Tag Archives: spain

Red Wine Review: Torres Celeste Crianza

Miguel Torres “Celeste” Crianza Ribera del Duero 2007 | Spain

No, this is not a wine made by the mixed-martial arts fighter — though it is similarly intense and packs a punch.

“Celeste” Crianza is made by Miguel Torres the wine producer — a diverse family-owned company that makes wine in Spain, Chile, and California. This particular bottle comes from the Ribera del Duero region in Spain (the company also owns vineyards in Penedes, Jumilla, Priorat, Toro, Conca de Barbera, and Priorat). Torres has the largest winery in Spain and is its largest producer, exporting to 140 countries.

This wine is the family’s first foray into Ribera del Duero. The name “Celeste” is translated from Spanish as “celestial”, “heavenly”, or simply, “sky”, and refers to the fact that the vineyards are located 895 meters above sea level — in other words, way up in the sky and close to the heavens. To me this 100% Tempranillo wine is more like a modern Rioja than a Ribera del Duero, because it is clean, has upfront juicy red berry fruit, and has a distinctive vanilla oak element. But then again, I haven’t really been “into” Ribera del Duero in a while, so maybe that region is modernizing their wine as well.

The nose has an opulent floral fragrance with ripe red fruits and a hint of cassis. Rose petals, cherry, sweet blueberry, and boysenberry. In the mouth it is ripe and juicy with flavors of blueberry and boysenberry. The texture is creamy smooth. Tannins are mild as is the acidity; this is borderline “fat”. The finish is a bit hot, but that’s what you get with such a ripe flavor profile.

Due to the fatness and heat this is a little difficult to match with food. But, I like it as a “cocktail” wine or “fireside” wine; something to drink on its own.

Find Torres Celeste Crianza at a retailer near you using Wine-Searcher, Vinquire, or WineZap

Disclosure: I received this wine as a press sample

Wine Grape: Albarino

albarino_grapes.jpgIf you are living in a similar part of the world as me — where the summer weather has become hot and sticky — then you likely are reaching into the fridge for chilled white wines to cool you off.

No doubt Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc are standbys, but if you haven’t given Albariño a try, now’s the time to do it.

The Albariño (al – bah – REE – nyo) grape is grown mainly in the Spain and Portugal (though I understand Qupe and a few others are planting it in California as well), to make dry white wines. It is a thick-skinned grape with strong aromatics that may remind you of ripe peaches — to me the smell is kind of like Viognier. Unlike Viognier, however, the wine tends to be very high in acidity and lighter in flavor — it’s more like a sharp Pinot Grigio in that respect. That zesty acidity cuts through fatty foods, stands up to salad dressings, and can be refreshing on a hot summer day — it’s not as tart as you might expect, and has a nice buttery texture. Flavors you may recognize include apple, peach, and apricot, as well as a distinct mineral component.

Geeks will tell you that the very best Albariño comes from Rias Baixas (ree-ahs buy-shuss) area of Galicia, in Spain, and they may be right. Personally, I have enjoyed Burgans Albarino, which is a consistently good value. However, there are also fine examples from Portugal, where it is often labeled as “Alvarinho” (that’s how they spell it there). And, as mentioned earlier, California’s Qupe makes one (called “Verdad“) but they don’t make much of it and I’ve never had it — if you have, please post your notes in the comments.

Regardless of where the Albariño comes from, make sure you pick the youngest you can find (as of this writing, 2008 is the vintage you want), as it’s not meant for aging. Albariño tends to lose a lot of its fresh, attractive aromas and flavors as it ages. Expect to pay between $8 and $15, though the best bottles can run as high as $25.

Red Wine Review: Pannotia Garnacha

Pannotia Garnacha Spanish Wine bottleImported wines can be tough to purchase, because there are so many wines brought in from so many areas of the world, with labels that you likely have never heard of, nor seen, before — particularly in the under-$15 range. Additionally, there are a ton of wines brought in for no other reason than the fact that the label says “Pinot Noir”, “Pinot Grigio”, “Chardonnay”, or whatever this month’s “hot varietal” might be.

