Twice as nice: fabulous white and rose wines going for a song

Faustino is synonymous with Rioja and its distinctive bottles are found in restaurants and supermarkets across the land. This is no reason to be snooty about the brand; in fact this company has made great investment in new technologies and helped to bring about a virtual revolution in the way Rioja wines are produced. Just a couple of decades ago, many wines from the region were over-oaked, unstable in the bottle and generally rather alien to the modern palate. Now the same grapes are used but the way the wines are put together is far more sensitive and there is not such an emphasis on long keeping. The white and pink examples are notably fresh and appealing, with relatively low alcohol (around 11.5%) and a slight softness which means they adapt well to matching with full-flavoured food.

The white wine is a lovely straw colour in the glass; made with the local Viura grape, which is also sometimes known as Macabeo, it is warm and fragrant with a hint of floral scent, then light and fresh on the finish. Serve well chilled as an aperitif with olives or nuts, then choose it to accompany spicy fish dishes such as classic fish soup, any dish with anchovies or perhaps a Thai curry. The Faustino rose is a glorious cherry pink and would be ideal with a picnic, happily matching anything from poached salmon and strawberries to a simple Cornish pasty.

Faustino white and Faustino rosé 2008. Usual price £6.49 (on promotion at Asda stores for £4 a bottle from September 15th for three weeks).

ROZ COOPER: BIOGRAPHY
Roz began her wine career in California, leading wine tours and tasting wines for a wine warehouse near San Francisco. She then ran her own California wine import business in the UK and subsequently became assistant editor of Decanter magazine, then wrote various books on wine including The Wine Almanac. Since then, she has written wine columns in many publications and edited books and magazines, including The Italian Magazine. She’s passionate about green issues including organic and biodynamic winemaking and also works on a voluntary basis with the Galapagos Conservation Trust.

Tags: Wine of the Week