Even though summer is drawing to an end, you can still bring a little bit of Spain to your wine nights with friends. Known for their exquisite quality and wide variety of flavours, there are many different types of Spanish wines to choose from; red Rioja tempranillos and white garnachas and albariños, to name a few. And not forgetting the legendary sparkling Cavas!
Whether you're picking a bottle to match with tapas or paella or you're looking to try something new, it helps to be confident in what you're looking for. So we're here to boost your taste to connoisseur level with the best selection of Spanish wines from Tesco, Asda, and Waitrose, including budget options under £10 and even under £5.
Quick List - Top Spanish Wines
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To help you pick only the finest of Spanish wine on the market, take a peek at this handy buying guide. We'll explain all the do's and don't's when it comes to buying a good bottle of Spanish wine.
If you're one to be startled at the range of choice on the wine menu, you're not alone. We're here to walk you through the ins and outs, or in this case, the reds and whites. Understand what can make a full-bodied red wine so delicious, and what foods you should pair with your crisp bottle of white.
Red wine is a beautiful choice for pairing with a meaty dinner or charcuterie board. The most common Spanish red wines are from the Rioja region, and are notoriously rich in taste. Rioja wines are commonly made with tempranillo or garnacha grapes and have a robust, round texture, bursting with intense flavours.
Red wine is made from the entire grape; skin, seeds, and flesh. Crushing and fermenting the grapes whole gives the red wine its famous bitter taste, making it ideal for savoury pairings. Because of these subtle-yet-strong aromas, it's often appreciated most with a table full of tapas to share with family and friends.
In addition, you can add a deep red wine to a jug with some ice and chopped fruit for a typical Spanish sangría or maybe add some lemonade to make a tinto de verano!
White wines, in contrast to red, are made with just the sweet fleshy middle of the grape, creating a mild citrus flavour. In Spain, parellada and albariño are the most popular grape choices for a crisp white wine, as well as white Riojas which have a higher acidity and dryness.
Albariño grapes are grown in Galicia and have a distinctive botanical aroma with a slight note of citrus. In comparison to parellada grapes, these are much sweeter so they're best paired with seafood.
White wine fits right in with Mediterranean cuisine – picture yourself sat by the sea, tucking into a platter of fresh fish, holding a glass of cold, crisp white wine. In fact, albariño is known to be a delicious companion to mussels, clams, and sushi should you want to experiment with other dishes.
Catalonian parellada grapes are also often used for sparkling Cava as their unique freshness and acidity pair perfectly with popping bubbles. In fact, over 95% of Cava is produced in the Penedès area of Catalonia.
Cava is often enjoyed as an aperitif in Spain, however, if you're feeling a little peckish, you could try sampling Cava with a salty dish like Spanish fried aubergine or some patatas bravas to really bring out the taste of the semi-sweet grapes.
If you appreciate the anticipation of peeling back the foil, using the corkscrew and slowly popping the bottle of wine open, you should look at the natural cork options on our list. Natural cork has been a trusty method of sealing in a wine's flavours and aromas since the 18th century.
On the other hand, you could choose a screw top for convenience. However, remember that cork lets in a tiny amount of air, which is better for oxidising a deep red wine to create a smoother texture and to intensify its flavours.
Screw tops are a good choice for white wine, as sealing them shut allows the wine to stay crisp and preserves it without manipulating the flavours. Also, a screw top allows you to keep wine fresher for longer than you could with a corked bottle.
Alcohol units help you to keep track of how much you're consuming so that you can drink responsibly while still enjoying a quality glass of wine or two.
In the average UK bottle, there are around 10 units, and shared by you and your friends, this is an appropriate amount for a small gathering (perhaps when you host a Spanish-themed dinner!).
To breakdown the meaning of a unit, one unit is as much as 10 ml or 8 g of pure alcohol, which is what the average adult can process in an hour. Of course, drinking a whole bottle to yourself wouldn't be the smartest decision, so to help you estimate how much alcohol is in each glass you can use these measurements.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Faustino Rioja Gran Reserva | ![]() | The Ultimate Red Wine - the Gran Reserva | |
2 | Campo Viejo Rioja Tempranillo | ![]() | A High-Quality Everyday Bottle of Red | |
3 | Waitrose Vina Taboexa Albariño | ![]() | A Fruity Companion to a Fish Dinner | |
4 | Vilarnau Brut Reserva Cava | ![]() | Some Celebratory Cava for Friday Nights | |
5 | Pulpito Toro Tempranillo | ![]() | A Wine Rich in Tastes and Culture | |
6 | Paco & Lola Paco Tempranillo Wine | ![]() | A Deep and Fruity Warm Red Wine | |
7 | Lagar de Cervera Albariño La Rioja Alta | ![]() | A Fruity, Punchy White Wine | |
8 | Campaneo Old Vines Garnacha | ![]() | For the Cosier Seasons of the Year | |
9 | Tesco Rioja Blanco | ![]() | A Light and Floral Wine for Late Lunches | |
10 | Waitrose Aromatic Citrus Spanish White Wine | ![]() | Simple, Sweet, and Citrusy |
This is by far the best wine on our list! A Gran Reserva, it's aged in the barrel for at least twenty-six months and refined in the bottle for eight years. This helps to enrich the flavours and blends, creating a journey of deep cherry which soon twists into sweet notes of vanilla, spice, and ripe fruit.
