We tasted: Beronia Rueda Verdejo, £8.99, Waitrose
Tasting Notes
Emma says:”I really wanted to find a 2017 vintage Verdejo this week because I have always seen this as a grape that needs to be youthful to show well.
After a lot of searching I found one from a respected producer, Beronia, that was 2016. I felt that was a good enough guarantee that it would be a decent example. Beronia is best known as a traditional Rioja producer, but they must be branching out into this neighbouring region of Reuda where this wine comes from.
Andy says: “I’m noticing a pattern in that I struggle to describe the whites. Reds seem easier, I guess they have more flavourful characteristics.
This one, again, I’m going to say tastes winey, but not as winey as others. That’s not very helpful as I still haven’t worked out what that winey taste is. It’s also limey sour, dry, and a bit oily. I preferred this one crisp and cold fresh from the fridge, it got more sour as it warmed up. I did at one point think I got a taste of almond, but that really is about as far as it goes with this one. ”
Buying Guide
Verdejo is a lesser known white grape from Spain. We will be seeking out one from the region Reuda where this grape has become increasingly popular in recent years.
I tried the same wine – Beronia Rueda Verdejo 2016. In appearance it was ‘medium straw’ (I’ve now adopted the Wine Folly colour chart too).
The nose was fresh, airy and quite restrained. I found it citric (lemon) with some fennel, a touch of grass, some minerality (stone and rubber) and a mild touch of floral blossom. To taste it was light and dry with a nice balance, although not particularly complex. I found that there weren’t any really strong or distinctive flavours. It was citrus driven with minerality and I didn’t really get much of the tropical fruit, perhaps a bit of pineapple in the background. That said, I am battling some late summer hay fever so might not have done it justice.
Overall it was nice, fresh, easy drinking, but didn’t stand out. Very drinkable and great as a summer thirst quencher. I enjoyed it – not a special wine, but great value at less that £7.
Wine -PÁRAMOS DE NICASIA WHITE, 2016, Verdejo Màquina y Tabla (Lea and Sandeman £14)
Bottle says – nothing
I’m a bit late with this one; I got a bit fed up of white and rosé during the heatwave, so I’ve been revisiting a few reds recently.
The wine is a lovely pale straw colour. On the nose, there is a freshness to the wine; mainly soft, peppery and herby, but with a slight mineral edge to it. The taste was quite muted, there was definitely fruit in there (pineapples, kumquats, lemon) but it seemed a little difficult to isolate flavours individually, there was a ‘stewed’ feeling to it. This actually sounds bad, but it really wasn’t!
I know this producer only makes organic wines, and all their wines that I have tried have this soft, rounded, generic, blended feel to them, but there is still something about the unconventional taste that keeps me going back. The wines are not formulaic, over processed or even consistent with each other, but I like that for a change.
Also, for what it’s worth, the labels are fantastic. This one has a picture of a dead man laying on a rock jutting from the sea, next to a skeleton, while a magpie pecks at his corpse. Jacob’s Creek it aint.
I’m not very knowledgeable about organic wines, but the slight cloudiness, the bits in it, the unfamiliar smells and tastes, in short, the general ‘oddness’ make this a wine I will buy again.