Kirsty Mckenzie
A DOZEN Spanish wines have received sparkling reviews from a top drinks critic.
Fedellos do Couto, Bastarda from Galicia and Javier Revert Viticultor, Simeta from Valencia were among the picks selected by global wine guru Robert Parker.
The Ponce wine from Manchuela in southeastern Spain and the Micrit Caliza from Jumilla in Murcia were also singled out for praise in 2020 Wine Discoveries guide, which looks at the best newly discovered, under-the-radar wines of the year.
Exactly 100 wines from across the world were selected to head up the list, with judges looking for wines ‘outside the mainstream’ and vineyards with a focus on innovation in the areas of sustainability and terroir.
“The results of our assessment highlighted to us that there are wines that are not necessarily our top-scoring wines, but have compelling stories behind the bottle,” Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Robert Parker Wine Advocate editor-in-chief, said.
“Even if the labels are not at all new, what’s happening behind those famous names and all that regional tradition is occasionally quite innovative. These stories and innovations are what consumers are increasingly motivated by when they seek out new discoveries – hence the creation of what we offer our readers as our Top 100 Wine Discoveries.”
The list was compiled from over 30,000 wines reviewed by 10 wine critics at Robert Parker between October 2019 and October 2020.
The judges chosen wines represent the best in terms of value, sustainability and innovation.
The full list from Spain is below:
Bierzo Verónica Ortega VO Cobrana 2018
Canary Islands Victoria Torres Pecis Viñas y Vinos Malvasía Aromática Naturalmente Dulce 2017
Galicia Fedellos do Couto Bastarda 2018 Gredos Soto y Manrique La Mira 2018
Jerez Bodegas San Francisco Javier Fino Viña Corrales Pago Balbaína NV
Jumilla Micrit Caliza Micrit 2018
Manchuela Ponce Red 2018
Navarra Viña Zorzal Wines Punto de Fuga Corral del Mate 2018
Rias Baixas Eulogio Pomares Castiñeiro Espadeiro 2018
Ribera del Duero Hacienda Solano Finca Peña Lobera 2016
Valencia Javi Revert Viticultor Simeta 2018
