Red international varieties in Spain: Panel tasting results

Beth Willard, Matthew Forster MW and Andy Howard MW tasted 76 wines, with 25 Highly recommended and 43 Recommended

Red international varieties in Spain: Panel tasting scores

76 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 0

Highly recommended 25

Recommended 43

Commended 8

Fair 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit red wines made from a minimum 85% of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot or Pinot Noir (or a combination of these), produced in any geographical denomination in Spain

Scroll down to see the top-scoring wines from our Red international varieties in Spain panel tasting

Square pegs in round holes?

We gathered for this tasting on a Wednesday in late August. The weather couldn’t make up its mind, with heavy downpours followed by periods of bright sunshine. The tasting was equally variable. This tasting had a few highlights but was generally a little disappointing.

However, it should be noted that there are some excellent wines in this broad category that were not submitted: for instance, old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon from Navarra offers impressive ageing potential, and there are wines dotted around the coast which have a truly Mediterranean character.

The problem with many of the wines that we did have in this tasting was twofold: the unsuitability of the varieties to their chosen terroir, and the stylistic choices made by the producers.

In particular, the Pinot Noirs were problematic, failing to achieve balance. Ageing regimes were also an issue. ‘Too many wines were heavy, oaked and high in alcohol. This isn’t what people [now] want to drink,’ Andy Howard MW noted.

Likewise, Matthew Forster MW felt that producers had misjudged the styles. ‘Winemaking seems constrained by the international varieties, with winemakers thinking they need to use oak,’ he explained. ‘There was none of the freshness or purity that you see with Spanish indigenous grapes.’

The better wines were well crafted even if they lacked regional identity. ‘Syrahs were the best of the bunch, with some quite appealing wines, but none struck me as particularly Spanish,’ said Howard. ‘It’s the international character that comes through.’

In the end, we did find some well-made wines scoring 90 points and above, which offered both balance and concentration – worth buying if you are looking for good examples of these varieties.

But, given that Spanish wines today are so thrilling, perhaps our expectations are set much higher. We look forward to tasting more of these wines in the future with a real focus on terroir and a little more Spanish flair.

What to eat with Spanish international reds, by Fiona Beckett

Although the tasting covered several different grape varieties, the overall impression was of relatively high alcohol wines bolstered with a good deal of oak. Fortunately, we can use food to mitigate that, in particular using rare and charred red meat, rich winey stews and ‘meaty’ vegetables such as grilled portobello mushrooms and aubergines to offset the tannins.

If you’ve got the barbecue fired up, they would be the wines to bring out. And although some lacked a specifically Spanish character, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t introduce that with the food.

Fruit-forward wines can handle a bit of spice and there’s plenty of that in Spain’s pimenton-rich food. Think hearty dishes with pork and beans with those Syrahs. A bit of bottle age would also modify and mellow the oak influence, so consider tucking some of these wines away to bring out in a few years’ time with lamb (Spain’s favourite meat) or with game.

A mature vintage of wines such as the Torres, Mas La Plana would be perfect with pot-roast pheasant.

See all notes and scores from the red international varieties in Spain tasting

The judges

Beth Willard is a wine consultant, communicator and judge with a particular passion for the wines of Spain. A member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, she is also one of the five DWWA Co-Chairs

Matthew Forster MW is an independent wine consultant and education specialist, and founder of The Wine Partnership. A former director at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, he has a particular passion for the food and wine cultures of Spain, Portugal and South America

Andy Howard MW is a Decanter Contributing Editor and DWWA Regional Chair. Formerly a long-serving retail wine buyer, he now runs his own consultancy Vinetrades, focusing on wine education, judging, investment and sourcing

Red international varieties in Spain panel tasting results:

Wines were tasted blind

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