11 Spanish Wines I recommend
I always say it: you don’t have to pay a lot of money to get a good bottle of wine in Spain. It’s one of the great things about this country.
We drink wine every day and most days we stick to bottles under 10 Euros (finding inexpensive but good wines has been a mission of mine since coming to Spain 4 years ago). Every couple of weeks we cook a special dinner and, along with that, will get a couple of more expensive bottles to try out. But that’s a special treat. We don’t have millions to spend on wine so I’m not going to be the guy telling you that you have to pay at least 50 Euros to get a decent bottle of wine*.
* If there’s one thing that gets on my nerves it’s wine snobbery. I’ve taken wine courses. I’ve also travelled to a lot of wine producing countries and tasted a lot of wine (3 months in South Africa is still my wine highlight). I’m not a wine expert BUT I appreciate good wine…and having tasted a lot of wine in a lot of different places I’m convinced that Spain is one of the best countries to get great value wines. You don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for a good bottle of wine in Spain.
I thought I would cover a few wines that I would recommend people to try, either as an everyday wine or as a wine for special occasions. Most are under 10 Euros so they’re all very affordable. Below I cover mostly red wines but also a surprising white.
My favorite red wine for a special occasion: Marqués de Riscal Reserva
You can find this wine in most Spanish supermarkets (in Granada I get it at Mas) and it’s priced around 17 Euros. It’s the most expensive wine that I am recommending
This is my go-to wine for Christmas or New Years. A deep, fruity, well-balanced wine with character. 90% Tempranillo grapes, 10% Graciano. Full and tasty, it has a smooth finish. It has good intensity but it is not overpowering in any respect. I wouldn’t drink it on its own (although I guess you could), but it’s the perfect wine to be served with meat or pasta.
Marqués de Riscal reserva is produced by Herederos del Marqués de Riscal, SA, located in the town of Elciego in the Basque Country. Despite being just across the Ebro river from the Autonomous Community of La Rioja, it falls under the Rioja “Qualified Designation of Origin”, the highest category in Spanish wine regulation. The Rioja region produces some of Spain’s most famous wines.
A beautiful bottle of wine that I always love.
A different Spanish red: El Lero
When I lived in Nerja I would spot this wine in Coviran as well as a local wine store. You’ll also usually find it in your local Corte Ingles. Usually costs around 12 Euros.
Most Spanish wines feature primarily Tempranillo grapes, it’s the most popular grape in Spain and most of the classic Spanish wines are almost exclusively Tempranillo – which gives them great body (what I love about Spanish wines) but they are also high in tannins which make them not ideal to drink by themselves.
El Lero has a mix of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah which makes this wine smooth and easy drinking. Fruity, well-balanced, medium intensity. Fresh is a word that comes to mind. You can serve this with almost anything but it can also be drunk by itself (which is sometimes what you want).
El Lero is produced by Tres Generaciones, located near the town of Ronda in Malaga province. In recent years this region has produced more and more excellent wines (the Malaga region was historically a huge wine producer but the vineyards were wiped out by the phylloxera blight in the late 1800’s. It’s only in the last 30 years that wine production has restarted in the region).
Fruity, smooth and fresh Red: Flor Y Nata
You can usually find Flor Y Nata in local wine stores or Corte Ingles. Price around 12 Euros.
This is from the Ribera del Duero region. I always go back and forth between Ribera del Duero and Rioja when deciding which is my favorite wine region. I generally like Ribera del Duero wines more, I find them more consistent (I’ve had quite a few Rioja wines which I found very oaky and too tannic. I haven’t experienced that with Ribera del Duero wines). But on the other hand, a really good Rioja wine (like the Marqués de Riscal above) is really hard to beat. I would say this though: if you go to the store and you see a Ribera del Duero and a Rioja on the shelf and you don’t know either wine, I’d recommend you play it safe and you go with the Ribera del Duero. That’s just based on my experience.
