WTN: Vina Mancera Rueda Verdejo 2014/Grocery Outlet

Viña Mancera Rueda, Verdejo, Spain, 2014, Grocery Outlet Super QPR!

The combination of lavish fruit—lemon, grapefruit, quince, melon, and those tiny squashed-looking white peaches---with lean acidity, mineral undertones and a welcome tinge of herbal aromatics, is impressive. Think sauvignon blanc-ish, only leaning more towards the fruit than the herbal.

Just in case this proved to be a little too attractive a bargain (I was still wincing from that Bonarda) I purchased only one bottle and put it in the home fridge. Wife came home for wine, grabbed the Mancera, twisted off the cap and poured a glug. She tasted, put the glass down, grabbed the bottle, stalked into my office and asked peremptorily “Did you just buy this wine?” Yes, I replied. “The receipt said $4.99, right?” Yep, that was the price. “Go back---now---and buy a case!”

In the realm of QPR (Quality Price Ratio), the Mancera Verdejo is a “find”, the kind of wine at a ridiculously low price that delivers exceptional quality. At $4.99 it is a steal!

With a bright blast of lemon zest, followed by a gush of tropical fruit, all held together with vibrant acidity, this is a perfect summertime wine. Party time, alone time, dinner time, backyard at the grill time, or just enough time for a refreshing glass at the end of a day: the Mancera Verdejo fills each need and occasion admirably.

Do it the Spanish way: sit outside on a warm evening, watch the sun go down, enjoy the smell of flowers and fresh-cut grass wafting on the breeze. Grill or sauté some shrimp on fresh-picked rosemary skewers, add a bowl of variegated olives and some Marcona almonds toasted in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. Spin open the screwcap and pour a healthy portion (it will be gone before you know it) of the Mancera Verdejo. Relax. Take your time. Lean back. Converse. Life is good.

Now, kick it up a notch and make a blissful perfect pairing: Mancera Verdejo with a slice of dulce de membrillo (sort of a tangy concentrated jam of quince paste), and a wedge of old, crumbly, grainy Manchego. Simple. Exquisite. As good as it gets.

Buy again? Already did; you should hurry to see if your local GO has any, and get a case. It’s a steal! If you wait, someone else will get it. Then you'll be sorry.

They're Platycarpa peaches, Hoke, from platys (wide) and karpos (fruit). Also called Donut Peaches™, Saturn Peaches, etc.

(Just don't let your platypus get into your platycarpa.)

(Just don't let your platypus get into your platycarpa.)

Is that a platytude?

One of the nicer things, by way of lagniappe, is that not only is this a great bargain, but it's three years old. Initially, almost all the Verdejo I had was tank-to-the-bank fresh, most recent vintage. And that was pretty good.

Wasn't until later, though, that I was taught that Verdejo ages well, developing a plump texture and accentuating the savory elements. So three years is about right. This wine was most definitely in its sweet spot.