The four friends who run this small, yet hugely exciting winery in the hills of Ribeira Sacra specialise in hunting down tiny vineyard plots and turning them into refreshing, refined, palate-cleansing reds. This is potpourri of at least five local grapes – Mencía, Mouratón, Garnacha Tintorera, Caiño and Bastardo – and is a like a Spanish take on Beaujolais mixed with a little Syrah and Cabernet Franc, albeit with a personality that is all its own. Scented, peppery and elegant, it has notes of rose petal, tangerine and red berries with crunchy acidity, granular tannins and a long, spicy finish. Utterly delicious.
Red Varietal: Caiño
2015 As Furnias, Juan González Arjones, Galicia
( £18.50, 12.5% )Sold as a table wine (vino de mesa), despite the fact that it comes from the sub-zone of Crecente in the Rías Baixas DO, this is an intriguing and quite possibly unique cuvée of Brancellao, Caiño, Sousão and Espadeiro. (The Portuguese names are appropriate, given that the vineyards are close to the River Minho, which separates Spain from northern Portugal). Juicy, tangy and savoury, with an appealingly wild, funky note, bracing acidity, crunchy bramble and pomegranate fruit and the sort of freshness and bite you find in red Vinho Verde. One of a number of impressive wines from this dynamic Galician importer.