Welcome to a new series on our podcast. As well as the usual wine region, weird grape and informative episodes, we are launching a new genre that is for certain price points what should you, and can you get, to prime your perfect Spanish wine cellar! This week, a tricky 100€. Neither Roque or Luke know the other's choice: fireworks ensue. 

Sorry for the delay! It's been a few weeks! Luke had horrendous allergies for over a week followed by some biblical food poisoning. But now the boys are back, and with a truly tiny far-flung VT region from Aragón: Ribera del Jiloca. To talk about the area, and all things Aragonés, they have two different bottles of red from Bodega Santo Tomás de Aquino. Cheers!

And now for something completely different... Orange Wine is very much in fashion these days in the wine world. But most people would never think of Spain as a bastion of this kookier style of vino. Today the boys sample an orange wine from Bodega de las Estrellas; talk about what's going on, why it's going on, and whether they are Fire, Earth, Wind or Water types... Intriguing right?

We have to hand it to Roque and Luke; their sleuthing abilities are second to none. They've managed to locate another Vino de Pago - Dehesa del Carrizal - hiding out in the depths of the Toledo hills. They have a range of wines, but the boys have selected one of their favourite, and most-underrated of the big grapes, Petit Verdot. So enjoy!

Another week, another pod, another weird grape. Weird by certain standard anyway. There is a grape in La Rioja that 'some' people know, but maybe don't really know. A native of Rioja that was often hiding away in blends but more and more is being used to make fascinating and uniquely perfumed mono variety reds. Graciano! To talk about this grape the boys are lucky enough to sample a fancy bottle of Termón!

Time for something completely different. This week Roque and Luke want to focus less on a particular region and/or grape and instead talk both generally, scientifically, culturally, nationally and gastronomically about the idea of food and wine pairing. But with a Spanish bent. To aid them they tuck into various Galician conservas from Delgado Selecciones and pair them with a top Dominio O Secreto Albariño by Ruiz Clavijo. 

Another week and another exciting discovery. This time Roque and Luke enjoy a bottle of barrel-fermented Albariño, but not from the usual area. It's Galicia, but not as we know it. A tiny little Vino de la Tierra hiding in the northern fjords. The wine is Komokabras from Adega Entre Os Rios. 

Well, well, well, what's all this then? That's right, Roque and Luke discovered another one of Spain's 'top of the pyramid' hard-to-find Vino de Pago wines. This week it's the turn of Pago de los Balagueses, located in the interior of the Valencia region. They have a range of smashing wines and this week they're trying the delicious Garnacha Tintorera.

This week Roque and Luke take a light-hearted deep dive into the life of a vine. It's very common now to find wines with expressions like 'Old Vine' and 'Pie Franco' on the label. But what does this mean for the wine? We also talk more generally about the life of our favourite plant: the Vine. To enjoy this theme the boys enjoy a bottle of Octogenarius from more than 80-yr Rioja vines. 

This week the chaps want to step away from focussing on one particular grape or DO wine region for a moment and instead hone in on a theme that has been interesting them a lot recently: the idea of blended (multi-grape) wines 'vs' the single variety wine. To talk more about this Roque and Luke were lucky enough to receive a rather fancy bottle of El Grillo from Bodegas El Grillo y La Luna in DO Somontano!

This week Roque and Luke want to focus on the concept of the Atlantic Red, a style of wine that is becoming really popular in Spain. What is an Atlantic wine? What makes it so? Are there Atlantic wines that have nothing to do with the ocean itself? To talk more about this topic they drink a bottle of Golpe a Golpe Tinto from the Galician coast. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! And to celebrate? How about the fanciest wine yet tried on the podcast? Fondillón, a mythical and historically legendary, but sadly forgotten and very rare style of alcoholic sweet red from Alicante and beloved by kings. This wine has more in common with Port than normal table wine. So, to toast 2021 in style Roque and Luke grab a bottle of Laudum Gran Reserva from 1988! Enjoy! 

