Château Briefing | Episode 20: Spain's Overlooked Vines and the Future of Iberian Wine

In Episode 20 of Château Briefing — the fine wine and spirits podcast from Blanco & Gomez Wine Merchants on the King's Road, Chelsea — William and Sophia turn their attention to Spain, a country whose reputation still rests disproportionately on a small handful of famous names. Drawing on recent industry commentary, they explore the regions, grapes, and styles that experts believe deserve far greater international recognition — and one region in particular that may be on the verge of joining Spain's most elite investment-grade wines.

Galicia's whites — freshness with a sense of place

Galicia, in Spain's cool, Atlantic-facing northwest, produces white wines that stand apart from the richer, warmer-climate styles more commonly associated with Spanish wine internationally. The region's maritime influence, granite soils, and indigenous varieties give its whites a freshness and mineral precision that industry professionals increasingly cite as an example of Spain's genuine stylistic diversity — a counterpoint to the assumption that Spanish wine begins and ends with Rioja and full-bodied reds.

Bobal at altitude — La Manchuela's quiet reinvention

Bobal has long been treated as a workhorse grape, valued for its productivity rather than its potential for quality. That reputation is shifting. High-altitude plantings in La Manchuela, where cooler nights and greater diurnal temperature variation slow ripening and preserve acidity, are producing Bobal wines with a freshness and structure that bear little resemblance to the grape's bulk-wine past. Experts point to this as one of the clearest examples of a variety being fundamentally reassessed through better site selection.

Sherry, unfortified — and Xarel·lo's distinctive edge

Sherry's reputation has always centred on fortification, but unfortified styles made in the sherry-producing region are drawing increasing attention from professionals for their purity and expression of place, offering a very different entry point into a category many drinkers assume they already understand. Alongside this, Catalonia's Xarel·lo — traditionally known primarily as a base grape for Cava — is being recognised in its own right for a distinctive bitterness and textural grip that give still wines made from it real individuality.

Mencía and Navarran Garnacha — a more delicate red profile

For red wine drinkers accustomed to Spain's heavier classic styles, Mencía and Navarran Garnacha offer a markedly different proposition. Both varieties, grown with a focus on freshness and restraint rather than concentration, produce reds with more delicate fruit profiles, brighter acidity, and greater aromatic lift — wines that professionals argue better reflect the diversity of Spain's terroir than the richer, more extracted styles that have historically defined the country's international reputation.

Clarete's revival in fine dining

Perhaps the most unexpected thread in the discussion is the resurgence of clarete — a historic co-fermented rosé style, made by fermenting red and white grapes together rather than blending finished wines. Once a regional curiosity, clarete is gaining real traction in high-end culinary circles, where its combination of red-wine structure and rosé-like freshness is proving a genuinely versatile match for contemporary tasting menus.

Priorat's path to the top table

Looking ahead, experts point to Priorat as the Spanish region best positioned to join the ranks of the country's most elite, investment-grade wines. Its dramatic llicorella slate soils, low yields, and increasingly refined winemaking have already established a strong critical reputation; the view among industry professionals is that broader market recognition — and the pricing that comes with it — is now a matter of when, not if.

Listen & explore

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Blanco & Gomez has a particular passion for Spain's overlooked regions and traditional styles — from Galician whites to the emerging wines of Priorat. Browse our Spanish wine selection at bgwm.co.uk, or visit us at 410 King's Road, Chelsea, London.