Chilled fizzy red wine made by a Scottish female wine producer? Pamela Geddes, who grew up in Bridge of Allan, is breaking a few of the unwritten rules of the wine industry.  Now running her own winery near Barcelona she has been featured on Scottish Television, Catalan television, BBC Radio Scotland and in the Daily Express.

Here, friend and wine drinker Lesley Ratomska tells us how Pamela started Lobban wines.

Summer is just around the corner – honest – and what nicer way to spend an evening in the garden than with a glass of wine in your hand while you admire the roses. Not just any wine but award winning wine produced in Catalunya by Aberdeen-born winemaker Pamela Geddes. Yes, I know it’s not often wine, Aberdeen and Spain all appear in the same sentence.

We don’t really associate Scotland with nurturing wine makers, but award-winning winemaker Pamela Geddes is bucking the trend. She cut her teeth first of all in medical research related to body fluids and quickly realised that line of conversation didn’t always go down well on nights out and thought the whisky industry might be better for her health. Unfortunately it wasn’t – you do have to taste as you go along – but it was certainly a better topic of conversation. From there she moved to the opposite side of the world and for 5 years was responsible for sparkling wine production for Southcorp making their Seppelt sparkling wines.

Being a true Scot she moved to Barcelona in time to support the spectators pouring into Barcelona for the Olympics and set up a pop-up wine bar in the Cuitadella Park. Barcelona became her permanent home in 1996 and she is now producing some amazing wines under her own label, Lobban Wines. La Rosita, a sparkling rose made from 100% garnacha, El Gordito, an award-winning full-bodied red garnacha shiraz which has just picked up a Silver award at the International Wine Challenge Awards for its 2007 production and La Pamelita, a sparkling shiraz red which also picked up a Bronze award and was named in 2011 as one of the top 100 new wave Spanish wines.

Lobban Wines is a small producer creating just 7,000 bottles of each wine per harvest. Pamela bottles, corks, labels, packs and sells everything herself. Thankfully, some locals help her pick the grapes. So, where can you get your hands on some of this wine? Aitkens Wine Warehouse in Dundee, Villeneuve Wines in Edinburgh and Pebbles and WoodWinters in Bridge of Allan are all reliable source and Harvey Nicks in Edinburgh and London occasionally stocks La Pamelita and El Gordito. Always phone in advance to check availability. Alternatively, leave some room in your suitcase and buy direct from her winery next time you’re visiting Barcelona. Email Pamela in advance at info@lapamelita.com with your travel dates and she’ll arrange a tasting for you. Personal travellers can visit her winery at St Jaume Sesoliveres, 75 kms north east on the A2. Hmm … I can feel that warm Spanish sun coming out of my laptop.