#WineWednesday: Spain, Under-Priced and Under-Appreciated

By / Wine + Drinks / November 6th, 2013 / Like

Over the past few weeks I’ve had opportunity to taste some pretty awesome wines from Spain … you know, the land of Tempranillo, Monastrell and Garnacha.

It used to be that Spain was all about Rioja wines, but these days there are so many regions coming on-line making such wonderful wines full of lush fruit and having great finesse.

The thing that gets me about Spanish wines is their prices.  I can’t believe the amount of quality wines under $20 – in both the wines to drink now and wines to drink later category (in other words, wines for the table and wines for the cellar).  My collection of Spanish wines grows monthly and I’m not afraid to keep them for extended lengths of time; get familiar with wines from Spain and you’ll notice your collection growing too.

Here is just a sampling of some of those great Spanish finds I have tasted lately.

Borsao 2011 Tres Picos Garnacha ($19.95)

Silky smooth with big alcohol (15%) but it hardly shows: plumy and chocolaty with plenty of black cherry.

Monteabellon 5 Meses en Barrica ($19.95)

Vanilla oak, blackberry and cocoa, sweet cherry, black raspberry with a nice backbone of tannin and spice.

Breca 2010 Old Vines Garnacha ($19.95)

Stunning and delicious.  Plum, cherry, cassis, and blackberry fruit, then along comes chocolate  with a mineral chalkiness; but who is kidding anyone this one is mainly juicy with its purity fruit and hints of spice.

Ondarra 2006 Reserva ($17.95)

Sweet fruit in the form of spiced cherry and blackberry on the front palate, while on the finish fruity with hints of vanilla.

For more wine suggestions, see our other #WineWednesday posts.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael is an award-winning journalist: Promoting the Promoters Award Cuvée 2010 and Ontario Wine Awards Journalist of the Year 2012.  He is also a national and international wine judge - Ontario Wine Awards, All Canadian Wine Championships; Best of Riesling — Germany; Essencia do Vinho — "Top Wines of Portugal".  He is currently the President of the Wine Writers Circle of Canada and the wine columnist for Ottawa Life and Grand magazine as well as regular contributor to Tidings, and Grapevine ... his reviews have also appeared in the LCBO Vintages magazine. Michael has also added a YouTube channel to his activities where he reviews bottles of great Ontario wine on a weekly basis. In whatever he does, it is Michael’s desire to educate, inspire and encourage others to grow their own love and enthusiasm for wine – and to realize that it is their palate that ultimately makes the decision.

Comments are closed.

North America’s Longest Running Food & Wine Magazine

Get Quench-ed!!!

Champion storytellers & proudly independent for over 50 years. Free Weekly newsletter & full digital access