Spain, Sunshine & the Considerable Talents of Barry Robins
Date: Wednesday 15 April 2026
Venue: L’Escut Restaurant, Jávea
Presenter: Barry Robins
April did its job. The skies above Jávea were a cloudless blue, the room filled up nicely, and the
wine — as we shall come to shortly — was very good indeed. By any reasonable measure, a
successful afternoon.
Our presenter for the occasion was the incomparable Barry Robins, who had clearly approached
his selection with considerably more rigour than most of us apply to anything. Four Spanish wines. One white, one rosé, two reds. A proper tour of the country, assembled with care and delivered with genuine enthusiasm — even if certain Spanish wine names proved, shall we say, aerobically challenging. The room was forgiving. The wine helped.
The Wines
Barry opened with a Sauvignon Blanc from Castilla y León — crisp, fresh, and precisely the sort
of thing you want in your hand on a sunny April afternoon. It did what a good white should:
disappeared quickly and left everyone wanting more. An excellent opening move.
The rosé came next — a deep, strawberry-pink effort from Navarra, packed with berry fruit and the kind of easy charm that converts even the most stubborn rosé sceptics. Several members were visibly won over. They know who they are.
From there, Barry took us south with a Monastrell from Jumilla — a proper, full-bodied red with
dark fruit and a touch of spice. The sort of wine that rewards a bit of patience, which it received,
and then some. The room approved.
The finale was a Rioja Crianza — smooth, oak-aged, and the kind of wine that makes you sit back and nod slowly as though you know exactly what you’re tasting. Which, after three glasses, most of us did. A fitting close to a very well-judged lineup.
Birthdays, the Raffle & a Fond Farewell
April also brought two birthdays to celebrate. Jill Crabtree (22nd) and Frank Campbell (24th) both
received the full WAG treatment — the song, the applause, and that particular brand of collective
good cheer that this group does rather well. A genuine pleasure.
The raffle, as ever, produced four winners, four bottles of wine, and the usual mix of quiet
satisfaction and barely concealed envy from the unlucky majority. Democracy in action.
The food, prepared by Elizabeth of L’Escut, was outstanding — as it invariably is. It is one of the
quiet certainties of a WAG afternoon: whatever the wine, the kitchen will match it.
The afternoon wound down in the way WAG afternoons should: slowly, convivially, and with no
great urgency on anyone’s part to be elsewhere. A warm thank you to Barry for a superb
afternoon’s work. The bar, it’s fair to say, has been set.
Next meeting: Wednesday 20 May 2026. Same time, same place, and — if the form holds —
equally good wine.
Mac & Roger,
wineappreciationjavea@gmail.com
