This is Sainsbury’s version of a Spanish Sweet White and its only £2.99 a bottle is it another bargain or just more cheap plonk?
Where does it come from? Well Spain has impressed me with some recent gigantic leaps in wine quality especially its Rioja variety and its sparkling wine known as Cava, which is great for party celebrations and a lot cheaper than champagne.
Spain’s northwest has a cool coastal climate where regions like Galicia are creating some delicious fresh whites from a variety called Albarino. Inland Spain is where you find the vineyards producing Rioja and even here some well-made whites are starting to be developed, I can’t wait to try them all.
Central Spain is hot and here is where we find the La Mancha region, south of Madrid, which is a source of vast quantities of easy drinking reds and whites some are good others not so, but prices tend to be low and branded for sale via our supermarket versions. It is precisely this region where Sainsbury’s version of the Spanish Sweet White comes from.
What’s it like? Sainsbury's Spanish Sweet White is just as it says, sweet and they rate it 7 on their chart, which I agree with but personally I find it a little too sweet for my tastes. The alcohol content is stated as 10% which these days is not strong with full bodied ball busters coming out at 14-15% which means you can drink this wine, well maybe a bottle easily, without falling over too many times.
This is a blend of Spanish grapes similar to the types made locally to compliment the food of the La Mancha region. The wine is a rich sweet honeyed flavour and has quite a pleasant taste, no sharpness here.
I would drink this wine, maybe serve to outdoor guests in summer, but its not one for dinner parties where you are out to impress. This is not one to keep in your cellar for long indeed Sainsbury’s recommended the wine is consumed within 6 months of purchase. Spanish white wines are considered especially good with fish dishes, so how does this stack up with food?
What Food to Drink with it. I think it needs to be served chilled, but not too cold. Its ideal as a desert type wine due to the high sweetness and because of this I would serve it mainly with desserts, also with fruits or with a board full of mixed cheeses. Why not have a cheese and wine party, as this sweet white wine would go down well with the ladies.
Conclusion. This is a good wine, its nothing special or spectacular just good value for money plonk. It needs to be lightly chilled to bring out the grape taste.
This wine is pleasant to drink with no hard edges that you sometimes get with cheap wines; it is simply too sweet for me but I can see a lot of people liking it.
Well there are more Spanish wines than good old Rioja.
Thanks for reading.
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Feb 17th, 2003
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