A Bargain Wine That Misses The Mark

I went hunting for wine bargains at Trader Joe's again recently, a visit that usually produces pleasant results. This time, I came home with a wine that sported a pretty bottle with ugly juice inside. 

The 2023 Satis Dei Syrah Garnacha from the Exclusive Art Collection had me hoping high. I love Spanish wines in general, and Garnacha in particular. Satis Dei was made from 55% Syrah grapes and 45% Garnacha, grown in the IGP Tierra de Castilla region. The wine spent six months in French and American oak barrels. Alcohol hits 14% abv and it costs around $9 at TJ's.

That pretty label to which I alluded features a miniature version of an abstract work by Argentine artist Mauricio Lencina, Illogical Forms #2. The winery says the piece helps us understand "the voluptuousness of the wine." Having it mounted on a stave of oak would further illustrate the palate. 

This wine is dark purple/garnet in the glass. The nose offers up considerable black fruit, such as blackberries, plums, and blackcurrant. It also offers up considerable oak effect, even though the wine's exposure to wood was minimal. The oak comes through heavily on the palate as well, obscuring some nice dark fruit flavors. The artwork on the label is nice, but the artwork inside the bottle can't live up to it. 

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...But I Kinda Like Rioja

As the song says, "I've never been to Spain, but I kinda like the wines from there." That's close, anyway. A slight paraphrase. I was given a few Spanish wines to sample, and it is always my pleasure to do so. In fact, my introduction into wine came as a result of a tasting event featuring Spanish wines. I've been hooked on Spain ever since.

Raventos Codorniu is fully committed to sustainability. Not only do they grow organically, but they use a lot of recycled packaging material, they have the lightest wine bottles out there and they even make 12.8% of the energy they use. They're eco-overachievers. 

Today's wine comes from Bodegas Bilbainas, which resides under the RC umbrella. The 2017 Viña Pomal Rioja Reserva is made with the aforementioned organic grapes, 100% Tempranillo. The wine was aged for at least a full year in American oak. It carries alcohol at 14% abv and sells online for around $20.

This wine is medium-dark garnet in the glass. The nose gives off a beautiful bouquet of flowers in addition to the fruit. Aromas of plum, blackberry, cassis, coffee and vanilla abound. The palate offers dark fruit with a slightly savory side. Notes of earth, oak and mocha join the fruit. The soft tannins make sipping it a breeze, but there is enough fight there to handle a steak. 

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Cava Is Spanish For Sparkling

As the song says, "I've never been to Spain, but I kinda like the wines from there." That's close, anyway. A slight paraphrase. I was given a few Spanish wines to sample, and it is always my pleasure to do so. My introduction into wine came as a result of a tasting event featuring Spanish wines. I've been hooked on Spain ever since.

Codorníu is the oldest winery in Spain. They started mashing grapes in the 16th century, that's how old. Their Cuvée Clasico Brut is a sparkling wine, a cava in España. This one is made from Spanish grapes - about a third each of Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada - all organically grown. Vinification was done in the traditional method, alcohol is fairly low at 11.5% abv and the retail.

Raventos Codorniu is fully committed to sustainability. Not only do they grow organically, but they use a lot of recycled packaging material, they have the lightest wine bottles out there and they even make 12.8% of the energy they use. 

This fizzy Spanish wine is straw yellow in the glass. The nose hits me as unusual for a sparkling wine, no doubt due to the indigenous Spanish grapes used, about a third each of Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada. Instead of citrus fruit aromas, I get stone fruit, nectarine, dried apricot, some pear, and a healthy dose of minerality. There is a conspicuous earthy element as well. The palate has great acidity, with flavors that remind me of a white wine made from North American grapes. A yeasty, toasty flavor is present, too, and persists on the rather lengthy finish. 

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Organically Grown Albariño

As the song says, "I've never been to Spain, but I kinda like the wines from there." That's close, anyway. A slight paraphrase. I was given a few Spanish wines to sample, and it is always my pleasure to do so. My introduction into wine came as a result of a tasting event featuring Spanish wines. I've been hooked on Spain ever since.

