Paco and Lola are a young, groovy couple (far groovier than you, me, or anyone we know) who work in media, hang out in all the happening places and are known as the Divine Duo. In short, they are the kind of annoyingly perfect couple you love to hate. So why base a wine brand on them?
Well, it’s something called aspirational marketing in which a whole universe is created online around concept characters designed to make you think you must buy whatever it is they are drinking in the vague hope it will make you just like them. It doesn’t of course, but you still might want to drink the wine.
What you get is 100 percent Albariño in a bottle with a polka dot label, and it is pretty good, easy drinking stuff. What I love about Albariño generally is its minerally brightness; it always reminds me of the sea or, more accurately, it reminds me of standing at the top of a cliff being buffeted by the wind and the sea, which is more or less what happens around the Rias Baixas in Galicia where it comes from.
Paco y Lola is a sort of a beginner’s version of Albariño; a gentle introduction to the more characterful white wines of Spain that have been known to turn even the most ardent tinto drinker. In this case it’s an appealing pale honey colour, and nicely citrusy in the mouth, making it a great match to fish and seafood, and a winner at picnics methinks.