So we come to the end of this most terrible year. 2020 has been a truly rubbish one. With a bottle of Avelino Vargas Aureo in their hands Luke and Roque toast the end of the year; chatting about how 2020 has affected the wine industry and their shop, how things have evolved and their favourite wine discoveries! See you in 2021!

It's nearing the end of the year so before Christmas arrives, Roque and Luke decided they fancied something sweet to get in the mood! The world of sweet wines is vast, so instead of talking in general terms they thought they would start with Late Harvest wines - and the evolved styles that can be attained from playing around with the simple fact of 'when you pick your grapes'. To aid in this endeavour they drink, far too quickly, an astonishing Basque sweet wine called Astobiza!

Another week another region; well, sort of. With every passing week it is getting more difficult for Roque and Luke to find 'new' regions in the country - as they've drunk most of them already. But we mustn't forget the Vinos de Pago - singular estate DO regions. This week's star is the sexy Senda de Leñadores from Aragon's Pago Aylés. Enjoy!

It's that time of the year again. November arrives and the youngest wines in the wine world flood the market. Vins de primeur, nouveau wines, vinos jóvenes. These super young wines have their fame mostly thanks to Beaujolais in France. But Spain has their own version: Primero. To talk about these styles of wine, and the process by which they are made - carbonic maceration - a bottle of Primero squares off against Beaujolais Nouveau from Louis Jadot.  

Another week, another wine, another weird grape. This week Roque and Luke have a look at Verdil; an almost-extinct varietal and very hard to find, from Valencia. They sample a crisp, cold bottle of Los Arraez Verdil from Bodegas Arraez!

Now when thoughts turn to the idea of non-vintage wines - if they do indeed turn at all - the most 'common' wine that presents itself is Champagne. There are others of course. But, what about red and white wines? Well, to sample something brand new and rather kooky, Roque and Luke head, somewhat unexpectedly, to traditional Rioja and try Bodega Tobia's new non-vintage still wines.

This week was SHERRY WEEK all across the world so in order to look more deeply into this most delicious and Spanish of wines - and also Luke's favourite wine it the world - Roque thought it would be fun to set up a blind tasting of different styles as a way of explaining how each is made. Will Luke guess the wines? Find out here!

This week Roque and Luke are starting a new sub-series to the podcast. In Spain there are hundreds of grapes, and many of them are completely unknown outside of the tiny remote areas where they are made. In this new series, published every few weeks or so, they will take a look at the weirder and more wonderful grapes of Spain. The grapes you'll never see in any of the shops. This will also give them a chance to look at the regions they are from in greater depth.  First up, the mysterious Castellana Negra from Tenerife. 

The wine world - like many - is a traditionally a very male-dominated industry; and perhaps even more so in Old World Spain. This week, the day after the International Day of Rural Women, Roque and Luke want to toast those women working in the fields and vineyards, and to an extended extent, in the industry itself.  They share a bottle of V de Valmores from Esther at Bodega Cuarto Lote and then proceed to go through a few other female-led projects they they have in Madrid & Darracott.  https://www.madriddarracott.com/en/wine-shop/

This week Roque and Luke dive deep into a topic they've touched on on many wines over the years. The hot topic in winemaking and wine-selling: is the wine organic, biodynamic, natural or what? What does it all mean? What are the differences between the different labels? Is it all just marketing nonsense or are there real differences in the wines? To talk about this topic they open two bottles: LAN Xtreme ecológico and Desig by Mas Candí. 

Yes, you read that title right. Vino de Mesa...table wine. Surely Roque and Luke aren't planning to drink 'bad' wine for the next 40 minutes? Well, not exactly. Table wine is often a term used to define the terrible, non-DO, non-VT, unmarked bulk rubbish made in such high quantities in x or y country. But are there any good table wines? This week, to talk about vinos de mesa, the lads tuck into a bottle of Albahra by the cult wine group Envínate.

This week Roque and Luke want to head into a fairly unknown world. The world of white wine from a region almost exclusively known for big and heavy reds. A world of the mysterious Malvasia grape. A harsh world where vino blanco is a rare bird indeed. To help talk about this topic they enlist the help of the delicious Águedas by Bodegas Fariña. 

