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 at the best whites in Spain at an amazing price…see my previous article on the changing face of Spanish white wine. 

Wine:  As Sortes
Winery:  Rafael Palacios S.L.
Vintage: 2005
Denominacion de Origen (DO): Valdeorras
Alc: 14% (!)
Grape variety: 100% Godello
Additional factoids:  40-60 year old vines, vines all over 600 meters, micro-oxygenation techniques used
Oak regime:  fermentation and aging in large oak foudres, aged 6-8 months over lees
Price:  20-25 euros in Spain