WINE OF THE WEEK: Juan Gil Blanco 2025, Jumilla, Spain
£13.25–£14.99, NY Wines, KWM Wine, Wines of Interest, Blas ar Fwyd, Drink Finder, The Vineyard (Dorking), Grape & Grind, All About Wine
The main label of this wine has gone even more minimalist than it was before, confining itself to the producer’s name, Juan Gil, and the wine’s organic/ecológico/bio status. Regional details and grape variety are relegated to the back of the bottle.
The thinking, presumably, is that the region, Jumilla in southeast Spain, is known, in as far as it is, for red wines – traditionally dark, powerful reds – whereas this wine is white. Even if Jumilla is about to become better known, thanks to the launch of former tennis star Rafael Nadal's first wine, it will still be for red wines: El Tenista, Nadal's wine, which is being produced in partnership with Gil Family Estates (of which Juan Gil is a part), is red.
Not only is Juan Gil a white wine but the grape variety from which it’s made, Moscatel (or Muscat), is mostly associated with sweet wines. Juan Gil is unequivocally dry – a lively, aromatic dry white made from the superior, small-berried Muscat (Moscatel de Grano Menudo or Muscat à Petit Grains).
It’s heady yet refreshing with grapey orange-blossom, jasmine and vanilla notes wafting through a succulent, smooth, grapefruit and lime-streaked palate.
The vineyards, part of the family-run Juan Gil’s 750 hectares in Jumilla, are mostly unirrigated bush vines on chalky slopes lying high up (700m) in the north of the region. The grapes are hand picked and fermented in a combination of stainless steel, large French oak barrels and oval-shaped concrete tanks.
Juan Gil Blanco 2025 is a great aperitif and also pairs well with shellfish, lemon or lime-seasoned fish or chicken, burrata with figs and prosciutto, onion flans, salads which include fruit, and pasta with ricotta, lemon and roasted broccoli. 13%.
Juan Gil Blanco 2025, Jumilla, Spain
£13.25–£14.99, NY Wines, KWM Wine, Wines of Interest, Blas ar Fwyd, Drink Finder, wineunlimited @ The Vineyard, Grape & Grind, All About Wine
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