Raimat practically shouts that they have been doing "sustainable wine growing for over 100 years." In their Albariño wine, the grapes were harvested separately from two separate organic vineyards in Costers del Segre. A small percentage of the wine was aged for ten months in oak barrels. The 2023 Raimat Albariño has alcohol hitting 12.5% abv and the price I see online is just $10. 

This wine has an iridescent yellow color in the glass. Its nose is flinty and mineral driven, with a hint of floral and herbal notes. Those minerals lead the way on the palate, with a flavor of lime buried deeply in the profile. Acidity is refreshing, if not razor sharp, and the finish is medium long with an herbal sensibility. Mediocre  Albariño reminds me of gussied-up Pinot Grigio. This wine, though, has the complexity that lifts it above the ordinary. It is a great aperitif, and will pair well with crab, lobster, oysters, anything in a shell, really. Clams Casino? Sure, why not. 

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Trying A Grape That's New To Me

Bodegas Vi Rei is a Spanish winery on the island of Majorca. It's in the Balearic Sea portion of the Mediterranean, off Spain's eastern coast. They've been growing wine grapes there since a hundred years B.C. The grape which makes up this wine, Prensal Blanc, is native to the Balearic Islands. The estate is in Spain's Pla i Llevant DO

The 2022 Bodegas Vi Rei Prensal Blanc is labeled as Barrica 4 Meses, which means "barrel four months." This wine is also labeled as Edicion Limitada. Alcohol is reasonably low at 11.5% abv and the price wasn't bad, $19 at the Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits and Cheese Shop. I picked it up because I had never tried the grape before.

This wine is colored yellow with greenish tints. The nose has a great salinity to it, along with Meyer lemon and mineral scents. The palate also displays savory salinity, a bit of pepper, and an acidity with a zing. The salty taste lasts quite a while on the finish. I would have this Prensal Blanc with shrimp, crab cakes, scallops, and another order of those crab cakes, please.

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From Rioja To The Picnic Table

Yes, a red wine can appear next to the BBQ grill and serve a thirsty crowd well on a hot day. To get the most from chilling a red wine, look for one that is low or moderate in alcohol, one that hasn't been aged in oak for more than a year or is oakless altogether, and one whose tannins are easy on the tongue. 

This still youthful 2019 El Coto Crianza was aged in oak for 12 months and in the bottle for another year and a half, which earns the wine its designation of "crianza." This is a full varietal wine, 100% Tempranillo. The alcohol level sits at a comfortable 13.5% abv and the retail price is cozy, too, just $17.

I tasted this vintage a year ago, and not much has changed. It is a dark wine, one which lets very little light pass through. The nose displays more fruit than oak, which is a good sign if you plan to chill it and serve it outside. Blackberry, raspberry, cassis, anise all shine brightly, with light notes of clove and cinnamon. The palate is clean and fresh, with the dark fruit taking a bow. The tannins have softened somewhat over the past year, but are still maybe a little firm for an outdoor meal under the sun, but the acidity is brisk and refreshing. 

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White Tempranillo - A Twist From Rioja

The wines of Spain's Rioja region are varied and always a delight.  From crisp, young whites to fresh rosados to bright and cheery young reds and those with some age and oak influence, the wines of Rioja never fail to impress while showing off their terroir.

The Rioja region lies between mountain ranges in the north-central part of Spain and is separated into three main sub-regions, Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa.  Tempranillo is the main red grape, although you will often see Graciano, Garnacha (Grenache) and Mazuelo.  For white wines, Viura is popular, with Malvasia playing a supporting role. 

The Perez Cuevas family of Bodegas Ontañón has worked the land of Rioja for four generations. Starting with a patch south of the Ebro River near the small town of Quel, they have accumulated more property through the decades. They now grow grapes on the high ground of the Sierra Yerga Mountains and are one of the biggest family vineyard owners in the country.

