We would have the occasional lunch out, as a treat (probably not regarded as such by our boys James and john, who would rather have stayed by the pool), and chose to visit a rather swish looking place near one of the villages. How we chose it, heaven knows, there was no Trip Advisor, but there was an additional and unexpected ‘attraction’ in the form of a traveling bullring. We must have stumbled upon ‘Una Fiesta Brava’ because the village had a distinctly festive ambience, with many women and girls dressed in alluring flamenco-style polka-dot dresses.

The idea of the bullfight did not appeal, but we did get caught up in the ambiance. As a consequence, whist there is no way we would have wanted to see the bullfight in close-up, we did get to sneak a view from the nearby hillside, where we could hear the pasadobles and the roar of the crowd, without the gore.

What we had for lunch escapes me entirely; we knew we had to have a white wine for refreshment, but were doubtful whether it would be pleasurable – this was not so many years after you could buy a bottle of sparkling white wine for half a crown, and still wines often had a brownish tinge through oxidation which rendered them distinctly unpleasant. I probably sought advice, and accepted the recommended bottle of Viña Sol.

What a revelation! Very pale and limpid in the glass, clean and fresh on the nose: on the palate, a fresh mouthfeel with a suggestion of green apple, dry, but without stinging acidity. Oh my, on that hot, dry day, how we enjoyed it! It was only later that we came to realise we should not have been surprised by this ‘cool climate’ delight. It was from Familia Torres, a Spanish producer we have learned to respect for appealing wines at reasonable prices. Red, white and rosé, I doubt there is a dud among them and their ‘quality wines’ are worth the premium.

Viña Sol is made from Parellada, an indigenous Spanish variety widely used in Cava, there must be other still white wines in which it is used, but I’m not aware of them. In 2012, Viña Sol celebrated 50 years of production and whilst the label may have been spruced up (and long-since lost the side-line ‘Spanish Chablis’) it continues to be an excellent refresher for a hot summer’s day.

In the UK, Viña Sol is very widely available in supermarkets. It is priced between £6.00 (Morrisons offer price) and £7.70 (Waitrose). Sadly, there is no Viña Sol in my cellar… I must look out for an offer price a bit closer to home than Morrisons.