Whiter than white

Oddly enough we tend to think of wine as red, while for thousands of years it was always white. Perhaps surprisingly it is probable that ten or a hundred times more white wine has ever been drunk throughout history than red.

In the Pharos' time the bulk transport in amphora that kept sailing ships busy between Greece, Italy and Spain involved sweet wine, such as Málaga, Madeira, Marsala, etc. But slowly these were replaced by what we refer to today as 'red table wine', as a more sophisticated class of drinker demanded something that would accompany the more complex food being prepared by a new breed of chefs who no longer saw themselves as faceless kitchen hands.

During the time that French wine was considered the international gold standard, whites were largely eclipsed, and even today there are distributors in the USA whose selection of white wines from any region is pathetic to the point of being derisory.

Moreover, we are all familiar with drinkers who still epitomise that outmoded opinion that somehow whites are not masculine (rosés even less so).

Fortunately, white wine is on the rise again, and many have higher alcohol levels than reds. Sherries can go up to 18º, as do most dessert varieties.

These days some of Spain's greatest wines are white: the luscious Godellos from Valdeorras, the Albillos from Méntrida, and the Verdejo Ossians from Segovia. So, the next time the waiter asks 'White or red?', give white a chance, or, as many aficionados do, request an extra glass and ask for some of each.