Protos, Ribera del Duero

I LOVE Ribera del Duero.  It's a region well-known to Spanish wine lovers, but not well known in the UK.  True, certain supermarkets are starting to stock the odd bottle, and Majestic always has a few on their list, but Rioja still dominates UK buyers, which is a shame.

One of my favourites is Protos, a great wine from a great Bodega.  Last Thursday in Barcelona, the restaurant we were in had a 2003 Crianza on their wine list for 29 euros  - bargain.  We drank the house dry (well, there were 28 of us).

Made with 100% Tinta Fina and with a Ribena-esque fruity taste (with a bit of oak in there too), this is a chunky wine that will go with most dishes, but best suited to red meats.  Chill it and it will go well with seafood.  At 13% though, be careful how much you drink!

I found one UK stockist, Baileys Wine Merchants, who are offering it for £16.50 a bottle.  You can see why I was happy to pay 29 euros for it in a restaurant.