Rueda wakening

Castile-León is the largest of the 17 autonomous regions of Spain, covering about one-fifth of the country, sprawling across the northern part of Spain's central plateau. It's thinly populated and almost entirely encircled by mountains, with a harsh climate - short, hot summers and long, cold winters. Does this sound like prime wine country? Probably not - if it weren't for the River Duero. Known as the Douro in Portugal, it cuts a broad sweep through the eerily beautiful plain, providing a natural water source.

There are five Denominación de Origens (DO) wine regions in Castile-León. The largest is Ribera del Duero, known for its breathtaking reds made from Tempranillo. Further downstream, there is Rueda making waves with its whites, made largely from star grape Verdejo, with Sauvignon Blanc the rising star. Then there's Cigales, carving out a name for itself with its ros‚s and reds; Toro, near the Portuguese border, fast upgrading its chewy reds; and finally Bierzo, abutting Galicia, with its light, fragrant reds.

The whites of Castile-León have always been a favourite of the high street - easy drinking, if rather characterless. But things have changed in the past few years. More care is being taken in the vineyard and the winery, and the resulting wines are now, finally, something to write home about. There's more fruit character and zesty acidity - in short, it's potential restaurant wine list territory. As another plus, prices are still very reasonable, and supplies are consistent.

The winesCaterer asked suppliers to submit Spanish whites from Castile-León. What we got were wines solely from Rueda - 14 in all, every one of them suitable for sale in the on-trade.

Verdejo is the business here - not to be confused with Verdelho, the Portuguese variety that soldiers on in Madeira and shows off in Australia. Once Rueda's winemakers discovered cold fermentation and skin contact, they discovered characteristics in Verdejo they had never thought possible. It has straw-yellow, dense fruit, sometimes spicy, sometimes delicately herby, and mostly fresh - when it's harvested at the right moment and rushed to the press. And it has an attractive bitter finish that sets it apart from other Spanish whites.

Rueda's Sauvignon Blanc, too, is consistently wowing the critics, and is setting itself up as a serious contender to those from the New World.

We tasted the Verdejo first, followed by the Verdejo blends, then the Sauvignon Blanc, with an oaked Verdejo to finish. Prices have crept up in recent years - in line with quality - though most were around the very reasonable £50-per-case mark, with only one hitting three figures. All the wines were tasted blind.

The panel
What better place to taste Spanish wines than in a Spanish restaurant? Newcomer Cigala, in London's Lamb's Conduit Street, provided the venue, with chef-proprietor and wine lover Jake Hodges replacing his whites with a suit (albeit also white) to join the party, while Caterer wine correspondent Fiona Sims played master of ceremonies. We were joined by Morfudd Richards ("M" to her mates), proprietor and wine buyer of Lola's restaurant in London's Islington; David Moore, proprietor and wine buyer of one-Michelin-starred Pied à Terre in London's Charlotte Street; and River Café wine buyer and consultant Ossie Gray.

The verdict
For a change, all our tasters were in agreement, deciding that this particular region of Spain is turning out some pretty decent stuff.

"I liked most of them as a style," said Gray. "They had a lovely salty tanginess without too much acidity, and most would make nice ap‚ritif wines. OK, nothing really leapt out, but they were all individuals and all - except one - are relatively inexpensive. If you had done this tasting five years ago, the quality would be significantly lower. In fact, I know it was, because I looked at these wines for the list when I opened Moro."

Moore agreed. "They are all very drinkable," he said. "There was a general quaffability to them. There's a lot that suit a lighter lunch, or even a preprandial drink with friends." Moore revealed that he already lists the Jose Pariente Verdejo - one of the two three-star wines in the tasting - selling it by the glass as a "lunch apéritif", as which it has been going down well. His favourite wine of the tasting, though, was the Belontrade y Lurton Verdejo. "It's a bit international," he said, "but it got my highest mark."

Cigala gets through a fair amount of Spanish white. Hodges's top mark (a generous 18 out of 20) went to Moore's favourite, the Belontrade y Lurton Verdejo. He used to list it at Cigala, but it wouldn't sell. "People are happy to spend money on expensive Spanish reds, but not expensive Spanish whites," he explained. "Otherwise, there was plenty there I would be quite happy to drink, though I would say that there are a few other areas in Spain I would look at first before Rueda." Hodges particularly loved the fragrant Albarinos of Spain's verdant north-west, and Basque wines made from indigenous varieties, as well as white Rioja.

Richards voiced the only note of dissent. "Most wouldn't have made my own personal list," she said. "I find Spanish whites quite difficult. Some of those that were perfectly acceptable were only so because they were international in style - but I wouldn't choose them for just that reason. I want Spanish wines that are indigenous in style and grape variety."

There was a late entry - Villa Narcissa Verdejo 2001 from Bodegas UK (020 7627 1417), at £54 per 12-bottle case - which skidded in as the paella came out. It got the thumbs-up from three of the panel for its "attractive limey fruit" but its searing acidity raised an eyebrow with Gray.

Spanish whites tasting - the results

Prices are for a case of 12 DPD excluding VAT.

* RecommendedVery good* Best quality around

*

Jose Pariente Dos Victorias Verdejo 2001
£58.80, Georges Barbier, 020 8852 5801

*

Belontrade y Lurton Verdejo 1999
£128, Richards Walford, 01780 460451

Cuevas de Castilla Con Class Exceptional Verdejo blend 2001 £47.75, Moreno Wine Importers, 020 8960 7161

Cuevas de Castilla Con Class Sauvignon Blanc 2001 £58.45, Moreno Wine Importers, 020 8960 7161

Marques de Riscal Sauvignon Blanc 2000 £70.22, Laurent Perrier, 01628 475404

Mantel Blanco Sauvignon Blanc - Verdejo 2001
£44.96, Freixenet, 01344 758500

*

Castello de Medina Sauvignon Blanc 2001
£51, Albion Wine Suppliers, 020 7242 0873

*

Marques de Riscal Verdejo - Viura 2000
£61.22, Laurent Perrier, 01628 475404

*

Bodegas Aura Verdejo 2001
£50, Meridian Wines, 0161-908 1370

*

Garcia Revalo Tres Olmos Verdejo 2001
£51, Berry Bros & Rudd, 020 7396 9600

*

Castello de Medina Verdejo 2001
£48, Albion Wine Suppliers, 020 7242 0873

Also tasted:
Palacio de Bornos Verdejo 2001
Bodegas Otero Vi¤a Alegre Malvasia - Verdejo 2001