Finding top Spanish wines at bottom prices – with professional tasters' help

NOT all top-rated wines will set you back a week's salary if you buy them on home turf – and, in fact, six of Spain's best are on sale in mainstream supermarkets for between €2 and €9.

If you're looking for a 'Spanish-style' Christmas gift that looks as though you've put plenty of thought into it – and that this thought hasn't been based on 'how little can I get away with spending' – a few of the wines in the world-famous Guía Peñín will cover all these considerations.

Just make sure you check, if you're transporting said gift to the UK, how many of these bottles you can take in your suitcase this year: Customs rules have changed for Britain since the end of the Brexit transition period in February as it is now a 'third country' without the freedom of being able to take in and return home with goods that those living on the continent had when the nation was part of the European Union.

The Guía Peñín is an élite guide to exclusively-Spanish wines, comes out annually, and is available in English, German and Mandarin Chinese as well as in Castilian Spanish; the wine-tasting is not 'blind', so the judges do in fact know which brands they are trying out when they do so, but favouritism is extremely unlikely given that they get through about 11,500 wine samples a year and would be hard-pushed to remember individual ones for singling out.

A guide that has been produced every year since 1990, wines are tasted at the headquarters of their region's regulatory council, and given points between 50 and 100.

Below 70 normally means there is some defect, or possible defect, in preservation or ageing, and from 70 to 80 means there is nothing wrong with it but that there is nothing particularly special about it, either.

Anything over 84 is a good grade to earn, and from 95 upwards, a wine is considered 'exceptional' and almost unbeatable.

Why it's worth listening to wine critics

Naturally, a wine is only ever as 'good', 'defective' or 'exceptional' as the end consumer thinks it is, and many would argue that the only technical process needed in wine-tasting is to simply uncork, pour, and swallow.

But there are good, practical reasons for the existence of oenology as a food science – imagine you drank something absolutely delectable at a bar or restaurant and either did not see the bottle or cannot remember the name, it would be hard to find it again without being able to describe it accurately at a local merchant's; giving detailed information about its bouquet, finish, notes, and so on, means you are more likely to hit upon the right type than if you said, 'it was white and came in a glass'.

Also, a highly-rated wine does actually look as though you had taken time to study what would be a great-quality gift rather than just grabbing the nearest bottle of plonk on the shelf in a hurry, even if it turns out that the recipient would have enjoyed said plonk more than the highly-rated type.

Exquisite wines from budget supermarkets

In this year's Peñín guide, the most affordable include the Oristán Bronze from La Mancha, a cherry-coloured red said to have notes of pomegranate and be very drinkable, scoring 88, and costing €2.45 from Lidl.

Cheaper still is the white Fino Donceles from the Montilla-Morile district, a pale-straw-coloured sherry with gold flecks, a floral scent and slightly almondy, mildly bitter taste, dry and lightweight, scoring 88 and yet costing just €2.15, again from Lidl.

Pushing the boat out a little, an organic red scoring 89 and on sale in Lidl for €5.49, the Adaras Aldea is said to be cherry-coloured with violet flecks, fruity, fresh, with notes of chalky soil and mineral-scented.

'On the nose', and why it matters

Remember that references to soil-type and minerals are habitual in wine-tasting parlance; these descriptions do not mean you are about to drink a glass of what is basically liquid mud, but will often refer to elements that, perhaps, remind you of the smell of countryside in spring (floral and grassy rather than cow-pats), or that earthy autumn or late-winter rain-on-grass scent, which may be uplifting to the end drinker, seasonally-appropriate (think of how the smell of mulled wine reminds one of cosy Christmases around a roaring log-fire, for example), or add to the sense of its being warm or refreshing.

Whilst many may dismiss the idea of the scent of wine being worth taking into account, don't forget that what food and drink smells like is important – the tastiest-possible sauce will make you feel physically ill if it actually stinks of rotting fish, and we've all had the unpleasant experience of sipping directly from a fizzy-drink can which has clearly been handled by someone who forgot to wash their hands after going to the bathroom. You don't want your sweet treats smelling of something savoury, even if said savoury item is delicious in itself, for example, but a drink or food item which tastes of literally nothing might still be pleasant if it has a strong aroma of, perhaps, vanilla or chocolate.

The 'finish': If it lingers, it'll probably last you longer

Talking of chocolate, the aroma of cocoa, combined with that of red fruits, is part of what gives the Volaverunt red, on sale for €5.99 in Lidl, its 89 points, along with its sweet, fresh flavour and its balanced, long finish.

A 'long finish' is what you want when something tastes delicious. Think about how your favourite chocolate bar never lasts long enough, and how you don't want to eat or drink anything for a while afterwards as you're still enjoying the flavour of it in your mouth. The desirability of a 'long finish' means you can savour a wine for longer after each sip, so in theory, you drink it more slowly and it doesn't run out in a hurry.

Taste and scent are subjective – even for professional oenologists

Breaking the 90-point barrier does not automatically mean the price shoots up. Tramuz, a red from the Ribera de Duero region – another described as cherry-coloured and also 'clean and glistening' – retails in Lidl at €4.49, and the Peñín claims it is fruity, smooth, elegant, fresh, intense, with a complex mix of flavours and a scent of red fruits.

'Scent' in oenology is described as 'on the nose', since 'aroma', in the wine-tasting world, means the immediate and overriding flavour, or the elements that the first sip reminds you of.

And apparently, neither of these are especially complicated ideas: Professional sommeliers say you should describe exactly what you feel. If you, as the taster, think it reminds you of strawberry milkshake with a hint of curry sauce and well-salted French fries, then that's perfectly okay, even if the next taster is reminded of caviar, cucumbers and raspberry-ripple ice-cream.

In most cases, though, a panel of tasters, beginners or experts, will probably come up with very similar ideas of what they think a flavour is reminiscent of, exactly as would be the case with any group of people eating or drinking the same food or liquid and who would be unlikely to diverge radically in their experience of it.

Another 90-point wine in the guide is a little more pricey, but still incredibly cheap for a world-acclaimed tipple: Finca de la Cruz; again, a red from the Ribera de Duero, it comes in at €8.99 and is described as 'balanced', 'creamy' and 'fruity' in flavour and texture, with a slight woody hint from the barrels it was aged in and a fruits-of-the-forest taste.

This one is from Lidl, like the others, but they may be found in other supermarkets in Spain, too, and the price is unlikely to vary greatly – at most, a few cents – and could be a life-saver this festive season for those whose imagination has run dry, whose purse is dryer still, but who likes to involve plenty of consideration and personal touches in all presents they give at Christmas.