Wine of the week: Marques de Caceres Verdejo 2020

This Spanish white offers value and availability for just $8

In the WC’s eternal quest for widely available wines that don’t taste fakely sweet or designed to be focus-group “smoooth,” supermarket Spanish wines often turn up.

In this case, the Marques de Caceres Verdejo 2020 ($8, purchased, 13.5%).

The Caceres is made by a large Spanish producer that sells its wines in 120 countries, so it won’t be confused with a boutique producer. But this white, made with the verdejo grape (a long-time Wine Curmudgeon favorite), is remarkably consistent – something that multi-national producers should excel at but don’t always manage to do.

The 2019 vintage was exceptional, and if the 2020 isn’t quite as amazing, it’s still a fine wine – and especially for $8. This is not a delicate wine, full of finesse; instead, look for fresh, tart lemon fruit, a touch of softness in the middle to balance the lemon, and a not quite stony finish.

In other words, the kind of wine to buy – a couple of bottles, perhaps – the next time you’re at the supermarket to keep on hand when you feel like a glass of white wine.

Imported by Vineyard Brands