Thursday, June 7, 2018

González Byass Wines Offer Spanish Refreshment For Summer

The “lighter side” of Spain is perfect for warm weather sipping.

Heavy Reds Need Not Apply


Blockbuster reds with tightly wound tannins and booming alcohol levels have their place. It’s just not on the patio as the mercury climbs past 90 with the humidity level close behind.


That’s the time when the sensible person opens a light, crisp white or rosé. González Byass is a family-owned collection of wineries that cover Spain’s most important wine producing regions. We recently had a chance to pop open four of their wines well suited for the summer heat.

The González family has a tradition of making fine sherries and brandies in Jerez, including the well-known Tio Pepe Fino Sherry. Tio Pepe sherry has been produced since 1844. Don’t confuse this with the brown, sweet sherry sipped by your grandmother. Fino sherry is dry and should be chilled and served like a white wine. The Tio Pepe Fino Sherry is fresh and bright with notes of citrus and almond. It retails for $19.99.

Three For Dinner


We brought the remaining three bottles to a dinner party at our friends’ house. We started by noshing on melon and prosciutto skewers and homemade guacamole. To accompany this, we opened the Beronia 2017 Rueda. Rueda is known for producing some of the best white wines in Spain.


The Beronia Rueda is made with 100% Verdejo grapes. In the glass it is yellow with green highlights. On the palate it has a lush, rounded texture. There are notes of honey and pear. Although it is a dry wine, it has 1.5% residual sugar, enough to give it a nice sense of fruitiness. SRP is $12.99.

As the main course of chicken with lemon caper sauce was served, we moved to the Pazo de Lusco 2016 Albariño.
Albariño is Spain’s greatest white wine in the opinion of many (including us). The Lusco Albariño comes from Rias Baixas in the country’s northwestern coastal region of Galacia.

This is a beautiful wine with flowing minerality and flavor threads of grapefruit and pineapple. It is a dry and lively wine with good acidity. This is perfect for poultry or seafood. It is priced at $24.99.

A summer party wouldn’t be complete without rosé. We opened the Beronia 2017 Rioja Rosé. A salmon pink color, this wine is made with 100% Tempranillo grapes. Rosé from Spain, often called rosado, tends to be more flavorful than a Provence rosé. Ripples of sweet strawberries and cherries intertwine in this fresh and lively wine. SRP is $12.99. This is a winning wine for almost any occasion.

Spanish sherry, whites and rosé provide perfect warm weather satisfaction. Put on some extra sunscreen and grab one of these affordable bottles!

Full disclosure: We received these wines as marketing samples.

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