Garnacha (Grenache in France) has long been known as a workhouse grape.  It was always thought of as a low quality varietal that was only useful in blends.  Because of this, it was at one time the most planted red grape in both France and Spain.  Nowadays, Garnacha or Grenache, is starting to see a rejuvenation.

In Spain, there are 3 clone varietals of Garnacha as well.  There is the more common Garnacha Tinta.  Garnacha Peluda ("Hairy Grenache") is the varietal that is widely planted in Priorat.  It is named because their leaves have a fuzzy, soft texture.  Another clone is Garnacha Tintorera.

Garnacha Tintorera is a hybrid of Grenache and Petit Bouschet.  It is widely planted in Southeastern Spain.  You will also see smatterings of plantings in Portugal, France as well as California.  A fun fact, Garnacha Tintorera or Alicante Bouschet, as it is also known, was extremely popular in the United States during prohibition.  Thanks to the grapes thick skin, it was easy to get fermentable juice from and it also transported well.  

What I like about Garnacha from Spain is that is a wine that usually shows great fruit but it is still a dryer wine.  It is very versatile to different palates.  Honoro Vera is no different in this regard.  It shows great notes of juicy plums and sweet berries on the palate.  It is not very tannic either. Even though it shows great fruit, it is not sweet.  This is highlighted by the touch of pepper on the finish.  

Overall, it is an extremely enjoyable red wine.  It is not an extremely complex wine but that is what is great about Garnacha.  It does not try to be something that it isn't.  I think Garnacha's are some of the best value wines on the market today.  Honoro Vera is no different as you can find it on the shelves for $8 to $10.  That is an absolute steal!

Honoro Vera Garnacha in a Nutshell:

Description:  100% Garnacha.  Great fruit on the nose of cherry and blackberry.  Fruit is extremely evident on the palate with notes of juicy plums and currants.  This is all balanced out by a touch of pepper on the finish.  Extremely easy to drink, fruitful red wine that is not sweet.


Food Pairings:  Versatile red wine that can compliment a variety of dishes.  I have it enjoyed it with a ribeye steak off the grill as well as a goat cheese stuffed ravioli in meat sauce.


Vintage/Price:  The current vintage is 2011.  The wine is great but the price is even better.  An absolute robbery at $9.99 on most shelves.


For more information about Honoro Vera and other wines of Bodegas Ateca, please vist:  Oro Wines

When I began drinking wine many years ago, the only thing I went by was the label.  It had to catch my eye for me to pick it up.  Animals were my go to.  I quickly learned, thanks to my father, that sometimes a creative label was used to coverup a inferior wine.  Nowadays, a flashy label will still catch my eye from time to time while I am in shop but I am always a bit skeptical.

A label that caught my eye recently was from Shaya Winery.  My wife and I have been loving a new Venezuelan restaurant in town that serves a wonderful Tilapia and Shrimp ceviche.  We wanted to try to make it at home and I thought Verdejo would be a perfect pairing.  I went to our local shop and glanced around.  The first wine that caught my eye was from Shaya.  It featured a skinny deer on the label with big ears.  My wife came over as I was looking and endorsed the wine thanks to the "cute deer" on the label.  I was not familiar with Shaya but it was from Rueda region in Spain, so I figured how bad could it be?

Well, thank goodness the label had a deer on it and it made me pick it up.  The wine is absolutely delightful.  It turned out to be the perfect pairing for our ceviche.  It was the perfect crisp white wine for our dinner that evening.  It shows great flavors of grapefruit with a touch of peach.  The fruit is balanced by great minerality and bright acidity on the finish.  Overall, this wine quickly became a staple on our rack. If you like a crisp white wine and/or fresh seafood, this wine is for you.

I wanted to add a couple fun notes about this wine and verdejo in general.  First, the wine is actually named for Shaya deer that are native to where the vineyards are in Rueda, Spain.  Here is the first couple lines from the bottle:

"As the morning mist disperses across the undulating countryside the Shaya deer emerge from the surrounding pine forest to forage. The gnarled vineyards planted a very long time ago in the sandy riverstone soil produce the finest Verdejo in Rueda. There is a distinct minerality in these wines which compliment the abundance of fruit flavors."

Second, a fun tasting for you to have with friends is old vine Verdejo vs. new vine Verdejo.  The panel will almost certainly be mixed.  In my experience, as evident by my liking of Shaya, I prefer old vine.  The wines are usually drier, crisper and show more minerality.  New vine verdejos tend to be riper and plumper.  Either way, old or new, I am a Verdejo fan!

Shaya Old Vine Verdejo in a Nutshell:

Description:  100% Verdejo.  Pale in the glass with a touch of green.  Great fruit on the nose and palate being that of grapefruit and lime.  Good minerality throughout.  Combine that with bright acidity on the finish and you have surprisingly complex Verdejo.