Ruben Perez Cuevas and José Miguel Avizcuri collaborate as winemakers and used fruit from the El Aniceto vineyard for the full varietal 2022 Ontañón Tempranillo Blanco. This white version of Tempranillo is a mutation of the red Tempranillo variety, discovered by a grape grower in the 1990s and officially recognized in 2007. This bottle has an alcohol content of 13.5% abv and sells for around $20 or less.

This wine is tinted straw yellow and has a mineral-laden nose which also offers a tropical fruit basket of aromas. Pineapple, mango, lemon, orange and apple all waft up from the glass.  The palate shows the minerals up front, with a salinity that runs through the sip. Acidity is decent, if not ripping, and the wine finishes long with savory notes staying afloat to the end. I would love this with peel-and-eat shrimp, but it’s also great with a handful of peanuts.  

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A Bottled Bellini

Not too many years ago I attended a wine festival in Beverly Hills. That day? It was a hot day that day in Beverly Hills. I trudged several blocks under the scorching summer sun and finally reached the venue. What do you think was the first thing I saw upon entering the cool, air conditioned building? A Bellini stand. Respite for the weary wine writer! I wiped the sweat from my brow, unfortunately, on my wine tasting note paper. No matter. "Would you like a Bellini, sir?" Well, yes. Yes I would. Thank you.

A Bellini is one of nature's wonders, a pause that refreshes. Health and fun, blended together. Fruit and booze. Bring it on.

Importers Mack & Schühle do a fine job with the wines they select, so how could they miss with a Bellini? Their Artigiano Peach Bellini is as refreshing and peachy as you would like. They also bring Strawberry and Mango Bellinis to the heat stricken masses. Alcohol is mercifully light, only 6% abv, and it costs less than $15 for the 750ml bottle. 

A Bellini should have peach puree and Prosecco, if it is made by the book. The Artigiano Peach Bellini was identified merely as white wine and fruit puree. The only specific I could glean from an online search was that the beverage was made in Spain. The grape, I'm guessing, is Airén, and I guess that only because it is the most widely planted grape variety in Spain.

This Bellini is fizzy enough to make a spew when you open the screw cap, so don't go overboard with their advice, "Shake it to wake it."  It is playful on the palate and tasty on the tongue. And if you serve it cold, it could make you think twice about reaching for that IPA.

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A Great Grenache Blend From Spain

From the D.O.P. Cariñena of Spain comes a wine called Oxte The Silence. It is a red blend of Grenache, Syrah and Tempranillo. The wine was aged for only two months in French and American oak barrels which had been used before. Another two months is spent in stainless steel before being bottled. Alcohol sits at 14% and it sells for around $6 at Trader Joe's.

This wine is tinted medium dark. The nose is jammy and oaky, with plenty of blackberry, clove and currant notes. The palate brings no surprises. It is full of fruit and oak spice, but not as much as I found in the bouquet. The flavor of anise hides amongst the berries and staves. I bought it for cooking, but did enjoy the leftover sips. It was cheap, but serviceable. 

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Sherry, Dry As A Bone

We can paraphrase the old saw, "dying is easy, comedy is difficult" into wine terminology: "Wine is easy, sherry is difficult." I have written, or at least attempted to write, many times about the intricacies of sherry. It is always a treat to taste one of the finer sherries, but even the bargain basement varieties offer plenty of fascination. Here is one I picked up on the cheap to use in cooking.

The Doña Luisa Fino Sherry is reportedly made by Barbadillo, a huge sherry producer in the home of sherry, Jerez, Spain. Fino indicates the driest type of sherry. The grapes are Palomino, the alcohol clocks in at 17% abv and the wine cost about $6 at Trader Joe’s. 

This wine is pale in color and has a very expressive nose. Aromas of almonds, lemon peel and slightly candied apricot are not at all shy about leaping from the glass, along with a healthy minerality. The palate is as dry as a bone, with a ripping acidity. A strong sense of salinity runs through it. I bought it for cooking, but I will enjoy sipping while the food cooks. 

