Ben Giddings and Matthew Desoutter are British expats who are currently based in Madrid. The pair met when they were both working for the British Embassy in Spain and they told Express.co.uk about their new project Simply Spanish Wine.
“Instead of moving to the city, they were going back to their rural roots and resustitacing vineyards that maybe their parents or grandparents had found.
“There’s also been an influx of women winemakers which was quite interesting and very exciting for Spanish wine.”
He said: “We started to look at the extent that that was reflected back in the UK and if people were trying wines from beyond the traditional Spanish regions.
“We saw that wasn’t really the case. I think everyone is either obsessed with France and Italy or they’re drinking New World wines.”
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The pair felt that British people needed to know more about the incredible diversity of wines on offer from Spain.
Matthew told Express.co.uk: “I think Spain has got the variety and modernity of new world wines but also the history of old.
“So about five years ago we set up a business to bring wines from small to medium sized Spanish producers to the UK.
“We work with wines that are made with care and reflect the winemaking traditions and customs in a particular area.
“So we’re talking about wines very often made with native grapes that are traditionally grown in that area but less known outside that region.”
After building their export business, the pair decided to launch a new project to introduce the expat audience in Spain to Spanish wines.
Ben said: “We’re very attuned to the UK market and the UK palate and we want to educate our audience on what Spanish wine is all about.
“Because we’re expats ourselves, we do see Spain with a bit of an expat mindset and sometimes there’s a lot of terminology that can be difficult for people to get their head round.
“Wine can also be quite regional in Spain so it can be difficult if you’re living in one part of the country to access wine from another region.”
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