Tag Archives: Spain

Conde Valdemar Rioja Rosé 2018

Rosé is just right for these hot summer days. Here’s another one, this time a blend of garnacha (aka grenache) (70%) and viura (a white wine grape commonly known as macabeo outside of Rioja) (30%). This rosé is an easy to appreciate with a full bodied and dry expression of strawberries, some refreshing acidity and […]

Finca el Encinal Ribera del Duero Roble 2016

First post for the new year!  I’ve been tasting a battery of different styles in preparation for the Master of Wine exams, and will now up the posting.  This is a sound tempranillo from producer Bodegas Valparaiso and the Ribera del Duero appellation.  Deeply coloured in the glass, its aroma is restrained and savoury, reminding […]

Herederos del Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva 2013

A second Spanish wine review, also from the same producer. I wasn’t initially entirely taken by this wine – a Rioja Reserva. That said, drinking it now a couple of days after opening, I am enjoying it. For this reason, I would suggest a long decant. It has a caramel and cedar driven nose, with […]

Herederos del Marqués de Riscal Rueda 2016

This wine is from Rueda in Spain, and the grape variety is verdejo. Not verdelho, which for the English speaker, is close enough to be confusing. In the glass, this is a lovely wine, with saline aromatics that remind of florals and stones. The palate is fuller bodied with soft but still fresh acidity, and […]

Pazo Barrantes Rias Baixas Albariño 2016

This is an enjoyable albariño from Pazo Barrantes in Rias Baixas. Neither the name of this appellation (Rias Baixas) nor even the grape variety are particularly accessible to the English speaker, but the wine style is fresh, saline and worth seeking out. Yellow gold in the glass, the 2016 vintage has aromas of minerals, stones […]

D Ventura Vina do Burato Ribeira Sacra 2012

A by the glass purchase.  Since my encounter with this Palacios wine from Bierzo (see here), I have taken the charms of mencia more seriously.  Ribeira Sacra is its own appellation and specialises in reds, and mencia in particular.  Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra are neighbouring regions in Galicia in the wet north western part of […]

Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha 2013

You can’t tell I’ve started tasting (for MW studies) from some lesser known (in Australia) regions can you?  First, a Stellenbosch pinotage (reviewed here), now a garnacha from Campo de Borja in Aragon (inland, behind Catalonia).  This wine is a 100% garnacha (grenache) and is not of shy bearing.  Purple in the glass, with a […]

An outstanding Spanish wine tasting – part 2 (Ribera del Duero)

Ribera del Duero is perhaps best known for being the home of Vega Sicilia, Spain’s first growth equivalent.  South of Rioja, and on the river Duero, it has for a couple of decades challenged Rioja as Spain’s leading red wine producing region.  It sits between 700 to 850 metres above sea level, with a short […]