The Bodegas Dehesa de Luna 2012 is a blend of mainly Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah with additional indigenous grapes sourced from 2 Estate vineyards (sustainably farmed) in the Castilla-LaMancha region (near Madrid), in the middle of Spain. This is classified a Vinos de la Tierra de Castilla wine, which is roughly equivalent to the Vin de Pays…
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Antxiola (pronounced ahn-cho-la) comes to us from the Errasti brothers, owners of Bodegas Zudugarai in Spain. It’s a Txakoli, a very dry, slightly-sparkling, hard-to-pronounce white wine (it’s pronounced chock-o-lee) made with the Hondarrabi grape. Antxiola Hondarrabi 2012 is made with both types of Hondarrabi – 90% Zuri (Basque for white) and 10% Beltza (Basque for…
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The Torres Verdeo 2013 is 100% Verdejo sourced from vineyards in the Rueda DO of Castilla-La Mancha on the west side of central Spain. The brand is Verdeo and the grape is Verdejo which is slightly confusing. Verdejo is the indigenous grape of the Rueda region, they have had Verdejo vineyards in Rueda for 1,000 years….
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The 2008 La Villa Real Crianza is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot from grapes grown in the La Mancha DO of Spain. La Villa Real is produced by Bodegas La Remediadora a co-op of 350 vineyards (covering 3,700 acres) who band together to build their own winery, hire a wine-maker and…
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The 2008 AllozO Tempranillo Reserva is sourced from grapes grown near the town of Tomelloso in the Ciudad Real Province of Castilla La Mancha in Spain. AllozO is produced by Bodegas Centro Espanolas (they also make exceptional Reserva, 25 and 100-year-old Brandy), even though Tempranillo is The Red wine of Spain, it was not…
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The 2011 Raimat Tempranillo is sourced from Estate vineyards in the Costers del Segre DO in the Province of Lleida of Catalonia near Barcelona in Northeast Spain. The climate in Coster del Segre is hot during the day and cold at night and that wide daily variation in temperature allowed the grapes ample time to…
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The 2013 Legaris Verdejo is 100% Verdejo sourced from vineyards in the Province of Valladolid inside the Rueda DO in northwest central Spain near Portugal. Verdejo is THE grape of Rueda and has been grown in the region for over 1,000 years. This Verdejo was fermented in stainless steel vats, then racked (racking is transferring…
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The 2013 Raimat Albariño is sourced from two sustainably farmed Raimat estate vineyards in the Costers del Segre DO, just west of Barcelona in Spain. This is a young wine, with only a small amount of aging, “on lees,” in stainless steel tanks and is intended to be consumed within 2 years of release. “On lees”…
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The 2013 MAS RODÓ Montonega is sourced from estate vineyards near the village of Mediona (not far from Barcelona) in the Penedes DO of Spain. Montonega is the local version of the Parellada grape, which along with Macabeo and Xarel.o are the traditional grapes used in Cava, the Spanish Champagne style Sparkling wine. MAS RODÓ was founded in 2005 and…
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The 2012 Flirty Bird Syrah is an ALDI $4.99 import exclusive. Produced for ALDI by Felix Solis Wines a family owned winery in business since 1952, they have holdings in several areas of Spain and have operated a winery in China since 1998. The Flirty Bird Syrah is produced from vineyards in the Castilla-LaMancha region…
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The 2012 La Maceta Garnacha (translates to The Flower Pot) is a $4.99 ALDI import exclusive, produced for them by Bodegas San Valero in the Cariñena DO of Spain. Bodegas San Valero is a cooperative of 700 small growers (they farm 8,600 acres) founded in 1944. The Cariñena DO is located in the Zaragoza Province of Aragon in…
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The 2013 Casa Gualda Tempranillo is 90% Tempranillo, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot sourced from vineyards in the Castilla-LaMancha DOP of central Spain. Spanish Red wines are classified by how long they are aged, the Casa Gualda is a Joven or young wine, which means it has little or no aging, if you see…
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The 2013 Xtales Frizzante Tempranillo Rosado (Rose’) was sourced from vineyards in the Castilla-LaMancha DOP of central Spain. Frizzante indicates that the Xtales has a little fizz to it, but nowhere near the bubbles of a Sparkling wine. This is a young wine (no aging, ferment it and bottle it) produced with carbonic maceration, the same…