Food Pairings:  Great with any fresh seafood such as shrimp or Scallops.  We enjoyed it with a ceviche.  Also would be nice with a big bowl of Linguine and White Clam Sauce.

Vintage:  Current Vintage is 2010.  This wine is usually in the $13 to $16 dollar range.  Well worth it!

For more information on Shaya as well as other Spanish Wines, please visit: Oro Wines

Ever heard of Xarel-Lo?  Odds are you probably haven't unless you are extremely knowledgeable.  What you probably have heard of though is the sparkling wine Cava.  (A widely known brand of Cava is Friexenet.)  Cava is primarily made of 3 grapes.  Those are Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-Lo.  Recently, companies have been adding Chardonnay as well as Pinot Noir in Rose versions.

It is extremely rare to find Xarel-Lo (also known as Pansa Blanco) as a single varietal wine.  It is because it can be difficult to grow due to it being prone to frost damage.  It is also known to be highly acidic if not produced right.  If made right and their are no problems with the grapes, it can make a wonderful white wine.  Leave it to Jorge Ordonez Selections to bring us something a little different and completely knock it out of the park.

I will admit, I have only tried one other Xarel-Lo in my lifetime and was not overly enthralled.  That is not the case with Marques De Gelida Xarel-Lo. It is a game changer.

I love what the label says on this wine so I will let it do the talking:

"Our estate vineyards are bathed in warm Mediterranean sun while being protected from harsh north winds by the jagged mountains of Monserrat.  The chalky sandy soils are the perfect environment for growing the delicate varietal, Xarel-Lo.  The subtle minerality it adds to the delicate floral and bright fruit flavors create a well balanced glass of white wine, perfect for a summer day."

The first bonus is that it is organically grown.  This is huge in my house because my wife loves anything organically grown.  The 2nd bonus is that it retails right around $13 a bottle.  I think it is well worth the price for not only a great wine but also for the interest that will ensue at your next gathering.   It's just as fun to say as it is to drink!

Marques De Gelida Xarel-Lo in  a nutshell:

Description:  Crisp and Bright.  Slightly floral nose with hints of lime zest.  Great flavors of citrus and stone fruit on the palate.  Good lemon-like acidity on the finish.

Pairing:  A nice compliment to a big plate of Sashimi.  Would also go great with appetizers such as Escargot or Thai Spring Rolls.
 
Vintage/Price: Current vintage is 2011.  Like I mentioned earlier, it will cost you right around $13 dollars.  Well worth the cost.  I would pay $20 for it because of the uniqueness of this wine.


For more information on Marques De Gelida Xarel-Lo and other wines from Jorge Ordonez, please go to: Grupo Jorge Ordonez

When most people here the word Moscatel, there mind thinks of the dozens of sugary sweet Moscato's that they see on the shelves of their local supermarkets.   At a recent wine tasting I attended, I stood by a table where a sales rep. was pouring botani Moscatel Seco from Jorge Ordonez & Co.  He went through the questions that you normally here...Red or White? Sweeter side or Dry?  When people would answer, "White and Dry"  he would pour them botani.   Everyone shot him a look as if he did not know what he was talking about and a couple of men acutally placed their hands over their glass as he reached over to pour them a glass of the Moscatel.  He explained that it can be dry as well.  (Quick Tidbit: Seco or Sec means dry)  To everyone's dismay, from the chewy red drinker to the oaked chardonnay enthusiast, they took a sip and smiled.  Some almost seemed embarrased that they could like something produced from the Moscatel grape.
 
This wine defies the odds with not only wine drinkers but where it is produced as well.  It comes from the Sierras de Malaga.  This is a mountanous region near the Southern Tip of Spain.  It is actually very close in proximity to where most Sherry is produced. It is extremely hot and typically white wines do not do well here.  Leave it to the genius that it is Jorge Ordonez to figure out that a beautiful Moscatel can be made here.  Jorge takes chances and it almost always pays off.  botani is no exception!  Do yourself a favor and grab a bottle today, put in on ice, grab a seat on a patio and indulge!

botani In a nutshell:

Description:  Clean and Crisp with a good bit of minerality and acid.  The fruit here is tropical with hints of lime zest.

Pairings:  Any kind of seafood such as salmon, shrimp, a bowl of linguine and clam sauce, etc.   It also pairs extremely well with Thai food such as Pad Thai or Green Curry.  

Vintages/Price:  Current is 2010 but there are great deals to be found on the 2009 in most markets at this time.  Overall, it will cost you between $15 and $22 when you see it on the shelves.

For more information, please visit http://jorge-ordonez.es/our-wines/botani/?lang=en