The seasons are changing and so are many peoples wine choices. What do you notice you switch too as the temperature lowers, and the dinners become more robust? For many, sadly white wine gets sidelined due to the temperature, preferring to save those crisp whites for warm summer picnics.

About a month ago, we received three bottles of Ribeiro wines, all of which seemed very intriguing. Sadly cold weather, lots of work, and a killer sore throat pushed off our tasting. But last night, with our trip to India approaching in a few day’s time, we took the plunge and decided that in light of a week long adventure in spicy food, we should at least pop open some bottles that should potentially go incredibly well with this type of fair. Enter 3 wines from the producer: Coto de Gomariz

Taken from the P.R. Grisley site:
Located in the Ribeiro region in Galicia, Coto de Gomariz is made up of several vineyards covering a total of about fifty acres in the districts of Gomariz, Vieite, Esposende and Beade.

In 1979 the Figueiral estate was recovered and became the first of the properties to be included in the Coto de Gomariz vineyard terrain. This marked the first step towards restoration of the native Ribeiro varieties, including Albarino, Treixadura, Loureira and Godello varieties.

Coto de Gomariz wines are the result of a unique combination of an Atlantic climate, low levels of rainfall, long hours of sunshine and sharp contrasts between daytime and nighttime temperatures, as well as an unusual granitic soil.
While all three wines stood out as …

Our Chinese correspondent, Edward Ragg, recently sat down with Honorio Noya Dominguez, a native of Barrantes in the heart of the Salnes Valley, part of the Rias Baixas DO, to explore the future of Albarino wines in China. Honorio is the export manager for the producer Veiga Serantes, although, as part of a small family operation, is actually involved in every stage of the wine-making process. He has lived in the UK, Ireland and Germany and his passion for travel has undoubtedly helped in researching new markets, as he aims to bring great Albariño to the world. He began visiting China in 2007 and has remained a repeat visitor.

You work for Veiga Serantes, a top-quality Albariño producer in Rias Baixas. This is your second visit to China. What would you say is the current situation for Spanish wines in China?
Well, the wine-world in China is developing really quickly, like almost everything over here, mainly in certain urban centres: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou etc.. The interest in wine is growing in both expatriate and, most importantly, local sectors. No one is selling a lot of wine yet, but the range of wines is changing quickly; and, although wine education is in its infancy, Chinese consumers seem to be learning equally fast. The image of Spain as a quality wine producing country is not very solid here, and a lot of work will have to be done to achieve the recognition and status Spain really deserves. Most Chinese consumers are not really aware of Spain as a major wine producer, although it is potentially a plus-point to have the traditional image of an Old World country with a number of prestige estates and notable wines (Riscal, Murrieta, …