Description of Flor Y Nata: deep red, smooth, fruity, and fresh. It is the fruitiness that really stands out, from the first sniff to its long finish. We found it very easy to drink – it can be drunk on its own or with cheeses as we did. Can also be served with meats and fish as it has the strength to pull that off. Very nice wine.
Note: If you can’t find Flor Y Nata, Ricardo Dumas Crianza is another Ribera del Duero with the same profile and at the same price.
A nice sturdy Red: Melior
I’ve found this wine in specialty wine stores as well as a little corner store in our neighbourhood. If you can’t find it there maybe try Corte Ingles. It sells around 8 Euros which makes this a great wine for the price.
Melior is another wine from the Ribera del Duero region. Like the above, it is made from 100% Tempranillo grapes. But it has a very different taste profile.
This is a is a sturdy, full-bodied wine. Melior promises “a full, cheerful and intense body”. That’s exactly what we got. Its aroma is full and fruity, it is smooth tasting and has a long finish. It’s not acidic, tannic, or oaky. Just a really nice, smooth and easy drinking wine which matches perfectly with meats and pastas.
A very different White wine: Gewürztraminer
I’m not a huge fan of Spanish whites which is why I don’t have a lot of reviews for whites here. The exception is this (very different) Spanish white. It was recommended to me by the lady at the specialty wine store and it cost around 10.50 Euros.
This wine is made from the Gewürztraminer grape, which is similar to Reisling (similar but also different). The wine is produced by Viñas del Vero, a winery located in Barbastro (in the province of Huesca, part of the Autonomous Community of Aragon). They produce different wines using traditional grapes to the region but also produce this wine from Gewürztraminer grapes, a grape with origins in South Tyrol, in Northern Italy.
Description: “Sparkly”, fresh, light, fruity with a mix of tropical flavors. A beautiful wine. Perfect in the summer but, if some people in the family don’t like reds, a tasty white for anytime of year.
Some dependable Reds I always enjoy
Some of the bottles I’ve mentioned above can be hard to find. So I’m going to list a few Reds that are always good, dependable wines that I always enjoy. All can be found almost anywhere.
Marques de Caceres is a very good winery located in Cenicero, in the heart of La Rioja Alta. This wine was recommended by our favorite lady at the specialty wine store and cost about 8 Euros. Like most wines from La Rioja, it is made exclusively of Tempranillo grapes. Ruby red, this wine gives you just a bit more body that some of the other wines that I’ve reviewed. It is spicy, a bit rough (but in a good way), and complex. A typical Rioja wine in many ways. Ps. I mentioned that I’m not generally a fan of Spanish whites, but Marques de Caceres has a pretty good white wine.
El Coto. When all else fails, you can find a bottle of El Coto (another Rioja) almost anywhere including Mercadona. It usually sells around 6 Euros. An excellent wine that I buy a lot (it’s just very easy to find): round, fruity, easy drinking but with some complexity that takes it above ‘basic’ wines.
Campo Viejo Reserva. You can take the words I wrote above about El Coto and paste them here. A very good wine that you can find almost anywhere (I recently found it when I visited my mother in Mexico. Campo Viejo is big internationally). But don’t make the mistake of buying the Campo Viejo white label, make sure the bottle you are buying is the Reserva with the orange label.
A few good – and great value – wines
The wines below are all at or below 5 Euros. A couple of them are wines that I accidentally came across, a few others are just good, dependable wines I’ll buy in a pinch.
Proximus. We went to our local specialty wine store where we asked for a “good but inexpensive wine”. Proximus was recommended (the only other time I’ve found this wine was in one of those Chinese stores where they sell everything under the sun). Usually sells in the 4.50 – 5 Euro range.
Apart from knowing that it’s a Ribera del Duero wine and that it’s made from Tempranillo grapes, I can’t seem to find anything online about the winery that produces Proximus.
Description: A very tasty, easy drinking, fruity wine (typical of Ribera del Duero wines) with a bit of extra body and smooth (almost caramelly) finish that sets it apart. Yes, definitely there are better Ribera del Dueros – but I don’t know if you’ll find any under 5 Euros and that’s what makes Proximus a star for me in this price category.
