‘Do Ferreiro Cepas Vellas 2006’, from Bodegas Gerardo Méndez was chosen this month by the editors of the prestigious online magazine, Wine Spectator, to form part of its ‘What we're drinking now’ section.

This relatively new section offers readers Wine Spectator’s senior editors’ comments about wines they actually drink in their leisure time, rated ‘non-blind’ by the experts with the simple aim of sharing their personal tastes in wine.

James Molesworth describes ‘Do Ferreiro Cepas Vellas 2006’ (DO Rías Baixas) as “a Spanish wine worth searching out”. According to Molesworth, its scarcity on the US market (400 cases) and the fact that it is an especially economic wine (around $39) should not be an obstacle if one is looking for a unique flavour profile: 200-year-old vines planted on granite soils facing the Atlantic ocean, offering “a mouth-filling richness, with notes of melon and citrus fruit, laser-like minerality, with mouth-watering brine and fleur de sel notes that ripple through the long, tangy finish”.

On another note, ‘Viña Zaco 2006’ (QDO Rioja), from Bodegas Bilbaínas, was recently recommended as ‘Wine of the Week’ in Wine Spectator’s e-newsletter, ‘Sips & Tips’, rated with 90 points. This 100 percent Tempranillo is described by Thomas Matthews (the US publication’s Spanish wine expert) as: “Black cherry and blackberry flavors are framed by smoky chocolate oak in this modern red, which is taut and focused, with firm tannins and bright acidity. Drink now through 2012. Tasted twice with consistent notes”.