“Fifteen euros for bottle of white wine? you must be kidding me!,” I could hear some of your exclaiming.

Bodega Valdesil en D.O. Valdeorras

But yes, retailed at 15 euros this month’s wine is more than worth it – and believe me, having had it in a Valencia restaurant we happily paid a lot more for it.

In Spanish restaurants, the markup on wine prices typically ranges from 100% to 300% above the retail price. This means that a bottle of wine that costs €10 in a retail shop could be sold for anywhere between €20 to €40 or more in a restaurant.

When Don Oscar offered it to us as the best accompaniment to slices of marinated lecha (also known in Spain as Pez limon, in English Greater Amberjack or Yellowtail) with a drop of truffle oil, we had to accept it, we have grown to trust Don Oscar’s recommendations. One sip and it was clear we have to share it with you.
A few months ago we did recommend another Godello wine, but given the revival that this little known grape is undergrowing in Spain right now, perhaps a reminder doesn’t go a miss.

The white grape variety Godello mostly grows in northwest of Spain, particularly in the regions of Galicia and Bierzo, though it is believed to have ancient roots, possibly dating back to Roman times.

It thrives in cool, maritime climates, thanks to the Atlantic influence, and prefers well-drained, slate or granite soils, com- mon in these regions, usually grown in terraced vineyards with steep slopes, where it can benefit from good sun exposure and cool nights, contributing to its balanced ripening, fresh acidity and producing distinctively aromatic high quality wines.

There are only 1,000-1,500 hectares of Godello in the whole of Spain (compared to 20,000 or so hectares of Verdejo and 5,000 of Albariño), this rarity contributing to its price.

Montenovo is an excellent expression of Godello: a mountain wine from the craggy landscape of Valdeorras, where the highest peaks in Galicia are to be found. The wine is made with grapes from different vineyards situated along the length of the valley, all of them planted on blue slate slopes at high altitude, thus blending the freshness of the fruit purity of the Godello with the minerality of the slate soils of the mountains.

Montenovo has clean translucent pale to medium yellow ap- pearance.The nose is is full of citrus notes, green apple, apricot with a touch of almond, and hint of white flower, and a lot of minerality. On the palate a crisp, fruity (lemon, lime, pear, peach, almond), and savoury minerality, distinctive of slate. An exceptionally delicious wine.

Have it with seafood, shellfish, and light salads. Also a great match for Galician dishes like pulpo a la gallega.

92 – 94 Bruja points; €11.50 from Enoteca La Central https://www.lacentral.wine/, Decantalo https://www.de- cantalo.com/ and €14.50 from Valdesil https://valdesil.com/

(Feature: Wine)

Tags: Wine Recommendation, Bodega Valdesi, D.O. Valdeorras, Godello, Montenovo, Galicia, Bierzo

Reader’s comment: “I live in Galicia and Godello wine is definitely worth paying extra for. Try Mencia, if you prefer red, also from Galicia.” – Melanie Briggs Kidd