All too soon we have reached the end of our two week focus on the wonderful wines of Ribera del Duero - which many Orcadians now believe to be Spain’s greatest red wine!

Dozens of customers attended our in-store tasting and walked away with a bottle or two of their favourite. One hundred and twenty lucky guests enjoyed a glass of Pinna Fidelis at the Lynnfield Lux last weekend - and many more sampled it as a special ‘by the glass’ choice at The Lynnfield.

Now, as our Reach for Ribera fortnight comes to a close, we thought we’d share our detailed thoughts on the wines we have been enjoying. The good news is, we’re going to keep ALL of these on our shelves for the foreseeable future - except for the Pinna Fidelis, which has confirmed its place on The Lynnfield’s wine list!

Pinna Fidelis, Ribero del Duero, Roble, 2019

14.5%, cork, £13.99. Aged in French and American oak for four months.

Attractive purple, light and translucent at the edges, bright but opaque in the centre.

Immediately attractive sweet berry nose. The sweetness follows through on the palate, but in a wholly balanced way. Some juicy acidity. Some fine tannins, but not much. This is an easy to enjoy, fruity Ribera del Duero, without the majesty the appellation is capable of. But who cares, when it is as joyous as this.

It would be lovely with medium bodied foods - chicken, lamb - but it’s also lovely by itself.

Rippa Dorri, Ribera De Duero, Roble, 2020

14%, cork, £12.99. Seven months in 60% American/40% French oak.

Slightly darker, more intense purple than the Pinna Fidelis, and slightly more ‘serious.’ It needs just a second or two of patience before the fruit unfurls. Then it’s simply delicious!

On the finish there’s a hint of something dark – liquorice? - but the overall impression is not a million miles away from the Pinna Fidelis, and our suggested food matches are similar: chicken, or cheese, or a lamb chop or nothing at all.

Rippa Dorri, Ribera De Duero, Crianza, 2019

14%, cork, £14.99. Twelve months in 70% French/30% American oak.

A darker shade of purple again. A slight smokiness, or charred notes, on the nose. The palate has slightly coarse tannins compared to the two above. By itself that’s less than ideal, but with suitable food it works well.

This is a wine that definitely benefits from the right food match: roast meat, char-grilled red peppers, duck or goose. The tannin in the wine will be smoothed over by the pleasant fattiness of the food. 2 + 2 = 5!

Rippa Dorri, Ribera De Duero, Salomón, 2020

14%, cork, £25.99. Eleven months in 100% Iberian oak.

An immediately attractive nose of sweet oak – much more so than any of the above. On the palate the tannins are silky smooth, the fruit is voluptuous and tastes of sweet cherry vanilla. There’s acidity enough to keep it fresh and tannin enough to give it body.

Wow, this is a great Ribera. Obviously it’s nearly twice the price of Rippa Dori’s Roble, but the quality of the wine justifies it. Sophisticated enough to drink by itself or with a nibble Serrano ham, it has the structure and intensity to complement roasts or strong cheese too.

Pinea, Ribera del Duero, 17, 2018

15%, cork, £57.99. Twenty months in French and American oak. From old vineyards (over 30 years) at high altitude (over 1,000m.)

Wow! A stunning nose of sweet, spicy oak is followed by a wave of berry compote aromas. On the palate there’s more fruit: cherries, berries…and vanilla ice cream. It all comes together in a seamless, silky, elegant but powerful wine that is so complex and delicious that I find it hard to swallow it! I just want to enjoy the mouthful forever.

What does this expensive wine have that the others don’t? I think it has all of their good features, but five times more of them: fruit, sweet oak, sophistication, power, a touch of spice, a tingle of acidity…all in perfect, miraculous balance.

Find a special occasion…buy a bottle…serve in a big glass with with steak, with roast lamb…but above all with a level of pleasure that you will never forget!

Reach for Ribera del Duero!