Every Thursday I feature a wine I particularly enjoy, whether it’s something new and different, is a great value, or from a producer worth checking out. My Wine Of The Week is the 2001 La Rioja Alta “904” Gran Reserva The Winery La Rioja Alta, S.A. was founded in 1890 when five Riojan and Basque families who shared a passion…
Category: Tempranillo
A Taste of Bodegas Contino
Last fall, my wife and I spent 17 glorious days in Spain. It was the trip of a lifetime. Our itinerary included Barcelona, San Sebastian (amazing food), Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla, and Granada (The Alhambra is a must – simply awesome!). Of course, being the winos, we also squeezed in some time in La Rioja. Our…
#DrinkPink Rosé of the Week; 2013 Bodegas Ostatu Rosado
Rosé season is in full bloom, although truth be told, it’s Rosé season for me pretty much year-round for me! With that in mind, I’m cranking up my annual series of weekly “Drink Pink!“ Rosé tastings. It’s my quest for the best Pink Porch Pounders for $20 or less! This week’s rosé is the 2013 Bodegas Ostatu Rosado. The…
Wine of the Week; 2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial
Every Thursday I feature a wine I particularly enjoy, whether it’s something new and different, is a great value, or from a producer worth checking out. For this week, my Wine Of The Week is the 2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial. The Winery La Rioja Alta is one of the most renowned producers of…
Seafood Gumbo and Wine Pairings for Soul Warming #SundaySupper
This week’s #SundaySupper theme is all about soul warming foods. You know, those soups, chili, stews, and other soul warming treat we seek when the weather turns cold. When I first saw the theme, my first thought was of “Soul Food”. I’d bet that “Soul food” is one of those phrases that if you ask 10…
Wine of the Week: 2008 Cypher Winery “Cypher” Paso Robles Eclectic Red
My Wine Of The Week is an eclectic blend of 12 grape varieties!
Value Alert! – Crazy Good Spanish Gem For $11!
Here’s a highly recommended New World Style red blend from Spain that offers great QPR!
Value Alert – 90pt Gem From Spain for $12!
Several months ago, I attended a La Mancha tasting in San Francisco. I blogged about it in a post entitled Is La Mancha Ready For Primetime? Of course, most of us are familiar with La Mancha thanks to the famous book by Miguel de Cervantes entitled The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha (or perhaps…
Is La Mancha ready for Primetime?
Last week, I attended my first wine event as a member of the “trade”. The event was hosted by “Wines of La Mancha“. Since it was my first such event as a member of the trade, I wasn’t sure what to expect, other than Spanish Wine – which I enjoy, having had wines mostly from the…
Start the car….I gotta steal!
Just a few short years ago, before the Great Recession, there were many wine lovers, and just plain showoffs who seemed to revel in telling anyone who would listen, or pretend to listen, how much they paid for a bottle of wine. Well, the tables have turned. Now, it seems it’s cool to tell folks…