Fresquito Vino Nuevo de Tinaja

If you want proof of how adventurous a wine retailer Marks & Spencer has become you only have to try this unusual Spanish white made from Pedro Ximenez, which is more usually used to make a sweet syrupy style of sherry.

This is altogether a different animal - pretty well bone dry and nutty with a touch of fino sherry about it it though it actually comes not from Jerez but the neighbouring denomination of Montilla-Moriles. The word Tinaja refers to the traditional earthenware jars in which the wine is aged (also pictured on the label) which accounts for the slightly oxidative - for which read deliciously nutty/almondy - style

Although I personally love it I’m aware it won’t be to everyone’s taste* but it would be a great wine to drink with tapas - as they also point out on the label - especially jamon iberico and (I reckon) olives and anchovies. Normaly £9 a bottle, it’s currently on promotion at £7 which is a steal.

* if you like fresher, fruitier whites like sauvignon blanc, for example

Vidonia Suertes del Marques 2013, Valle de la Orotava Tenerife

Some of the most exciting wines in Europe right now are coming out of Spain as this glorious white from Suertes del Marques in Tenerife proves.

I came across it by the glass in Lyle’s in Shoreditch last week. It’s really fruity but in a delicate way, lush without being blowsy and just a lovely partner for food, particularly the plate of calçots, Burford Brown egg and buckwheat with which it was recommended.

Apparently it’s based on old vine Listan Blanco (better known as Palomino Fino according to Jancis Robinson et al’s Wine Grapes) grown on volcanic soils between 350 and 500 metres above sea level. The wine is aged for 10 months in 500 litre casks. Given the soil it’s not entirely surprising that it reminded me of Assyrtiko but has a white Bordeaux-style elegance this Greek wine lacks.

If you, like me, want to get your hands on some it’s imported by Indigo Wine but you can buy it over the counter for £22.70 a bottle from Theatre of Wine in Greenwich and Tufnell Park and for £21 online from Vintrepid (enter launch15 at checkout for 15% off.) Save some for me!

Audacia Godello 2012, Les Trois Amis, Valdeorras

I don’t often get the chance to taste wines from the northern supermarket chain Booth’s but fell hook, line and sinker for this gorgeous Spanish white they served at their pre-Christmas lunch this week.

It’s a Godello from the Valdeorros region of north-western Spain made by three winemaker friends* (hence Les Trois Amis) and is a glorious citrus-burst of wine though softer, richer and less aggressive than many sauvignon blancs.

It was a brilliant match with a ‘shrimp crumpet’ (a crumpet topped with buttery Morecombe Bay shrimps, a poached egg and hollandaise) but would be great with pretty well anything fishy, especially prawns.

The particularly good news is that although it’s normally £15.49** Booth’s has a 3 for the price of 2 offer on wines over £10 currently so you could get it for £10.33 plus another 5% off it you buy six bottles of wine in total. The offer applies in store only until October 7th so lucky you if you have a Booth’s near you!

* Dominique Roujou de Boubée, Laura Montero and Franck Massard

** Berry Brothers match this price if you buy a case of 12 but charge £17.19 for a single bottle.

Gaintza Txakoli 2013

If you dread pronouncing wine names and steer away from flute shaped bottles you may want to give this wine a wide berth if you see it on the shelf but put your prejudices aside - it’s well worth a try.

In fact it’s not sweet but bone dry, a racy blend of Hondarrabi Zuri, Hondarrabi Beltza and Gros Manseng (no, that doesn’t make it much easier does it?) that’s produced in a wine region called Getariako Txakolina just inland from the Bay of Biscay. (The name is Basque*)

It’s virtues are that it’s only 11% and tastes like a squeeze of fresh lemon juice which makes it brilliant with shellfish, obviously, but also more surprisingly with the powerful, punchy flavours of Ottolenghi’s food with which I was trying it yesterday, especially a dish of quinoa cakes with Salbitxada, a Catalan roast pepper, tomato, garlic and almond sauce. Like Portugal's Vinho Verde it also has a slight spritz.

You can buy it (oddly) on Amazon for £33.21 a case of 3 (£11.07 a bottle) or from independent merchants such as Corks of Cotham in Bristol for £11.99. Marks & Spencer also has one, the Alais Txakoli, for £11.99

Read more about the region and the producer on importer Liberty Wines website.

(Pronounce it Chuckle-lee*)