And some fabulous wines were tasted. Lots of people were astounded at the quality and price of the Verdejo from El Coto – proof that Rioja have really got to grips with white wine. It was fresh, tasty and incredible value for money. A step up was El Coto’s Chardonnay from a vineyard at nearly 1,000m altitude, while the Blanco from Izadi showed what a more traditional style can be like when freshness rather than oxidation in barrel is to the fore.
Our reds allowed us to explore what happens when producers cut themselves free from the reins of the traditional ‘time in cellar’ approach to classification. None were designated Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva, all showed vibrant fruit and great complexity. The Estrada 2021 from Bodega Lanzana, at £90/bottle, was a bit of a stretch but we found lots to like and plenty of reasons to keep going back to the wines of this iconic area.
At Teddington we started with a selection of tapas and finished with a super Cook lasagne, at Richmond Spanish mushrooms on toast were followed by a delicious tomatoey cod dish.
For details of the wines please go to the Wines we have tasted page.
