I first tasted Méntrida in a restaurant in San Sebastián 12 years ago, and I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect bottle ever since.

At the Barcelona wine fair earlier this year, Ferran Centelles, one of Spain’s most respected wine journalists, ordered me to see Maite Sánchez, at a secret underground tasting near the fair.

Maite is one of the rising stars of the up-and-coming Méntrida region, just outside of Madrid. After a few sips of her wine, I could see exactly why.

They’ve been making wine in Méntrida since the 12th century, and until recently it was mostly shipped in secret up to Rioja, adding colour and alcohol to the famous region’s reds.

Garnacha however is a grape on the rise in Spain, and talented young winemakers like Maite are driving this revolution.

So it’s my huge pleasure to bring her wine over to Ireland for the first time.