Wine Region: Navarra

(2025) From a cooperative of 192 vine growers in Navarra, grapes come exclusively from high-altitude vineyards in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Most notably, this weighs in with just 10.5% alcohol which could be useful on occasions. Fresh, crisp with good fruit, this has the zip of a Sauvignon and the orchard and lemon fruit of a Pinot Grigio and is an elegant summer sipper.

(2025) Early Azahar is an orange wine, made from Garnacha Blanco and Viura, and given 30 days of skin contact. It's insulting to call this very appealing wine 'beginner's orange wine', but what I mean is that it has fruit and juiciness to the fore, rather than the sometimes quite tannic and relatively fruitless more extreme examples. This has charm in abundance with sweet mandarin orange, jasmine and chamomile notes aromatically, and a juicy, fruity palate touching on peach. The skin contact traits are there, with the texture and with a little herbal, dry edge, but it finishes with balance and a high enjoyability quotient. Watch the video for more information.

(2022) From a winery that is a monastery on the Santiago Pilgrim Route, this is 100% Tempranillo similar to Crianzas from nearby Rioja. Ripe and quite vibrant, plenty of dark, vine fruits and a touch of smokiness. The palate is firm, structured and juicy, the oak ageing adding a dark and smoky edge to a finish of taut tannins and acids.

(2022) Amongst the cheaper wines of this selection, 100% Garnacha or Grenache, made in stainless steel. Immediately juicy, easy and attractive on the nose, there's a little floral perfume to the ripe red berries. The palate has a creamy texture and almost chocolaty edge, the fruit a little darker than the nose suggested, with a ripe but biting axis of spice, tannin and acidity to freshen the finish. Excellent everyday house wine potential here.

(2021) Cherry, lipstick and red liquorice aromas in this relatively deep pink wine, a touch of tanky pear drop. Onto the just off-dry palate, well-tempered raspberry and small red berry fruits, the texture is nicely medium-bodied and the balance of acidity and fruit is good. No heather will be set on fire, but summery and quaffable. Available early May (tbc)

(2021) An unoaked blend from Navarra, this has a generous dark berry fruitiness, a little tug of tobacco spice too. In the mouth it's a sweet and juicy, gluggable drinker. There is a welcome touch of grippy and rustic tannin and some dry, cherry-pit acidity to add a bit of austerity against the sweet fruit.

(2021) A barrel-fermented Chardonnay from Navarra in the south of Spain, as cheap as chips at £5.99 and nicely understated on the nose, just a creamy background to ripe, red apple fruitiness. On the palate it is straightforward, lemony, more juicy apple and it is clean and well-made. Not a distinctive Chardonnay, but a light- to medium-bodied quaffer, oak way in the background.

(2020) Grenache and Grenache Blanc are combined here in a wine that has seen partial barrel fermentation, followed by ageing on the lees for five months. It's a wine with a very appealing blend of power and concentration, but good freshness and a vivacious side too. Cool, orchard fruit and citrus aromas have just a little suggestion of maybe marshmallow, or certainly something sweet with a touch of berry fruit. In the mouth it has good texture and weight, very cool and pure fruit, and the acidity drives the wine to the finish.

(2020) One of the more unusual and more interesting pink wines, principally because it is a rare barrel-fermented rosé, the blend composed of 54% Garnacha (Grenache) and 46% Tempranillo, from Chivite's Navarra vineyards in northern Spain. It is pale in colour and pretty on the nose, the aromas immediately betray that barrel influence from the Alliers oak, vanilla, toast and a touch of truffle, but that's amongst the fragrant raspberry and summery, blossom fruits. In the mouth that creaminess and toast from the barrel is evident again, adding lots of intrigue, and melting into the soft pillow of red berries, a good and slightly salty acidity, all completing a fascinating picture.

(2020) Another wine in a 250ml ringpull can (aluminium and recyclable), this is 100% old-vine Grenache and is organic, from vineyards in Navarra, Spain. It pours a pale and vibrant rose pink, with quite mellow aromas, lightly creamy red fruits. In the mouth it is lively, with a very gentle spritz on opening that dissipates, then sweetly-ripe, strawberry and papaya flavours and gentle acidity making it very easy to drink and picnic-friendly. It's quite widely available, and 31Dover.com sell a four-pack for just under £15.