Verdejo

Verdejo is a highly regarded Spanish white grape. Unrelated to Portuguese Verdelho, Verdejo has the nuttiness of many Spanish whites though is perhaps a little lighter and livelier, with a moderate perfume. Unusually, it is usually blended with stylistically similar grapes - Spanish Macabeo/Viura and French Sauvignon Blanc - especially in Rueda, where after being revived in the Rioja region by Marques de Riscal the grape established itself and now dominates the blend of its classic expression, Rueda Verdejo. Despite its importance in Spain, Verdejo is an intensely localised phenomenon - with virtually zero percent grown elsewhere.