Anciano Clasico Tempranillo

Nowhere on the planet does value for money reds quite like Spain. If you know what you’re looking for. NZ Master of Wine Steve Bennett regularly travels through Europe sniffing, swirling and spitting his way through thousands of wines to find incredible value for money wines.

If you’ve been a regular drinker of Spanish reds over the years you might’ve come across the Anciano name.They’ve built a reputation for serious bang for buck reds and this latest release is another beauty – the Anciano Clasico Tempranillo!

Spanish winemaker Jorge Caus Pertegaz works alongside (another) Master of Wine Norrel Robertson and has produced this super value, flavour packed red from a part of Valencia called Terres dels Alforins, also nicknamed “Valencian Tuscany”. This is a little part of the wine world that’s been tended to since Roman times!

Using beautifully ripe Tempranillo fruit from high altitude vineyards 800m above sea level – there’s about 15% Monastrell added to the wine to add flavour and structure. It’s given a short amount of time in French and American oak to add a touch of complexity. The result is a seriously delicious, silky smooth Spanish red that would blow away any Kiwi or Aussie red for the same price.

The debut release of this label has certainly got the thumbs up from two local critics, including (yet another) Master of Wine Bob Campbell scored it 88/100 and said “Bright, fresh and fruity red…A good all-round red that offers terrific value at this price ($17)”

The Wine Orbit’s Sam Kim gave it 90/100 and called it “A beautifully styled tempranillo offering sweet fruit notes with spicy nuances.”

Not only does the wine taste the part it looks the part with its traditional gold wire wrap packaging! Enjoy this one with red meats like lamb, casseroles, sausages and other grilled red meat, a hearty vegetarian feed or a nice wedge of mature cheese.