Britain's favourite Spanish white wine revealed

During a blind testing, oenologists or 'Masters of Wine', as they are known in the UK, including Tim Atkin, Peter McCombie, Richard Hemming and Victoria Burt, named three brands from as many bodegas from the 2018 crop.

And one of them is available 'on tap'.

The white which won 'best value for money' is the Castelo de Medina Verdejo 2018, from the Castelo de Medina wine merchants' and using the Verdejo grape variety.

'Best newly-discovered' white was Pansa Blanca 2018, from the Raventós de Alella bodega.

And best premium white was Malvasía Seco Colección 2018, which comes from the oldest wine merchants' in the Canary Islands – Bodegas El Grifo, in Lanzarote.

'El Grifo' translates as 'the tap', meaning the range known as 'El Grifo Seco' effectively means 'dry tap', but there is plenty of it flowing – it is one of the most-exported Spanish wines to the UK and is well-known throughout the Canary Islands and the mainland.

Pale yellow in colour with green shimmering flecks when held under the light, with floral aromas such as saffron and jasmine and notes of 'stone fruit' like apricots and peaches, fresh but with plenty of volume and a long finish, El Grifo's Malvasía 2018 is said to be ideal for accompanying fish and seafood.

Its unique flavour comes from the grapes used being grown in the volcanic, ash-covered territory which forms the landscape in the La Geria valley, Lanzarote, where the El Grifo bodega is based (second picture).

Founded in the year 1775, meaning it is now 244 years old, El Grifo is one of the 10 oldest wine merchants' in Spain.

Whether or not it is Britain's favourite, or just that of the 'Masters of Wine' in London, will depend largely upon subjective tastes, and also on the price: UK residents are used to paying far more for their wine than anyone in Spain has to, but other than for special occasions, most Brits would seek out as much of a bargain as possible without compromising on quality.

In this case, El Grifo is a double hit: whilst up to five times the price of a bottle of cheap but decent supermarket plonk in Spain, the online price of the award-winning premium Malvasía Seco Colección 2018 comes in at €14.50 – far from breaking the bank in Spain, and only slightly above average in the UK.

Photographs: El Grifo wine merchants', La Geria valley, Lanzarote