Several years ago I visited the Spanish wine region of Rueda where the primary grape is Verdejo. I was impressed with how versatile Verdejo wines are with food. At the end of the day, we visited tapas bars where I quickly learned that Verdejo was the best choice for any of the tapas. This wine by Telmo Rodriguez is a very elegant and sophisticated wine in a different style from the wines I experienced on that trip. It is made from the fruit of very old bush vines, which Rodriguez prizes highly, and owns in different parts of Spain. It is fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for 8 to 9 months in various sizes of wooden barrels and foudres. The wine is a very pale yellow with subtle flavors of peach, citrus, fennel, creamy and harmonious, finishing with vibrant acidity and a slight edge of bitterness that clears the palate.
Telmo Rodriguez, Rueda DO (Castilla y León, Spain) Verdejo 2020
By Rebecca Murphy