Even a fairly well educated geek like me has trouble deciding whether an unknown imported wine is worth the few ducats in pocket (and those spare dollars are dwindling by the day!). As protection against buying a dud, I tend to rely on specific importers that have, over the years, consistently delivered wines with a strong price:quality ratio. However, it takes some time to find wines from specific importers — most of them stamp their name in small print on the back label of bottles. As a result, I often spend far too much time in wine shops pulling out my reading glasses and scrutinizing back labels, one after the other.

To save my eyes, Pannotia Vineyards has instituted a somewhat novel idea: to put the importer on the FRONT label; in fact, to make it the brand name. Because you see, there are no vineyards anywhere in the world called “Pannotia” (OK, maybe there are, but wines from such a place won’t be labeled as such). The literal meaning of “Pannotia” (puh-NO-shah) is “all the world is a single continent”. In other words, a wine with the Pannotia label can come from just about anywhere.

It’s an interesting concept brought forward by founder John Fawcett — find quality wines from different parts of the world, and brand it with the importer name, rather than the winery. Of course, this type of branding is not new — Opici comes to mind as one of the obvious, as does Ole Imports — but it is nonetheless intriguing (and saves my eyes).

Helping to establish the Pannotia brand are the distinctive, artsy, colorful labels, created by artist Gary Kelley. The bottles are indeed an attractive package, and the juice inside is pretty good, too. This particular wine is from Castilla, Spain, and made from the Garnacha (aka Grenache) grape.

Tasting Notes: Pannotia Vineyards Garnacha

Black and bell pepper aromas mix with black fruits and earth on the nose. Flavors of black raspberry, cranberry, and black cherry, and hints of vanilla and earth. Texture is glassy smooth. Tannins are mild, acidity is somewhere between mild and medium. The acid, in fact, is slightly tart when this wine is drunk alone, but is the perfect level to match with most mild dishes. For example, it was a good pairing to pasta with sausage marinara, and it would be equally complementary to leaner dishes such as turkey, chicken, and vegetarian. A good daily drinker. At around ten bucks, this is a good value.

a-7 t-7 b-8 fc-9 v-8 ~ 89 Points

Website: Pannotia Vineyards

Find this wine at a retailer near you using Vinquire

Rose Wine Review: Artazuri

artazuri_rose.jpgIt’s not too late to drink rose wine — in fact many of this year’s releases are still fresh and vibrant. Which is a good thing, since pink wines tend to be enjoyable on their own and match with a wide variety of foods.

This particular rose comes from an importer I respect highly — I have yet to be disappointed with the price/quality ratio of an “Eric Solomon Selection”. Finding his name on the back label of a wine I’ve never seen before is often the deciding factor in whether I’ll purchase the bottle.

But in fact I’ve already enjoyed roses from Artazuri in the past, so seeing this was a no-brainer. It’s made in Navarra, Spain, from the Garnacha grape — a.k.a., Grenache. If you’ve never been to Navarra, you might want to consider taking a trip one July for the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, where you can see “encierro” (the running of the bulls). Don’t look for me, though, I’ll be watching it on youTube from the safety of my home.

But I digress … how about we discuss the wine, which (how timely?) would be a nice match for a spread of bagels and lox, among other things.

Tasting Notes: Artazuri Rose 2007

Ample fresh strawberry on the nose, with hints of red raspberry, cherry, and vanilla. Smooth, almost creamy texture on the palate, with fresh, clean watermelon, red cherry, and strawberry flavors, accented by a touch of zesty citrus and a hint of vanilla. Acidity is on the low side, but there’s just enough to help the wine pair with mildly flavored appetizers or hot and spicy dishes. Drink it alone (chilled) as an aperitif, with spicy sausage sandwiches, barbecued chicken, spicy Indian cuisine, salads, cold cuts / antipasti, smoked salmon. Don’t over-chill it or you’ll miss a lot of the flavor.

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-8 v-8 ~ 90 Points

US Importer: European Cellars – Eric Solomon Selection

Find this wine at a retailer near you using Wine-Searcher, Vinquire, or WineZap