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A Spanish White Wine For Spring, Or Anytime

It is late February as I write this, but here in Southern California it feels like spring. Today was gorgeous, if a little cloudy, with temps in the mid 60s and barely a breeze. I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m baiting you folks who live in the north and Midwest. I’m not, really. We love our winter weather in L.A., but we pay for it in earthquakes and brush fires, believe me. 

As the weather was right, I thought it would be a good day for a white wine, and I had recently picked up a Spanish white I was interested in trying. Spanish wines are what put me on my path of wine tasting, wine writing and wine loving, so it’s always nice to have a wine from Spain.

The La Granja 360 Verdejo Viura 2022 contains two of my favorite Spanish grape varieties. The blend is 75% Verdejo and 25% Viura. Alcohol resides at 12.5% abv and the price was only about $5 at Trader Joe’s, where I understand it is exclusively available.

La Granja 360 is a proud supporter of Farm Sanctuary, and their grounds are home to many animals, mostly domesticated. Their wines are vegan, using no animal-derived ingredients.

This wine has a nice, yellow-gold tint to it. The nose explodes with flowers, then again with fruit, namely citrus. On the palate, lemon notes are bathed in salinity and an herbal note, maybe bell pepper, comes through. The acidity is nice, but it’s not going to rip off your taste buds. 

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A Wow! Wine From Spain's North

Antonio Díez Martín is an artisan winemaker from Spain's Ribera del Duero region. He pulls grapes from the vines in his family's vineyard, which has 100 years of grape production behind it. He sells wine through the Naked Wines network, and he credits those angels with helping him to start producing wine again after a fire destroyed his winery and back vintages eleven years ago.

This 2021 Verdejo is a single vineyard estate wine, a white which typifies the refreshing wines of northern Spain. Martin's labels are cool, too. They remind me of Picasso. The wine carries alcohol at 13% abv, and it cost a little under $10 at Whole Foods Market.

Expected aromas of citrus appear first in this pale, yellow wine - lemons, limes, oranges. There is a lot of zest in there, and a sense of what the sidewalk smells like after a rain. A soapy undercurrent of lanolin brings a bit more complexity. The palate is straight-line savory, with salinity leading the fruit around on a leash. Acidity is fresh and lively without the razor-sharp edge that can be disconcerting. Pair this wine with seafood of any sort or pasta and oil dishes. 

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Chardonnay From Spain At A Bargain Price

I thought I would do a little bargain hunting and spied a Spanish Chardonnay on the bottom shelf. This was a day after Spain defeated England to win the Women's World Cup, so I thought I would celebrate for them with a wine from España.

Spain does not make me think of Chardonnay. Verdejo, yes. Albariño, absolutely. Hondarrabi Zuri, sure, why not? Chardonnay is more in line with France, or California, for me. But I am always up for something new, even if it is something old from an unexpected place.

The Don Simon Chardonnay is produced by the Carrion company, run by Jose Garcia Carrion. The Chardonnay grapes for this wine were grown in Spain's La Mancha region, reported to be the largest vineyard in the world. It is possible that Google lost the meaning of that phrase in translation, I suppose. Anyway, Carrion is reputedly the largest wine producer in Europe. 

The wine - apparently non-vintage - was fermented in stainless steel and separated from the lees. Aging took place in oak, but for only three months. Alcohol rests low for this Chardonnay, at 11.5% abv, and the price was only $5 at my local Whole Foods Market. I'll bet you didn’t think you could get a $5 wine at Whole Foods. I know I didn't. 

This wine has a pretty golden straw color to it. Peach aromas arrive first on the nose, with mineral, apricot and cantaloupe notes following. Sweet oak spice adds another dimension, but it stays in the background. The palate brings some very nice stone fruit, apricot and citrus to the sip. Acidity is fairly fresh and the wine tastes crisp and clean. The finish is long and pleasant. You can pair this wine easily with seafood or salad. It won't make you forget about the Santa Maria Valley or white Burgundy, but for $5, it is a nice bargain. 

