This week SuperValu launches its Spanish and Portuguese Wine Sale. It will last for three weeks. It looks fabulous.

Spain is red hot right now for both value and quality – and for variety as well. For so long we were treated to brilliant Rioja, Sherry and Miguel Torres – and little else. Not any longer.

Portugal continues to be one of the hidden wine gems of Europe. This is a country that can lay claim to be both brilliant and unique. It has so many grape types not found anywhere else that every one of its regions is waiting to be explored.

Here’s a glimpse of some of the treats available though the Sale:

Marques de Caceres Gran Reserva 2014 Rioja €15.00 (This is down from €30!) What an incredible treat. This is a wine that drinks years younger than it is. As such it doesn’t have any of the brick red and aged bouquets that many Gran Reservas have. No, this is delicously tight, rich, robust and eminently drinkable.

Mosaic Priorat €13.39 (down from €19.99) Priorat is an area of extreme slopes made of slate, very often terraced leading to a visual feast. The top wines from the region can be prohibitively expensive so its great to see SuperValu bringing us such a great wine at such a great price. A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan with 40% aged in new French oak Mosaic brings us layers of rich and interesting red fruits.

Fado Friendship Reserva €10.00 (down from €13.99) A fine example of some of the riches available from Portugal. Follow these grapes! 40% Tinta Roriz, 30% Alicante Bouschet and 30% Syrah. Brilliant … bouquet is seductive and inviting; mouth feel is rich and warming; finish is balanced and memorable. Super Value.

White wines are here as well! It took Spain a while to work out how to produce white wines for export. Once they cracked it we found extraordinary wines made from a variety of native grapes such as Albarinho, Verdejo, Viura and, of course the great Torres Vina Sol made from the Parellada. SuperValu has them all! Martin Codax Albarinho €12.70, Marques de Caceres Verdejo €10.00, Torres Vina Sol €8.00. In addition they also have the following intriguing wines:

Marques de Caceres Verdejo, Rueda. Really great value at €10.00. Verdejo is the biggest selling white grape in Spain itself. Crisp, fresh with a distinct green guage background it always gives a textural kick to the palate. Great food wine.

The Five Hidden Lagoons Sauvignon Blanc €10.00 is an Organic wine made with grapes picked in the cool of the night time. It comes to us from the fabulous Gonzalez Byass family and I can’t fault their description which includes, ‘..ripe lime, nectarine, papaya and mango blended with notes of fresh herbs, tomato plant…’. Probably easier to say, think New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc style from Spain. Crowd pleaser. Also look out for the Gonzalez Byass wine from Somontano in the north of Spain. It’s the Vinas Del Vero Gewurtztraminer at €10.00.

Portugal has white also! I’ve been along time fan of the Esporao label. Their Pe Branco €8.00 from the Alentejo is crisp, fresh and delightful. Serve direct fom the fridge for a blast of summer sunshine!

I cant emphasise strongly enough that this is just a small sample of what’s on offer at the Sale. Checkout SuperValu for more.

Final suggestion. Ever wonder what outstanding sherry is all about? Maybe not! You most likely seldom lose sleep over whether you’ve tried a 30 years old Palo Cortado either. That said SuperValu have included the gold standard Apostoles aged 30 years Palo Cortado in the sale for the world beating price of only €15.00 (37.5cl). This is to savour!