Vina Esmeralda - A fruity Spanish White

I will freely admit, right now that I know nothing about wine but it is something I would love to learn more about. So, these wine posts are going to be a bit about me teaching myself something new, with the help of the internet and my Oz Clarke book and hopefully suggesting some wines that you fancy trying yourselves.

So, on with the show.

Image from http://www.torres.es 

Vital Statistics
Name: Esmeralda
Winemaker: Torres
Country of Origin: Spain
Grape: Gewurtzraminer, Moscatel
Available at: Majestic, Waitrose, Tesco
Price: £8.50 (at Tesco)
Sweetness: 3/10

Esmeralda is, to me, summer in a glass! It hails from the Catalunya region of Spain, an area with a wide variety of climates in a small geographic area allowing vinyards to grow a range of grapes. It's a mix of the meaty Moscatel grape and the fragrant Gewurtzraminer which gives the wine heavy overtones of vanilla and the distinct flavour of apricots.

This was enough to put off my husband, who loves a crisp dry white but isn't so keen on the deep fruity flavours that this wine has to offer, but didn't deter the rest of our party who shared a bottle over a bright, sunny, Sunday lunch.

Torres suggest that this wine pairs well with seafood cocktails, fish and pates and so it went with most of the range of tapas that we enjoyed it with. However, it was also extremely pleasant to drink on its own before our food arrived. However, its unusual fruity flavours were, unsurprisingly, lost among some of the heavier flavours such as the chorizo.

Given my husband's dislike - this is unlikely to become a staple wine in our house. While I enjoyed the different taste this wine had to offer, I still prefer the crisp, clean dryness of Torres' Vina Sol. Despite this, on a sunny day this wine is summer in a glass and I'm sure I'll enjoy another glass or two before the season is out!