Vino variety: five of Spain’s lesser-known grapes and what to pair them with
- Spain has more than 400 grape varieties, many of which are indigenous. Here are a few to look out for
When it comes to Spanish grape varieties, many wine lovers know albariño and verdejo for whites, and the cava trio of xarel-lo, parellada and macabeo, and tempranillo and garnacha for reds. But the country grows more than 400 varieties, many of which are indigenous to Spain. Here are a few to look out for.
White grapes
Airén
The most widely planted white-wine grape in Spain, Airén is a workhorse, found mostly in the Valdepeñas and La Mancha regions where it is drunk as a table wine and used as a base for Spanish brandy. It is popular with growers as it has high yields, is low maintenance and is resistant to drought and disease.
Wines made solely from airén are surprisingly refreshing and pleasantly dry with crisp lemon, grapefruit and green apple flavours and a hint of rose petal on the nose. They are delicious with simple Cantonese dishes such as steamed broccoli with oyster sauce. In the Canary Islands, the grape is known as burra blanca, or “white donkey”.
Godello
From the Galician regions of Valdeorras, Bierzo and Monterrei, in northwest Spain, this is a rare grape that has great personality with crushed white gravel minerality and flavours of zesty citrus peel, pink grapefruit and puckery green plum and quince.
It is slightly salty on the palateand goes well with dishes containing fresh coriander, such as the classic Cantonese dish of steamed fish with ginger, spring onion and coriander.
