Kategoriarkiv: Spanish red wines

Spanish red wines, Uncategorized

Smooth raspberries and earth from Terra Alta

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From the southern part of Catalunya in Spain called Terra Alta I try the Interstellar Organic Garnacha 2022 from the producer Herència Altès. This wine gets 79 points (Good wine). The price at Systembolaget is 101 SEK, and the nr 20065.

De Haan Altés was founded in 2010 by Nuria Alte and Rafael de Haan, and after having bought grapes they bought the vineyard La Serra and started their own winery in 2013.

This wine is made from the black grape variety Garnacha (which is called Grenache in France). The wine has a medium light ruby colour, and on the nose I sense fruity raspberries, strawberries, cherries, bay leaf as well as earthy notes and medium intense notes of oak like cloves and vanilla. On the palate the wine shows smooth raspberry and cherry notes, paired with spice, vanilla and chocolate.

This wine is dry and has a medium (+) acidity level and a high alcohol level of 14,5 % abv, however the tannins are medium and smooth. The flavors are not very pronounced and the body is medium, so all in all the wine feels fruity and fresh with a medium light finish.

The wine has been matured for 4 months in large Austrian oak barrels, and its smooth texture, balanced acidity and fruity red flavors makes it a good wine to match with lighter meat dishes, such as grilled pork chops with creamy herb sauce or roasted lamb with oven-baked potatoes. Also good with salads with cheese or similar vegetarian dishes.

It is best served at 16-18°C, and is best to drink now and will not improve with bottle-ageing. Surprisingly good though at this price-level!

Spanish red wines

Torres San Valentin – easy to like and worth its price

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Spain has a long wine history, and has gone through lots of modernisation lately. It is one of the world’s largest suppliers, and its most famous grape varieties are white airén and the black tempranillo and garnacha (grenache).

Torres San Valentin Garnacha (79 SEK, nr 12755 at Swedish Systembolaget) is made of 100 % garnacha (black grape variety) and has an alcohol level of 14 %. The producer is the Torres family, DO Catalunya, and this is one of the world’s most well-known wine producing families, active since the seventeenth century. The sweet thing is that this wine was created by Miguel Torres Carbó as a gift to his wife Margarita on Valentine’s day – hence its name!

The grapes are harvested in September, and the wine is fermented in steel tanks with some skin contact.

On the nose there is a lot of cherries, plums, raspberries and some liquorice and toffee notes. It has a youthful tone with medium intensity. It has a purple red colour, and on the palate you get a medium-bodied taste of red fruits like cherries and plums, with some liquorice and soft acidity.

This wine gets 89 points – mainly because it is well-balanced and well worth its price! To be served at 16-18°C, mainly with vegetarian dishes or light meal dishes. It can also be enjoyed on its own, or with several kind of cheeses like Gruyère.

Spanish red wines

Beronia Rioja 2013 is ok but slightly sour

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In Spain, in the Rioja region (North, on the River Ebro) there are three main areas – Rioja Alta is the larger area and this is where Bodegas Beronia is situated. The winery was built in 1973, and the grape varieties found are Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and Viura. From the beginning the owners have had a big interest for quality and ecology.

The ecological Beronia Rioja 2013 is made of 100% Tempranillo, the typical Rioja grape variety. On the nose it has the typical dill and dark cherries, with some oak as well as spice.

On the palate the wine also expresses some typical Rioja features – like dark cherries, oak and vanilla – however the finish somehow is too sour and there is too much acidity lingering in the mouth when you have tasted it. This is the main reason why for me this is a wine that is OK – but does not get higher rating than 79 points. The alcohol level is 13,5%.

The food to combine this wine with would be especially lamb and red meat.

You can buy Beronia Rioja at Systembolaget in Sweden (nr 12126) at 94 SEK.

Beronia

Spanish red wines

Easy to drink Organic Azabache Rioja

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Spain also has a climate well suited for organic wines, and now I have tried the Azabache Rioja Crianza 2011 DOC (Denominación de Origen Calificada) – which can be bought at Systembolaget in Sweden for the price of 79 SEK (nr 2708). Considering both its price and its quite typical Rioja taste I give it 74 points!

In Rioja in Spain there have been vineyards for several thousand years, and after the phylloxera (vine pest) came to France in the 1870s many French wine growers moved southwards to Spain. Rioja was the first region to gain DOCa status, and lies on the river Ebro. There are 3 sub-regions, Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja. Viñedos de Aldeanueva is situated on the high slopes of the Mount Yerga. To qualify for the Crianza category in Spain, red wines must be aged for at least 24 months, of which 12 must be spent in small oak barrels for Rioja red wines.

This wine is made of 60% Tempranillo, 30% Garnacha and 10% Graciano. Tempranillo is Spain’s premier black grape variety, and has thick skin and is natutally low in acidity. Garnacha is the Spanish name for Grenache. Graciano is starting to rise again, and is used especially in the finest wines in Rioja to add powerful black fruit aromas, acidity and tannins.

On the nose of this wine you find the so typical ’Rioja dill character’, as well as quite intense notes of dark cherries, spices and herbs. You can also sense the oak character (12 months in French and American oak barrels).

On the palate you sense dark cherries and plums, dill again, some spices, chocolate and oak. It has quite a long finish with mature fruit. The alcohol level is 14%.

This wine I would say is good with tasty meat dishes of lamb and pork, but also game and matured cheeses.

Well worth its price!! 🙂

azabache