Offbeat Spain: Great Monastrell

See our Guide to Luis' tour of offbeat Spain.

Monastrell is a native red Spanish variety, found mainly around the Mediterranean coast, as it originates in Alicante. From there it travelled to France where it got the name Mourvèdre, famous in Bandol and southern Rhône, and also gained a much better reputation than in Spain. It's also known as Murviedro, which is the name of an ancient city in the province of Valencia in Spain, and Mataró, the name used in the US and Australia, which is in fact the name of another town in the province of Barcelona.

It...