Monastrell is a grape I’ve been intrigued by lately, thanks to increasingly diverse expressions. For a long time, it was in my head epitomised by the friendly Lunatico Monastrell that features as one of SuperValu’s Signature Range, with its plump dark fruits and tannins smoothed by sweet spiced French oak. (It’s regularly on promotion, currently at €15 from €20 until March 20 in SuperValu’s Spanish wine sale.) This wine is produced by Bodegas Casa de la Ermita in DO Jumilla, a small but up-and-coming wine region in Murcia just inland from nearby Valencia.
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Alicante is known for its international-style, ‘industrial’ wines. Lucky then that it is home to Pepe Mendoza, who is exploring a new style of winemaking here.