Rueda today
If asked to name a popular Spanish white wine, I would guess that many non-Spaniards would think first of Albariño, the signature wine of the Rías Baixas DO in the far north west of the country, but Rueda, the DO near Valladolid south west of Ribera del Duero (see map), pictured here by Mick Rock, is busy trying to establish itself as a serious rival. Its zesty whites are based on the local Verdejo grape together with Sauvignon Blanc and occasionally the Viura (Maccabeo) of Rioja.
Richard Hemming went along to a presentation of the following 20 wines in...