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The 2012 Marques de Castilla Blanco Airén is sourced from vineyards in the Castilla LaMancha DOP of central Spain. The Airén grape is the most widely grown White grape in the world, it had been until recently, the most widely grown grape, both Red and White. Yet, most people have never heard of the Airén grape, much less…
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The 2012 Bodegas Atalaya Laya Red is a blend of 70% Garnacha Tintorera (also called Alicante Bouschet) and 30% Monastrell (also known as Mourvedre) sourced from vineyards in the Almansa D.O. of the Castile-La Mancha region of eastern Spain. Garnacha Tintorera is a hybrid, it is a cross between Garnacha and Petit Bouschet. It was created in…
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The 2008 Dominio de Tharsys Brut Nature Cava is a blend of Parellada and Macabeo (local grapes, that along with Xarel*lo are the grapes traditionally used to make Cava) sourced from vineyards in the Catalunya (Cava D.O.) region near Barcelona in Northeast Spain. Brut Nature indicates that there was no sugar added during 2nd fermentation…
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The 2011 Tarantas Monastrell is certified organic and Vegan friendly, sourced from organic vineyards near the town of Valencia in the Jumilla DO of Southeastern Spain. Monastrell is also known as Mourvedre (France & the US) and Mataro (Australia) and is the M in GSM wines along with Garnacha and Syrah. The back label of…
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The Lolailo Sangria is imported from Spain using Tempranillo and Bobal grapes as a base and infused with Mediterranean citrus and fruit juices from a 70 year old recipe. The Bobal grape is the 3rd most plated Red grape in Spain and there isn’t much planted of it anywhere else. There is a Tapas joint…
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Here is a cheat sheet for the making of Italian, Spanish and French Bubbly, Cava, Prosecco or Spumante: In Italy, Bubbly, be it Prosecco or Spumante, is usually produced using the Charmat Method. With the Charmat method (this is where the bubbles are introduced), the fermented wine is placed in huge pressurized vats, this is…
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The 2011 LaGranja (the Farm) 360 Tempranillo/Garnacha is a revisit, we showcased the 2009 LaGranja 360 back in November of 2010. The LaGranja 360 line of wines sold in America exclusively by Trader Joe’s, $4.99 for the 50% Tempranillo/50% Garnacha, others in the line sell for $3.99. This wine is produced for Axial Vinos, a large Spanish exporter of…
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The Zestos Old Vine Garnacha is 100% Garnacha (also known as Grenache) sourced from high altitude vineyards located in the San Martin sub region of the Vinos de Madrid (DO) in Central Spain. Old vines in this case means 40 to 50 year old dry farmed (not irrigated, the only water the vines get is…
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The 2010 BB King Signature Selection Red Blend is a mix of Garnacha Tintorera (not the same as Garnacha/Grenache, but a cross of Garnacha and Petit Bouschet, also known as Alicante Bouschet) and Syrah with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon added in. This wine is produced for BB King by Bodega Santa Cruz de…
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The 2009 Tienen Duende (loosely translates to “has soul”) Verdejo is a Spanish import wine for the Supervalu store chain, which includes Albertsons, Biggs, Cub Foods, Sav-a-lot, IGA and up to a couple of days ago, Jewel Foods. This is a Verdejo sourced from vineyards in the Segovia region of Castilla y Leon in Northwest…
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The 2011 Flaco Tempranillo is an Estate bottled wine sourced from the Arganda sub region (south east of Madrid) of the Vinos de Madrid DO, smack dab in the middle of Spain. The Madrid Do is divided into 3 sub sections, Arganda, San Martin and Navalcarnero, Tempranillo is Arganda’s specialty. If you are familiar with…
Read MoreThe Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut Rose’ Cava is a different take on Spanish Cava, instead of the usual combination of Xarel.Lo, Macabeo and Parellada, this Brut Rose’ is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Trepat, an indigenous Spanish Red grape that is mainly used in Rose’ blends. The grapes are purchased from the Cellars de Can…
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