Update 2025: 6x Spanish favorites

After visiting Barcelona Wine Week, I'm once again blown away by the quality and diversity of Spain as a wine country. I love it, and I'll be back next year. This time, the focus isn't on Garnacha, but on a broader selection that showcases that very diversity. From the Atlantic freshness of Sanlúcar de Barrameda to the rugged peaks of the north, these six wines will show you a different side of Spain.

Curious about last year's favorites? Click here >

Want to get started right away? Then order the sample box with these six favorites from Spain . Unfortunately, it's sold out.

Muchada-Léclapart 'Univers' 2019 (Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz)

Alejandro Muchada ended up in Champagne by chance to help with the harvest. Not just anywhere, but with David Léclapart – champagne maker and biodynamic He had no idea who he was dealing with or what he was doing, but he quickly became captivated by the philosophy: biodynamics, minimal intervention, working purely with nature. A few years later, they joined forces, not in Champagne, but in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. This is Palomino Fino in its purest form, sourced from Albariza soils. Atlantic, salty, lively, and fresh.

Bodega y Viñedos Bernabeleva, Manchomuelas Blanco

Last time, the tasting box focused primarily on the red Garnachas from the Sierra de Gredos, but this time we're going for white. Bodega Bernabeleva makes this 100% Garnacha Blanca. The family behind the winery comes from a long way away. In 1923, Vicente Álvares-Villamil saw the potential of the granite-rich soils, but it's his great-grandchildren who are breathing new life into the family project, and guess what? They're getting help from... The world's best winemaker : Raúl Perez. We're fans of Raúl and interviewed him once (he also makes amazing menciás in Bierzo). The grapes come from a steep vineyard at an altitude of 830 meters. Warm during the day, cold at night. Spontaneously fermented and aged on lees in large 2400-liter vats. Full-bodied, structured, yet with a lively, minty freshness.

Rafael Palacios 'Louro' Godello 2022 (DO Valdeorras)

Okay, I didn't discover this wine during Barcelona Wine Week, but a few weeks earlier. I was there myself. Yes, on the spot In Valdeorras, invited by the DO, where about 50 wines were waiting for us. And this one lingered. This was different. Refined. Burgundian. But then oh my goodness . Top notch.

When you say Valdeorras, you say Palacios. Well, you could also use that name in Priorat or Bierzo, but there's another descendant of the Palacios family there. In Valdeorras— the hill of gold – it's Raphael who turns things upside down. Absolutely fantastic, this godello. Also great for blind pouring. What do the tasters think?

Villota Mazuelo 2021 (DOCa Rioja)

I've known Villota wines for years – we serve the 'regular' Rioja during the wine course. ( Nothing ordinary about it, but okay. ) But in Barcelona, ​​Carmen, the winemaker, showed me her 100% mazuelo I tasted it, and I was instantly sold. If I had to describe it in one word? Tempting. Delicious acidity that makes it light and juicy, surprisingly soft tannins, and a drinkability that's truly impressive. Not a powerhouse, but one that will put you on edge.

Fil·loxera & Cía 'Verde' 2019 (DO Valencia)

Three friends from Valencia, with years of experience in the wine world, decided to make a radical change. Just as phylloxera once shook the wine world, they changed their own course: away from standard commercial wines, in search of the unknown. Wines made from local, mostly forgotten, grape varieties in Valencia.

'Verde' is a perfect example of this. Made from ullet de perdiu (literally translated: pheasant's eye) – honestly, never heard of it. It was/is a nearly extinct grape that they single-handedly brought back. And what a discovery: sky-high acidity despite the warm climate there. Spontaneously fermented, minimal intervention, but without any funky edges.

Jorge Olivera 'O Baile de Gurrión' 2023 (Vino de la Tierra de Navarra)

I had been looking for this for two years, and suddenly Jorge Olivera stood in front of me at Liquid Vins, a small trade fair that is organized at the same time as BWW. I had already read so much about his wines And I couldn't wait to finally taste them. His story reminds me of the Sierra de Gredos. Also a mountainous region—Jorge Olivera is located in the foothills of the Pyrenees, where viticulture once flourished, in the province of Huesca (Aragon). Until the 1970s, wine was abundant here, largely by small farmers who brought their grapes to cooperatives. But when Somontano—a little further afield—grew into the dominant wine region of Aragon, local viticulture declined. Vineyards were abandoned, the focus shifted to grain production, and many farmers sought their future elsewhere.

But not Jorge. He chose to return to his ancestral land and start over – without a DO. Bold. We love that. The wines are right up my alley. Magic words, in case you haven't quite grasped my taste yet: energetic, fresh, juicy, elegant. That kind of thing. And that's where this one falls. O Baile de Gurrión all the way. Let's enjoy it, don't hesitate to enjoy it .

Want to get started right away? Then order the sample box with these six favorites from Spain . Unfortunately, it's sold out.