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Summertime sippers - A Rioja Red

Summertime - especially this one - calls for wines that like to be served with a chill. The winemakers of Rioja want you to know that they craft many wines that go very well with hot weather - whites and rosés for sure, but even a few red crianzas like to be iced down before braving a barbecue. 

El Coto Crianza 2019 

Yes, a red wine can appear next to the BBQ grill and serve a thirsty crowd well on a hot day. To get the most from chilling a red wine, look for one that is low or moderate in alcohol, one that hasn't been aged in oak for more than a year or is oakless altogether, and one whose tannins are easy on the tongue. 

This youthful 2019 El Coto Crianza was aged in oak for 12 months and in the bottle for another half a year, which earns the wine its name of "crianza." This is a full varietal wine, 100% Tempranillo. The alcohol level sits at a comfortable 13.5% abv and the retail price is cozy, too, just $17.

It is a dark wine, one which lets very little light pass through. The nose displays more fruit than oak, which is a good sign if you plan to chill it and serve it outside. Blackberry, raspberry, cassis, anise all shine brightly, with light notes of clove and cinnamon. The palate is clean and fresh, with the dark fruit taking a bow. The tannins are maybe a little firm for an outdoor meal under the sun, but the acidity is brisk and refreshing. 

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Summertime Cooler From Rioja

Summertime - especially this one - calls for wines that like to be served with a chill. The winemakers of Rioja want you to know that they craft many wines that go very well with hot weather - whites and rosés for sure, but even a few red crianzas like to be iced down before braving a barbecue. 

El Coto Rose 2021

Hot weather always cries out for a nice, cool rosé. The 2021 El Coto Rosado is made from estate grown grapes - 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha - from the Los Almendros Vineyard.

Alcohol sits at 13.5% abv and the retail price is about $12.

It is a pretty, pink wine with a color maybe a bit deeper than salmon. The nose is beautiful - full of ripe, red fruit aromas like strawberries and cherries - with a bit of lemony citrus in there for a show of minerality. The palate is incredibly fresh and juicy, with all the fruit you smell plus a zippy acidity that will serve salads and seafood extremely well.

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Summer Sipper From Rioja - White Wine

Summertime - especially this one - calls for wines that like to be served with a chill. The winemakers of Rioja want you to know that they craft many wines that go very well with hot weather - whites and rosés for sure, but even a few red crianzas like to be iced down before braving a barbecue. 

El Coto Blanco Rioja 2022

El Coto de Rioja was founded in 1970. With more than 1800 acres of vineyards all over Rioja, they are the largest winery in the DO. A new winery facility was built in 2014, which specializes in white wines. 

The 2022 El Coto Blanco features 93% Viura, 4% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Verdejo grapes from their Rioja Alta vineyard, Finca Carbonera. It is the highest elevation vineyard they own. The wine has an alcohol level of 12% abv and retails for about $12. 

While I expected a really sharp and racy nose from this yellow tinted wine, what I found was much softer. A floral note shares space with a lovely citrus component which smells more like tangerine than lemon. There is also a hint of honeydew melon. On the palate, the mineral-driven flavors lean more heavily into citrus while the acidity is zesty at best, not razor sharp. It is a very drinkable wine, one that probably fits in better as a sipper or an aperitif than a partner for seafood. 

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A Mixtape For Your Palate

If you have a history with mixtapes, you might really love the label art on this white sangria from Spain. It features representations of those blank cassettes we filled with the best songs available, only for those who really deserved them. Don't get me wrong - the picture is nice, but I think you'll like what's mixed on the inside of the bottle, too.

Spanish producer Elvi makes a red and a white sangria, both from Tempranillo grapes with other juice flavors added. Sangria, be it red or white, is a great quaff for a hot summer day. This bottle will save you the trouble of mixing it up yourself. Of course, some of us don't mind making our own special mixes.

