Wine of the week

Chris Lynch wins over a friend with a hip wine from renowned producers Envínate.

Albahra 2023 (Envínate)

ABV: 13%

Castilla La Mancha (no D.O.)

Varieties: 70% Garnacha Tintorera, 27% Moravia Agria and 3% Garnacha Tinta

€14.80 from Decántalo

I had to check back through previous blog posts to prove to myself I hadn’t previously selected Albahra as a ‘wine of the week’, such is my love for this wine.

Anyone with an interest in Spanish wine knows about the success that Envínate are enjoying. If you aren’t following them, you need to!

I’d made Spanish-style butter beans, adorned with cod. The pimenton level was my usual interpretation of the recipe, higher than most. One of my character traits, says my partner.

Either way, a strongly-flavoured dish with meaty cod could handle a red for sure. And to add to the pressure, a friend was coming round, so I wanted to show something special with the wine. Even though it was only a Tuesday.

“That’s bloody good,” said my friend, giving me immediate satisfaction that the wine was the right choice and a clear contender for a ‘wine of the week.’

To be honest, deep down I was confident it would be. It’s an enticing wine. In the glass it’s a dark, glossy, cherry red. It invites you in.

Swirling it round the glass it hits you with a blackcurrant punch, with a good hint of liquorice and a little spice. There’s a cleanness and purity on the nose.

Slurping the wine, between mouthfuls of cod and beans, its great acidity made it a perfect pairing . It’s super-long, lingering and delivered with a softness. You just want to dive back in, and given its drinkability, the bottle soon disappeared.

My friend was building up confidence with every sip and at an opportune moment turned to me and said, “this is a hip wine!” I’m inclined to agree.