A farewell to the Spanish Wine Collective

Spanish Wine Collective founder Chris Lynch says farewell, and reflects on wine drinking in the UK and how Spain remains an exciting place for wine lovers.

As I sit down to write what will be my last piece for the Spanish Wine Collective, I find myself supping wine from Rioja and Ribera del Duero, wines you can find in bars across the length and breadth of Spain. I chose them for a reason. I wanted to turn to the familiar, I was looking for comfort and reassurance. It is a metaphor for where I am with the world of wine currently. I've become a little tired, unenthused – and so what beckoned was the well-trodden path. I know where I’m at with these wines, and returning to the classics is never a bad thing.  

I’ve spent nearly 10 years visiting mid-market wineries in Spain, places where they’re making good wines with personality and a story. The challenge, as ever, is stagnant sales. Of course, this might be because these wines occupy a mid-tier that doesn’t fit current market trends. And anyone who believes in markets will know that this isn’t the consumer’s problem. But this is where I feel depleted. I know there’s a tonne of good stuff out there, but the market doesn’t want it.

I actually feel much the same about the current restaurant scene too, where I sense a growing polarisation between either low cost/casual or high-end/cool dining. There’s little in the middle. Where are the solid traditional dishes off an á la carte menu? What in Spain would be called "platos de toda la vida". They're getting harder to find.

I should stress at this point that I’m coming at this from a UK perspective, whereas all the others in the Collective are based in Spain. However, the UK is where I live, and it is the market I’m most familiar with.

Wine distribution in the UK seems to be getting more and more limited, another Brexit benefit (ha!), I guess. Retail ranges are narrowing and the on-trade has never been duller, with restaurant wine lists being largely uninteresting. Drinking well in restaurants is becoming increasingly difficult, especially given the mark-up they have to charge to make it viable. And I'm not just talking about London, the same can be said of the rest of the country (yes, there is a world beyond the M25).

So, it’s against this waning of my passion and curiosity that I have decided to no longer contribute to the Spanish Wine Collective. I founded it three and half years ago with the idea of sharing the joy of Spanish wine with all those who were willing to read it. And while I'm sad to be leaving, I do so safe in the knowledge that the project is in good hands, and that the remaining members of the Collective will continue to show wine lovers out there how exciting Spain truly is. And with that I bid you a final farewell. Salud!

Chris and Spanish Wine Collective writers visiting the vineyard of Jorge Temprado in La Vilueña, Calatayud

A reply to Chris, from the rest of us

First up, we have to say we're sad to see Chris go. The Spanish Wine Collective only came about through his efforts, and all of us who joined subsequently are grateful for his willingness to invite us aboard. The good news is that although we're losing him as a contributor, he remains a friend and drinking partner, and we look forward to continued opportunities to uncork bottles of fine Spanish wine with him whenever he sets foot on the Iberian Peninsula.

And on the subject of Spanish wine, it feels appropriate to pick up on something Chris writes towards the end of his piece. For Spain is indeed an exciting place for wine lovers. In fact, a strong argument can be made for saying that Spain has never been a better place to drink wine. A new generation of growers and makers is bringing energy and innovation to the sector, not only through the recovery of traditional grape varieties that can produce wines with a genuine sense of place, but also through the promotion of farming practices that are key to environmental sustainability in the face of the climate crisis. For lovers of Spanish wine, the future is anything but bleak. Salud!