This week Roque and Luke decide once again to focus on one grape in particular. And that particular grape happens to be particularly tasty and one of their favourites. Moscatel. Somewhat misunderstood, this week they dive into the various style emanating from what is actually possibly the most versatile of all grapes. To toast the varietal they tuck in to the magnificent Uvas Cabrera dry Moscatel.  https://www.madriddarracott.com/en/product/ximo-cabrera-moscatel-seco/

Another LOST episode this week. And Roque and Luke are very happy they found it; as it was the first one they recorded on opening the Madrid & Darracott wine shop! To celebrate they opened a bottle of Savina from Bodega Terramoll - one of only two wineries on the tiny Balearic island of Formentera. So let's step back in time and toast the end of summer with the Mediterranean blast from the past. 

We all - well, almost all - know about Cava. That charming and affable sparkling wine from near Barcelona in Catalonia right? Well...to an extent yes. But actually Cava can be made all over the countries. This week Roque and Luke wanted to have a little review of Cava to shine the spotlight on the non-Catalan regions. To do this they drink a truly glorious bottle of Tantum Ergo from the south-east of the country and Bodegas Hispano Suizas. So, this is Cava...but not as you know it! https://www.madriddarracott.com/en/product/hispanosuizas-cava-tantum-ergo/ 

You have definitely heard of rosé wine - or rosado in Spain. But have you ever heard about the other, lesser known, Spanish pink called Clarete? Probably not! This is a hybrid of red and white wine that comes out as delightful and rosy as any rosado. So what is this wine and what is like? Luke and Roque sample a bottle of Quelías from Bodegas Sinforiano to explore the issue! Wine available at our online shop: https://www.madriddarracott.com/es/producto/quelias-rose/ 

Recently Roque and I discovered a batch of podcast that we thought we had lost through the simple act of getting a new phone. But they had been saved! So here is the first of our resurrected pods: CORPINNAT, a new unofficial DO created by a few great Cava houses who decided to leave that DO. To discuss the changes and what it's all about they tuck into a delicious bottle of Torello Brut Reserva!  https://www.madriddarracott.com/en/wine-shop/

Roque and Luke have a fascinating wine to try this week. A bunch of friends who some years ago decided to try their hand at making wine...in the Picos de Europa mountains...in Cantabria. This is the opposite of wine country. The wine is Finca Morillas from the Picos de Cabariezo winery. What's it like? And what is going on in the world of Mountain wines? And who are these crazy mavericks? https://www.madriddarracott.com/en/wine-shop/  

BIG NEWS: Something massive has happened in the world of Spanish wine. The mythical DO Ribera del Duero - home almost exclusively to be sexy Tempranillo-centric reds - has finally allowed white wines to be part of the Denominación de Origen. To discuss this Roque and Luke sample part of the new crop; the Valduero Albillo Mayor! https://www.madriddarracott.com/en/product/valduero-blanco/

This week Roque and Luke return to the legendary region of DO Rueda to try an historic, mythical and almost completely unknown style of fortified wine called 'Dorado'. This sherry-style wines are made of local varieties and are a real bargain if you can find them. To help them delve deeper into this world they glug a bottle of Dorado 61 by the winery Cuatro Rayas. 

This week try a super yummy wine from a super small region tucked in the low hills north of Seville. The VT Sierra Norte de Sevilla with its handful of producers and off the grid vibe is this week represented by the delicious Mirlo; an odd white from Bodega Tierra Savia. 

Vinos de Pago. Roque and Luke have had a couple of them over the years; but they thought they'd take the opportunity to cover them in a bit more depth. What are they? What are they like? Where are they from? Are they really the best? To help them talk about them they sample a bottle from Bodegas Otazu near Pamplona and toast the cancelled San Fermín fiestas!

It's hot in Madrid. Summer has arrived. This week Roque and Luke turn their focus to the wonderful world of Spanish rosé. People usually think either of French Provence pink or sweet American blush wines, but Spain has a very long and strong tradition. To help them talk about rosé they open the brand new vintage of Micro Cuveé Rosado from the Cepas de la Culebra winery! So get your sunny pink hat on and enjoy!

