Critics toast 2015 Spanish wine as one of best on planet

A SPANISH wine has been called one of the world’s greatest by esteemed wine critic James Suckling.

After a mass tasting of nearly 1,200 wines by Suckling and his team, ‘Les Tosses’ by the Terroir al Limit winery ranked ninth in Spain’s top 100.

The 2015 single vineyard, single variety wine was noted as ‘perhaps one of the greatest Carinenas in the world’.

Carinena, also known as Carignan, is a grape named after the area where it is believed to have originated – Carinena in Aragon.

Said winery spokeswoman Ruth Fernández: “2015 was a very hot summer, especially June. Before harvesting it rained a bit and the harvest itself was very good.”

The winery was launched in 2001 by Dominik Huber and winemaker Eben Sadie who was a pioneer for South Africa’s Swartland wine region.

Produced using 120-year-old vines, the wine made in Priorat, Tarragona was first released in 2006, and the 2015 vintage is not the first time it has been recognised. The 2014 vintage made last year’s list.

The same winery also saw its Priorat Pedra de Guix 2015 come in at no.19 and its Garnacha Priorat Les Manyes 2015 securing No. 33.

Iconic wine Vega Sicilia’s Unico 2006 took the top position.