Anciano Clasico Garnacha

NZ Master of Wine Steve Bennett regularly travels through Europe sniffing, swirling and spitting his way through thousands of wines to find the best and the best of the best to chuck on a boat and bring into Aotearoa. The Anciano brand is one that has been delivering amazing bang for buck in absolute spades for some time now and this is the latest release under this label – Anciano Clasico Garnacha!

Spanish winemaker Jorge Caus Pertegaz, alongside (another) Master of Wine Norrel Robertson, has produced this rich, flavour packed red from a part of Valencia called Terres dels Alforins, also nicknamed “Valencian Tuscany”, a little part of the wine world that’s been tended to since Roman times!

This is 85% Garnacha with 10% Tempranillo and 5% Monastrell for added flavour and complexity. The debut release of this label has certainly got the thumbs up from two local critics, including (yet another) Master of Wine Bob Campbell who picked it as a Buy of the Week in August 2022 and then selected it in his “Top 10 Reds” for January 2023!

Scoring it 90/100 Bob called it “A bold, intense and pleasantly rustic red with cassis, plum, berry, charcuterie, dark chocolate, and wood-smoke flavours supported by round, ripe tannins. A rich, savoury wine that offers great value at this price”.

Not only does the wine taste the part it looks the part with its fancy gold wire wrap! So whip out the corkscrew (you’ll need it here) and enjoy this one with red meats (think lamb, casseroles, sausages and other grilled red meats), a hearty vegetarian feed or a nice wedge of mature cheese.