The label proclaims that this white sangria is 100% natural grape wine with natural flavors. The alcohol is predictably light at just 7% abv and it sells for $11. The label also has markings indicating that it is kosher, and it is imported by the Royal Wine Company, kosher wine specialists. However, I discovered elsewhere that this white sangria is not kosher for Passover.

The nose of this wine shows huge pears, peaches, melon and apricot. They are all on the palate as well, and the fruit is kept in the semi-sweet range. Acidity is not the strong suit here, but the sip is plenty fun on its own.

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You Can Call Me Albariño

The 2021 vintage of the Pazo de Lusco Albariño is labeled as "Crianza Sobre Lias," which I'm told means the wine was aged on its lees, the yeast cells that are spent in the winemaking process. This often imparts a creamier or richer texture to a wine, particularly a white wine.

This wine was made from 100% Albariño grapes - of course - grown in the Rias Baixas region in northwestern Spain - of course. Rias Baixas is the place Albariño calls home. Alcohol sits at a moderate 13% abv and the bottle sells for around $20.

Pazo de Lusco sits in the glass as a lovely, light yellow liquid. The nose shows off the aromas for which the grape is famous - green apples, flowers and minerals. The minerals take center stage on the palate, which is rich and savory. It is the minerals which stand out the most here, making this a great wine for pairing with food. I had mine with a Mexican shrimp dish, but it will fit well with other spicy cuisines, too, like Thai or Cajun.

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Bring Some Albariño - And Just The Good Stuff

This Spanish wine from Bodega La Caña is brought forward from Galacia by Jorge Ordoñez Selections. He claims to be the first person to export Albariño wines from Rias Baixas in 1991 and he has no time for what he calls "simplistic, mass-produced, commercial" Albariño. Ordoñez writes that La Caña wines "demonstrate the complexity, intensity, and longevity Albariño can achieve when sourced from old vineyards and using serious winemaking practices."

Caña in Spanish means "cane," and there are plenty of canes growing on the Salnés Valley estate, where the hillsides meet the river. However, it can also translate as "hangover," so don't drink too much of this wine or you might experience that headache.

The 2021 La Caña Rias Baixas Albariño is made from 100% Albariño grapes grown on the estate. Thirty-five percent of the wine was vinified in well-used oak vats while 65% was done in stainless steel tanks. It was aged for eight months on the spent yeast cells. Alcohol reaches 13% abv and this Albariño can typically be had for less than $20.

This pale yellow wine smells strongly of flowers and citrus - it is a beautiful nose, really gorgeous. The palate is somewhat soft and has mineral notes along with Meyer lemon and tangerine. Acidity comes in at medium strength, just enough to tingle the tongue. The sip is wonderful, with great flavors and an easy drinking mouthfeel.

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The Darker Side Of Sherry

Bodegas Dios Baco is a Spanish sherry house dating back to 1765, with growth milestones in 1848, 1960 and 1983. The winery is owned now by José Páez Morilla, a sherry-loving businessman who purchased the property in 1992.

Baco Imperial Oloroso is a sherry which has aged for 30 years. The wine is made entirely from Palomino grapes. Alcohol hits a fortified 19.5% abv, with the retail price up close to a hundred bucks.

Oloroso is Spanish for "odorous."  Google Translate shows it as "smelly," but I think I prefer "pungent." It just hits me the wrong way to see a wine website showing a bottle with the name underneath it "Smelly."

Baco Imperial is labeled as VORS, Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum - that's Latin for "great and singular wine." You can also see it as Very Old Rare Sherry, if you have a phobia against Latin. Oloroso sherry is a style that is oxidized through many years, so you get a very complex wine as opposed to the lighter Fino style.

This is a darker white sherry - chestnut brown, in fact - and it has a wondrous nose which boasts raisins, molasses and a whiff of caramel up above the rim of the glass. The palate is savory and dry, but can we talk about the acidity? It is fresh and invigorating and lasts on the sip all the way down. I would pair this with butter cookies or something sweeter in a heartbeat. It's pretty good with a ham and cheese sandwich, too. 

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