..And to drink?

The wines of Catalonia have much more in common with their cousins over the border in France, and indeed the wines of Sardinia, than those of the rest of Spain. Catalonia has its own language and its own proud history. It was once part of the Crown of Aragon, a mainly Catalan-speaking empire that at its greatest extent encompassed much of northern Spain, parts of southern France, the Balearic islands, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily and some of southern Italy. The Crown of Aragon joined with that of Castile in 1469 to form Spain. A relic of the old Aragonese empire is the spread of certain grape varieties such as Garnatxa (Grenache in French) and Carinyena (Carignan). Here are four to savour from both sides of the border.

Tomàs Cusiné Costers del Segre Auzells 2013, £10.50: www.thewinesociety.com
A real hodge-podge of grapes goes into this lemony and floral white. It’s clean with a certain mineral quality and some length.

Celler de Capçanes Peraj Petita 2011, £12.95: www.bbr.com
A typically Catalan blend of Garnatxa and Carinyena with a little Tempranillo thrown in. This smells volcanic and in the mouth it’s deliciously fresh, peppery and with some leather on the finish.

Celler de Capçanes Peraj Ha’abib Flor de Primavera 2010, £25.95: www.bbr.com
This wine is Kosher, and I don’t mean that in the Jamie Oliver sense. I mean it’s been made according to Jewish dietary laws. It’s also extremely good: elegant and perfumed with something of a top-quality Bordeaux about it.

Carignan Old Vines Red 2012, £10: Marks & Spencer
A great-value wine from French Catalonia. It’s smoky, meaty and pleasingly rustic.