This Spanish wine is a tasting experience that you simply cannot miss. Not to mention that, while it can be drunk now, you'll be amazed at how the tastes can continue to intensify for up to ten years.
Another popular choice in Spain, this bottle of Rioja has a natural cork closure to give it a traditional feel. It's a light and fruity red wine that fits perfectly with pasta and poultry, and would also be the ideal companion to a cheeseboard.
After four months in an American oak cask, you can enjoy the sweet notes of vanilla with a subtle taste of cherries and strawberries, too. This award-winning Rioja by Campo Viejo is the perfect introduction to Spanish red wine,
This albariño wine is perfumed and floral while bringing a fresh, zingy hit to the palate. To go into detail, you'll taste apples, juicy spring fruits, and a touch of lemon blossom. If you're having salmon, sushi, or salad, this crisp white wine is what you need.
While sourced from Spain, this is a Waitrose own-brand bottle and it's relatively low in alcohol units, so there's no need to worry about a rich content ruining your evening.
This is a Cava that you may well see on your trip to Spain. It's crisp, light, and it's one of Spain's most popular drinks, sipped on the brink of New Year's Eve and sprayed in the air at celebrations. Not to mention that it's made with semi-sweet parellada grapes so you'll get the full fruity experience of traditional Spanish bubbles.
With notes of crisp apple and pear blended with its irresistible and light bubbles, you could also enjoy this Cava on a cool autumn evening or as a pre-dinner aperitif.
The Toro region produces tempranillo grapes with aromas of red berries and liquorice. This fruity red wine tastes like plum and cherry with sweet and spicy notes to catch you by surprise. It's a bottle that is perfectly-balanced, full-bodied and big on flavour.
You may like to pair it with red meat, a stew, or an aged cheese platter. It's also interesting to understand the history behind this wine; the grapes were hand-picked from 20 to 40-year-old vines and the winery was established in 1952.
Fancy switching it up? This winery is a lot more modern than the traditional bodegas in Spain. Along with the vibrant packaging, this bottle has much more to offer. Inside is a juicy red wine with fruity redcurrant, cherry, and blackberry notes, complimented by violet and lilac aromas.
It suits a warm palate and makes the perfect companion to any winter dinner, especially because of the balsamic undertones you taste when you air out the wine.
Even though this is a white wine, it actually has bright straw-yellow hues, setting it aside to others on the list. It's citrusy on the nose and is accompanied by fruity flavours like apricot, apple, and pear. Experts have said that it holds an impressive structure upon entering the mouth, with a punch of texture and taste.
To get the most out of this wine, try it with white fish and rice, or perhaps a green vegetable or shrimp salad. It's a little pricey in comparison to other white wines on our list, but as a Friday night treat, it's more than worth it.
Smooth, rich, and full-bodied are just a few ways to describe this beautiful red wine. Originating from Aragon, the garnacha grapes are harvested in the last week of September to then be fermented and transformed into a fruity winter wine.
With notes of spicy dark plum and cherry aromas, you can enjoy this tipple with steak or hearty dishes, or even warm it up as a hot mulled wine. It hasn't had many ratings on Tesco website, but the ones that it has received so far are all 5-star!
This white wine from La Rioja has soft botanical aromas with a touch of tropical fruit. It's recommended that you pair this with some salmon or a light chicken dish to get the most out of the flavours. It's a screw top bottle with just 9.4 units of alcohol per 75 cl so it's a reliable option for a lunchtime treat.
Again, though this is an affordable own-brand supermarket option, it isn't clear which grapes are used – although it is a blend of grapes from the Rioja area which is a promising combination for a dry white.
This wine is light and fruity with a subtle hint of zingy citrus. It's a refreshing wine, best for warm summer evenings and paired with a meaty piece of white fish or chicken. With 68 online reviews putting this at 4.5 stars, it's clearly a winner in the taste department.
While we're not sure which grapes are used, nor the region it came from, we think that this is an affordable Spanish white wine that you might like to try.
So, you've decided on the bottle of Spanish wine to purchase. But are you still wondering how to pour it without it spilling everywhere? Check out this video by the Wine Training School!
To summarise a few of the points, they firstly recommend pouring with confidence; just go for it! Holding the bottle at the bottom, pour as much wine as you want into the glass, and then stop pouring by twisting the bottle quickly while lifting slightly. Wipe any drips with a napkin, and voila!
Looking to level up your Spanish dinner party skills? From the best regional cookbooks to top-quality olive oils for drizzling over your ensaladas, we've got plenty more recommendations to help you do just that!
Hopefully, you have a good idea of the bottle of wine you're going to buy, or maybe you're planning on buying a couple to try! Whether you chose red or white, you're sure to enjoy the experience of the unique flavours of various Spanish grapes and varieties.
Author: Annie Speight
No. 1: Faustino|Rioja Gran Reserva
No. 2: Campo Viejo |Rioja Tempranillo
No. 3: Waitrose|Vina Taboexa Albariño
No. 4: Vilarnau|Brut Reserva Cava
No. 5: Pulpito Toro |Tempranillo
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