Christmas is over, but here in Spain, the holidays are just kicking off!  We still have two more weeks of festivities here!

Many people here in Spain dismiss whites for the holidays, relegating them to the hot days of summer, but actually whites can be the perfect pick for holiday meals.  The best whites for matching with a wide variety of holiday foods are not  oaky Chardonnays or even an intense, green Sauvignon Blancs.  For me the best whites are un-oaked (or little oaked) aromatic varieties such as Riesling or Albariño. 

One of my favourite Spanish white grapes….one that I’m convinced will be one of the next trendy grapes is Godello.   This is the other great Galician white grape…until now, Albariño has been getting all the attention. 

You can read my assessment on Spanish whites in which I comment about my recent disappointment with Albariño….little excitement for a lot of money.   Godello is offering much more interesting wines at a fraction of the price.  Only the top wines are as expensive as most Albariños…and they are worth it!  See my rating of one of the top whites in Spain: As Sortes.

Godello is a top quality grape that is making some really exciting high end wines such as the As Sortes I rated recently.  But it is also making some easy drinking, inexpensive wines that offer amazing value. 

Godello is a semi-aromatic grape, usually offering intense fruit (apricot, melon, lime, pear), floral, and mineral notes…it has an attractive fullness and silkiness in the mouth, with generally moderate acidity.  It is also called Verdello in Galicia and is likely related to the Portuguese Verdelho of Madeira fame.  Note: these grapes are not the same variety as the wonderful Verdejo grape of Rueda. Within Spain, it is unique to Galicia and parts of Leon, and though it only makes up a small percentage of vineyards, it is growing quickly in popularity.

 See below for my great 5€ Godello pick. 

Wine:  Montenovo 2006
Winery:  Valdesil
Vintage: 2006
Denominacion de Origen (DO): Valdeorras
Alc: 13.5%
Grape variety: 100% Godello
Oak regime:  no oak
Price:  5 euros in Spain

Tasting notes
Visual:  Youthful pale straw color
Nose:  Medium intensity.  Floral and melon notes…simple, yet very attractive.  A whiff of leesy notes. 
Mouth:  The overall impression is attractive fruit and rich texture.  Quite full and round, big, but with simple pure flavors of citrus and pear.  Long, floral and yeasty finish. 
Food:  Great holiday wine…has the texture to stand up to many weights of food and the simple aromatic flavors to complement differing or complex flavors. 

Conclusion:  A simple, but very attractive wine that offers amazing value!  This is a hugely enjoyable wine that you can really enjoy at everyday prices.  The texture is rich enough that I’ve found it appeals to people who normally don’t like the lighter bodied whites typical here in Spain.