Marques del Riscal 2004, from Spain

THIS Spanish wine has a lemon colour with a bouquet which is quite scented and floral. It has a pleasant taste of tropical fruit. At 13-and-a-half per cent, it's a full-bodied wine with crisp acidity and no sign of oak, although there is an underlying nuttiness. It should go well with roast poultry.

The wine came from Rueda, a region north west of Madrid which received its DO (Denominacion D'Origin) in 1972 and has been making wine since the 17th century. This is a white wine only area but sparkling wine is also made. The terrain is mostly between 600 and 780 metres above sea level. Altogether, the region now produces 3.75 million bottles a year.

The class grape variety in Rueda is the verdejo - with 3,400 ha devoted to it, at least 25 per cent of all blends must consist of it. Marques del Riscal is the most important company in Rueda. They own a lot of property in Rioja as well.

They are well known for their innovative wine making and have produced an interesting wine here from a grape variety that we don't see a lot of in the UK.

It's worth a try, available in Sainsbury's at £5.99.

31/01/06