Món Perdut. I love when I come across a wine that I’ve never heard of, that’s different than anything I’ve had…and that at the same time is really good and really inexpensive (I paid 4 Euros).
I found Món Perdut is a small fruteria in Barcelona. It’s an interesting wine. The winery (Grup Oliveda) is located in Girona, in Catalonia. It has an Empordà Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP), a region on the very tip of Spain bordering on France. It’s not the typical Spanish wine produced out of Tempranillo: Món Perdut is a mix of Red Granache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. As the name and DOP indicates, its mix is more common of French wines.
Description: Just as the bottle says “A vivid Cherry-red color and intense aromas”. But it also has a deep fruity taste that lingers. More character and body than most wines in this price category. Very good and incredible value.
Viña Albali Reserva. You’ll see Viña Albali everywhere, on almost any store shelf. Viña Albali is produced by Felix Solis; they’re one of the biggest wineries in Spain and sell different brands like The Guv’nor and Los Molinos. Their wineries are located near Valdepeñas in the region of Castilla-La Mancha (surprisingly, the most prolific of wine growing regions in all of Europe).
But of all the wines produced by Felix Solis this is my favorite. It sells for under 4 Euros. A good, solid wine that’s good for everyday drinking. It won’t make you jump out of your seat but chances are you’ll enjoy this bottle (deep fruity taste with hints of spice and vanilla).
Do you have any favorites that YOU would recommend?
Related: The “Tipping Protocol” in Spain
No one has mentioned Viña Esmeralda , a great white from Torres
Try The Guvnor from Mercadona
I mentioned it in passing at the bottom – decent everyday wine, but I was really going a bit higher end on this one for the holidays. But have had it many times, always good in a pinch.
I will leave a recommendation for a sparkling White. Cloe Brut from Ronda. Sauvignon Blanc grape. It’s more sophisticated than cava but a lot more enjoyable than champagne in my opinion and I have purchased it for as little as 19€ a bottle. If you want something better than cava for a special occasion, it’s great.
Hi Lee! Great! Good to know. I will keep my eye out and planning a visit next week to Corte Ingles so will see if I can find it…
Nice article, thank you. But feel the need to clarify that riesling and gewürtraminer are entirely different grapes and make totally different tasting wine. It is like saying they have made a cabernt savignon from a syrah. no es posible😁
You are absolutely right. When I bought it, it was described as a Reisling and I went with that. There are similarities between Reisling and Gewürtraminerbut also differences and I’ve made edits above. Thank you for clarifying that!
I think you are missing out not trying many Spanish whites. My favourites are Albariño and Godello both from Galicia. The native Albariño grape is similar to Sauvignon Blanc. I had to check the variety of grape for Godello and it says (by it I mean Google haha) and it says theoretically its a mash up of Riesling, Albariño & Chardonnay.
Enjoy sampling.
Thank you Anita. Haven’t seen many Galician wine where we are and just not familiar with them. I’ll keep my eye out for what you suggest and give them a try in the summer!
we love these, especially the Godellos from the monterrei región of Galicia. Verdejo and Treixadura wines from this area are worth a look too. You often find blends which are surprisingly good, crisp and fresh. we are blessed😂
Thank you, we tried the viña albali reserva tonight as it is an easy one for us to find. It was very pleasant and a great price! We also like the Gov’ner so it was interesting to note that they’re both from the same winery.
For whites, I agree with the recommendations to try Albariño and Verdejo. I don’t claim to know much about wine so enjoy articles like these and others additions.
I particularly love a dry cava so any recommendations would be great. Thank you.
Protus Roble very good value around 7 euros. .@A Ribero de Duero wine.. My favourite red in Spain
Thanks Bob. I’ve had it before but can’t remember it well enough to review. Went out today to buy my wines for the holidays and bought a Protus…will give it a try and do a review when I’m done.
Thanks Frank for this article. I personally prefer Spanish reds. Will look into your recommendations next trip which will be a 6 week stay.
Thank you Carol! 🙂