It's also a mainstay of Ribera del Duero, home of some of my favourite wines. As such, I was keen to try the newly stocked Ribera del Duero wine from local merchant and wine curator, Jo of Perfect Friday Wine.
At £11.50 per bottle and delivered locally, it had high expectations, given the region produces some of my favourite wines. If you're not in Jo's delivery catchment area, you can buy it for £11.99 from Forest Wines in East London, and other stockists around the city.
Jo writes in her introductory blog, "It’s super tangy and alive with blackberries a dash of cocoa and really well integrated tannin and acidity. I love it."
Bright fruit flavours are at the fore, with some hefty tannin that is smoothed out by the juicy acidity.
The winemaker's website describes it as "Aged a minimum of 6 months
in old French or American oak casks. Our traditional wine. Milú seeks to bring back the tastes of past years in a fresh and frisky sip of wine. A wine for everyday and for everyone..."
Is it worth it? Given the trend for "natural wine", this is a great find. A naturally and sustainably produced wine which packs a punch, in a world where many "natural wines" have tended to taste a little funky. My personal preference is for my Tempranillo based wines to have at least 12 months oak to smooth them out more, and impart some different spicy notes. I know that many of my readers don't like wine that tastes of trees, though, and this one will satisfy you alongside September barbecues, perhaps even slightly chilled, and well into the winter along with robust stews and casseroles.
My Purple Teeth have been kept clean by the summer whites, but after this, they are well and truly purple again!
Cheers!