Spain

IMG-20170907-WA0000 I’ve had a bit of a lucky streak recently. First, the lovely people at Majestic chose my Question for their monthly Wine 999 feature, winning me a lovely mixed case (worthy of its own post – stay tuned!). And then I also got given this bottle of white, which went straight in my fridge to be enjoyed as soon as the sun made an appearance on a late summer evening.

Now it’s not one I’d probably have picked out myself, but if you’re after a fresh, zingy, tasty and affordable white, the Torres Vina Sol a pretty safe bet. It’s a Spanish white, reminiscent of a crisp NZ Sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre. Along with fresh citrus on the nose, there are subtle fruity flavours that round it off nicely. Serve slightly colder that you normally would for a white – proper fridge temperature benefitted the tangy nature.

Definitely drinkable on it’s own, it’s also a good choice with the classic seafood / rice / fish options.

Good news – it’s widely available from shops including Tesco, Sainsburys and Majestic. And it’s easy on the wallet too – coming in at under a fiver if you pick the right offer.

I love competitions, and resolutely stick to my Mum’s motto that the more you enter, the more likely you are to win.

Unfortunately that hasn’t resulted in any Caribbean holidays yet, but I was lucky enough to win a meal at Zorita’s Kitchen in London, courtesy of Majestic Wine, which I enjoyed with the family last week.

Zorita’s is in a lovely location on the banks of the Thames, opposite the Globe Theatre, with views of the river and Shard. Pretty impressive!

But then the food and wine were pretty impressive, too. We enjoyed a lovely selection of tapas, which seemed to just keep coming.

The real highlight for me was the wine. Having got there early with my boyfriend Tim, we opted to enjoy a glass of white while waiting for the others. This crisp, tasty and fresh wine was perfect enjoyed with some olives and gossip! I hadn’t tried Verdejo before, and am pretty uneducated in the Spanish-wine department overall, but this was a great introduction.

The lovely chaps at Majestic had also arranged for us to enjoy two bottles of Spanish red with our meal

The first, a Crianza Rioja went brilliantly with the first plate of bread, cured ham and cheese that we enjoyed, and I was really impressed with the flavours. This one, on the left, can be enjoyed in Zorita’s for £18.49 a bottle – a good price for a very nice wine.

Zorita4 But the undeniable highlight was the Marques de la Concordia Hacienda de Susar (bottle on the right). Retailing in the restaurant at nearly £50 a bottle, this was really special experience. It was one of the smoothest reds I have ever had. It was predominantly the Tempranillo grape (as is traditional with Rioja), but also has Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in the blend. Aged in barrels for a number of years before being bottled, the wine had really developed and had a lovely blend of flavours. Decanted and left to breathe while we polished off the other bottle only improved the experience.

The bottle we enjoyed was one of the last 2007s that Zorita’s Kitchen had, but when they get the 2010 vintage in I’ll be one of the first through the doors!

WineBlag

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A Thames-side Treat