Bilaire Blanco 2024

A barrel-aged white from a grape the market forgot.

Ben: Merseguera fell out of fashion: it ripens late, and on rich soils it gives big yields of plain wine, so most of it ended up in bulk. A family winery in the hills behind Alicante grows it the hard way — bush vines at 600 metres on poor soil — ferments it cool and gives it a few months of barrel. You rarely see this grape on its own.

In your glass: Middle weight for a white — those barrel months round it out — with a fresh, citrus-edged finish that ends dry. It's the quiet kind of interesting: a forgotten grape doing steady weeknight work. Pick it as the weeknight default that still gives you something to notice; if you're after loud and tropical, this one stays quiet.

Serve it: An hour in the fridge.

You’ll probably love it if: Your weeknight white should cost little and still have something to say — from a grape the market forgot.

Skip it if: Want wilder and sharper → What Time Is Too Late To Go To Bed (€20.70). Want a red at the same money → the red Bilaire.