 2.99 euro [reduced from 9.99]
FROM: Continente, Portugal
RATING: 2/5 from me 

TWO OUTSTANDING RUEDA WHITES FROM MERCADONA

I love Verdejo and I'm equally enamoured with the achievements of Rueda winemakers. Congratulations Mercadona, who don't have the best wine range, for featuring these beauties. Two crisp dry quality whites that over deliver flavour. Absolute bargains.
ARRIBENO 2017 & ABADIA MANTRUS 2016 .... both .....
GRAPE VARIETIES: Verdejo
REGION: Rueda, Spain
A/V: 13%
PRICE: 2.40 euro
FROM: Mercadona Spain
RATING: 5/5 from me 

I'D BUY THIS JUST FOR THE BOTTLE

One of the most striking wine bottles I've ever seen contains a really impressive single varietal red. In an area obsessed with blending it's great to taste Mourvedre [aka Monastrell] on its proud, confrontational own. 
While this is a really impressive full on red it's not the pinnacle of value in this ridiculously cheap market. But it scores really highly on the quality of the wine, its individuality and distinctive packaging.



LAUDUM 2016 MONASTRELL
GRAPE VARIETIES: Monastrell
REGION: Alicante, Spain
A/V: 14% 
PRICE: 5.49 euro 
FROM: Aldi Spain
RATING: 4.5/5 from me 

A MINI EL CHEAPO MERCADONA TASTING

When you see them aligned on a supermarket shelf it's impossible to resist grabbing two wines from the same maker, five years apart in vintage and a mere 3.2 euro. For both of them. What could possibly go wrong?
As it turned out: nothing. These are two intriguing little wines from La Mancha. I assume the grape is tempranillo but unsure. But I am sure these are two little bargains if what's on offer is to your taste

FIDENCIO 2012 RESERVA A/V: 13% , 1.99 euro from Mercadona. Quite charming in an earthy feral way. A little brown round the edges but still sound and will appeal as a quaffing aged red. Well worth a try but needs to be drunk now. 4/5 rating

FIDENCIO 2017 TINTO A/V 12.5%, 1.20 euro from Mercadona. Absolutely no wood but the fruit and acid is in perfect balance. The tannins also kick in once the wine has had a chance to breathe. We tasted it over 3 days and it started well and finished even better. If I lived in Spain I'd be buying a few dozen. 5/5 rating