The Vega del Rayo Reserva Rioja 2006 is brick red in colour, with fruit perfumes of plums and wild blackberry with hints of dried citrus peel and raisins. The sweet vanilla and brown spices from aging in wood are well balanced by ripe red fruit flavours. Silky and ample on the palate with an elegant finish.

This Rioja Reserva is great with lamb or beef dishes.

Bodegas Carlos Serres was created in 1896 by a French immigrant to the region, Charles Serres. From Orleans, Serres left his native France when the phylloxera epidemc hit the country in the late 19th century, bringing French technology and know how to Spain's most famous wine region. Initially sending his wines to France, they began to garner a good reputation, and soon he was exporting them to the Americas, a decision which allowed the expansion of the winery throughout the early 20th century. Having undertaken his wine training in France, his son Carlos aided and eventually took over from his father in the 1950s, and oversaw a continued quest for wines of quality and elegance.