Wines that don't Costa lot

Spain has more than its fair share of good, easy-drinking wines that do not cost a fortune

MY TASTE IN wine can be very plebeian at times. Despite the expensive bottles that appear on these pages, I am often happiest with a glass of rich, rounded red. At trade tastings, I regularly prefer the less expensive wines within a particular producer’s range. Too often the premium wines are over-oaked, over-extracted and over-alcoholic. More of everything does not necessarily mean better. It may be no coincidence that this most frequently happens in regions without a long tradition of making fine wines. It takes time to develop the necessary knowledge to produce the very finest wines, often several decades. Even then, many are not worth the money. But at the lower end, if the winemaker knows his or her stuff, you will find really good wines with an easy purity of fruit.

My own tastes in cheap wine tend to be European, but not exclusively so. By cheap I don’t mean €6.99, where it is difficult to find much that will give pleasure; but at about €10, there are plenty of well-made wines that show a bit of individual character and provide far greater pleasure. At a recent trade tasting of Spanish wines, I stuck mainly to the less expensive wines, and ignored most of the well-known regions, where prices tend to be higher. Up until recently, Spain was one of my main culprits of the turbo-driven style of wine, but at the top end there seemed to be more restraint and elegance on show. There were also some really interesting wines in the €15-€20 bracket. But most importantly, I came across plenty of very good, easy-drinking wines that will not cost a fortune.

The best inexpensive Spanish reds are filled with juicy, rounded fruit, and are free of tannins. As the country generally gets plenty of sun, ripeness is rarely a problem; alcohol can sometimes be a little too high, but most of the wines below are medium-bodied rather than hearty. A few producers insist on using cheap oak (or oak chips), which can mask the lovely fruit, but by and large the lower end is thankfully oak-free. The grape varieties are indigenous. Tempranillo is the greatest Spanish grape variety, responsible for virtually all of the top wines of Spain, whether from Rioja, Ribera del Duero or Catalunya. But used in less exalted wines, it can be very attractive, with fragrant raspberry aromas, light fresh summer fruits on the palate, and, because this is Spain, a very seductive sweetness of fruit, too. A light touch of oak will add an extra spicy dimension and round it out further, provided it is not overdone.

Garnacha is Spain’s most widely planted red grape, and is also very popular over the border in France. At the upper end, in Catalunya in particular, it is responsible for some whopping big-structured wines. But the cheap versions can be amazing value for money; lovely rich strawberry-scented reds with a spicy touch and buckets of juicy fruit.

Look at areas such as Carineña, Campo de Borja, Navarra, La Mancha, Valdepeñas and Calatayud for the best value. Keep an eye out, too, for other uniquely Spanish varieties, such as Mencía, Bobal, Cariñena and Monastrell, all of which can produce great value red wines.

I am aware that readers who live outside the capital find it frustrating when I feature wines that are only available in a select few outlets in Dublin. However, I feel I have to choose a wine on its merits, and frequently only discover the stockists at the very last minute.

This week, all of the wines have good regional distribution, and, with one exception, they all cost less than €12. Hopefully they will provide a few interesting options for the coming autumn months.