This is one of my favorite vineyard shots, so I figured I'd start out my blog with it. I traveled to Spain in the fall of 2000, and spent 3 months studying abroad thru the Universidad de Valencia. It was in Spain, when I first started to drink wine. It was $.50 in the grocery store, and the cheapest alcohol to buy. My friends and I also discovered that when you mix red wine with Coca Cola, it taste a little bit like Cherry Coke. For a poor college student, this became instantly popular! Later, we learned this was also the choice drink for bums...
Spain is one of the oldest wine regions in the world. Archeologist date wine production back to 3000 BC! Today, Spain has the most "land under vine", but is third in production behind France and Italy. There are 4 main regions in Spain: Rioja, Ribero del Duero, Priorat, and La Mancha. There are a few others that are gaining recongnition: Penedes (Cava), Jumilla, Monstant. If you look at the picture above you'll notice the soil. They're like your kickball field in elementary school. Very sandy, dirty, and somewhat rocky. This makes for excellent drainage, and makes the vines really dig deep for its water source! They call this 'stressing the vine'. It makes for a more complex grape.
In keeping with the Spanish them, I opened a bottle of tempranillo last night. Occasionally, after doing events, I'll "trade" wine with other vendors. I hadn't had anything from Spain in awhile, so I figured I'd give it a whirl! I cracked open a 2006 Volteo Tempranillo. 100% Tempranillo, with a few months in oak. It comes from the Castilla region, which is just outside of Madrid (in La Mancha). I would consider this one of the "bulk" regions in Spain (like Langeudoc is to France). Reds from this area tend to be more New World (brighter, more concentrated fruit), than Old World (terrior driven, dirty, leathery, earthy. Here's what I got:
Nose: simply put, it's like sticking your nose into a jar of raspberry jam. Other than that, I don't get much. Maybe a little bacon fat nuance. It doesn't excite me
On the palate: I got "nice" sour cherry notes, but it lacked any dimension. You get a little in the front palate, and then it just dies. No finish at all.
This is the kind of wine that you want enjoy while watching TV, and eating Doritos. It's got a cool package that intriged me. It has one of those "cold activated" labels. It turns blue when it's ready to be drank. Retails on this wine range between $8 - $10. I wouldn't pay much higher than $7.99 for this wine. I represent a wine from La Mancha: Condesa de Leganza Crianza. Retails for $8.99. I find this to be a similar offering, but has more depth on the palate. La Mancha actually has some tremendous values in the market. If you're in your local wine shop, pick up a few bottles. You, generally, will not pay more than $10 for a bottle. If you're interested in Spanish wines, but don't like the "dried fruit notes" that you get from Rioja, this region is a great gateway into building your palate!
Question of the blog: have you tried La Mancha/Castilla wines? if so, which ones? what were the favorites?
I heard about this Web site through Radiator. I always trust his referrals.
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