First of the summer wine...

Excepting the Vins de Pays d’Oc acidic swill served on most airplanes (cattle class) these days, and anything else that I may have inadvertently sipped and supped whilst either or in wildly exciting grocery shopping, I will endeavour to add from time-to-time the notable tastes that have come my way in the next 6 weeks.

June 29^thDay No2

Oeno, Kendrick St., Stroud, Gloucestershire.

Valdamor Cosecha 100% Albariño 2006 Pontevedra, Spain

Store Hype: An award winning, fabulous fresh white from the trendy Albariño grape variety in Galicia, Spain. The best Albarino we've ever tasted. Clean, crisp. green apple flavour with a rich intensity. The wine to drink with seafood in North West Spain.

I asked at the store about any local wines, knowing a little bit about the growing and improving English Wines, some of the best of which are locally produced. She cocked her head and answered that she had some Nyetimber English Fizz from East Sussex at 25 quid. I’ve never heard of this stuff, but she claimed it was on a par with some of the best Reims stuff. Maybe another time.

Ah well, I know of some good Gloucestershire offerings and will pursue this theme on another occasion.

Last year the Memsahib and meself took the kids (with their boyfriends) on the last all-expenses family hol to jolly Spain; Cantabria –where there one can drink up some great and astonishingly cheap ciders, and Galicia –where the famous Rias Baixas wines grow. This region’s wonderful young green vinos had already made an impact on me in Hong Kong as each one I tried seemed a breath of fresh Atlantic air. In Santiago de Compostella they unashamedly serve 1-year old bottles of this beautiful green liquid that I believe knock the stuffing out of any Beaujolais Nouveax.

I chilled the attractively slim brown bottle for about 15 minutes before serving outside in the evening summer sunlight of Rodborough Hill overlooking the Bowbridge valley entering Stroud town, here to consume a chicken-ricey- chilli broad beany thing my nephew Alden had prepared (that weren’t half-bad!) The Valdamor was everything vaunted on the label with only perhaps the apple not quite so prominent. The intensity was smooth and even right to the last drop and although mildly aged at 2006 left a light enticing finish, the characteristic delicacy of these young un-acidic beauties.

This is the first time I have come across this particular Albariño and I liked it: not bad for watching the sun go down at the start of me hols!