Mar de Frades Albarino Brut Nature, Rias Baixas NV

Bodegas Mar de Frades, which means Sea of Friars in the local Galego language, is based in Galicia, north west Spain, a few kilometres the town of Pontevedra, in the heart of Albarinño country. Indeed Mar de Frades, which was established in 1987, has been very closely bound up with the development and current popularity of Rias Baixas as a wine region and the area's signature grape variety.

With 60 hectares of their own they are one of the largest vineyard owners in the region and in addition they purchase grapes from 150 smalll growers comprising a further 90 hectares. All this makes them one of the biggest players in Rias Baixas. The winemaker here is native Galician Paula Fandiño, who joined the company in 2007 and, as well as producing benchmark albariño, is constantly looking at further developments and improvements. She's responsible for the region's first sparkling albariño and has recently successfully introduced the godello grape to region. One of the winery's main trade marks is the use distinctive blue bottles and temperature sensitive 'thermochromic' labels which indicate when the wine is at the correct temperature for serving.

Whether, or not, you consider some of their introductions a bit gimmicky there's certainly no underestimating the quality of their wines.