La Tremenda Bodegas Enrique Mendoza 2018

La Tremenda Bodegas Enrique Mendoza 2018, Alicante

Elegant refreshing ripe dark fruits with a savoury note of black olives, and a light toasty spiciness. There is a lovely juicy fleshy quality to the fruit. It finishes with some well-judged dry tannins.

A good medium-bodied all-purpose wine that would go well with both red and white meats as well as Mediterranean vegetables. Keep it local and drink alongside one of those lovely paella-style rice dishes.

€19.95 from Lotts & Co, D4; Nectar Wines, Sandyford; Barnhill Stores, Dalkey: Martins Off Licence, D3; Redmonds of Ranelagh, D6; The Corkscrew, D2; McHugh’s Off Licence, D5.

Enrique Mendoza is based in Alicante in south-east Spain. He was one of the first producers in the modern era to concentrate on making quality wines. Starting out with international grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, more recently he has turned his attention to Monastrell aka Mourvèdre a variety that is indigenous to the region. As I mentioned in a previous blog on Bodega El Cèrron in Jumilla, some producers in Murcia and Alicante are looking to make lighter, more elegant wines from Monastrell. Mendoza certainly falls into this category. As well as several excellent single vineyard wines, he makes La Tremenda, his entry-level wine. Made in stainless steel and then aged briefly in oak barrels, it offers great value for money.