There's things happening in the local wine region around here. DO Vinos de Madrid has undergone some changes in the last year, so Roque and Luke thought they'd use that as excuse to drink more local plonk. Also they sample 3 wines from a BRAND NEW Madrid winery opened just before the Covid-19 outbreak from Bodegas Cuarto Lote. Enjoy!

This week Roque and Luke take a look at a concept of wine, and perhaps wine marketing, called Vino de Parcela. Or, in English, single plot or block wines. So what is this all about? Does it mean the wine is better? To try and get to grips with the concept more, they open 4 bottles from the DO Cigales winery La Legua! 

On their 100th official episode Roque and Luke decide to indulge in a broader topic. Roque hails from the southeast of the country, so they thought they'd take the opportunity to delve into the world of 'Mediterranean Wines'. To help them they sampled two Sericis wines: a Bobal from Utiel Requena and a barrel-fermented Merseguera from Valencia, courtesy of Bodegas Murviedro. 

This week Roque and Luke are trying something different. Instead of focussing fully on just a region, they want to spend more time focussing on the grapes themselves. The real stars of the show. This week the legendary Garnacha grape. To help them along their way they drink an absolute boozy beast of a wine: Brega, by Jorge Ordoñez. 

Ahoy there! This week Roque and Luke are sampling a tiny production wine from a tiny and remote area in the northwest of Spain. The Sierra de la Culebra, which only has a handful of wineries scattered in a non-regulated region where wolves still roam. We sampling the new Micro Cuveé from our friend Ruben and his mountain project!

This week Roque and Luke turn their attention to the geekier side of the wine world. We all know about oak barrels and ageing wines in them. But is that all there is? What about stainless steel, concrete, amphora? And do barrels have to be oak? Find out today as they crack open a bottle of Tinácula from DO Ribera del Júcar, which in itself has been aged in a slightly strange way. 

Something a little this week. The season for regional wine events has started all over the country and Madrid is no different. An interesting one popped up on the schedule and we wanted to document it: Ribera de Guadiana, a massive but fairly under-utilised wine region from Extremadura. It took place in the vast Lavinia wine shop. We learned a lot, drank a bunch and nearly destroyed the place. Enjoy!

This week Roque and Luke head back to one of the their favourite parts of Spain for red wines - Aragón. In this giant region of Spain there are 4 DOs already, but they are turning to a much lesser known Vino de la Tierra wine producing area: VT Bajo Aragón and a bottle of Generación 20 from Bodegas Tempore. Enjoy!

This week Roque and Luke return to where it all started. Episode 1 was all about Rioja. They sampled a classic red from the region but this time they are going to dive into the wonderful world of White Rioja! They open a bottle of La Candelera from Finca de la Rica. Expect the usual flurry of bad jokes as well as a nice helping of geeky information. 

WE’RE BACK! After a long silence, Roque and I are back doing the Spanish Wine Experience. We have some big news to explain our absence. All will be revealed in this, the first episode of SEASON TWO of the SWE. Also, we sample a new DO. A Vino de Pago from the north of Navarra.

It's SUMMER and this week chaos reigns as Roque and Luke are joined on the podcast by not one, but two guests! Debbie Musgrove and Joy Figueroa join the pod as the SWE team walk through a live production of Sangria and other wine-based Spanish summer sippers. Salud and felid verano!

BIG NEWS! It’s the last DO!!!Roque and Luke have come to the end of the official 71 denominaciones de origen! A final journey to the Canary Islands, in this case DO La Palma, to drink a bottle of Piezas N2 by Matías Torres. A very small production white wine made from the unique Albillo Criollo grape. They chat mega tsunamis and the perfect dream winery. But don’t worry, this is not the end, there’s still much more to drink!

On this week’s podcast Roque has a very specific and peculiar challenge for Luke. Three wines, covered up, and ready to be sampled. Which grapes and regions lie in front of him? Have his studies paid off? Has he earned his pins? Let’s find out if Luke can identify the wines Roque has chosen on this blind wine tasting challenge special!