The Spanish grape Xarel-lo is one we most often associate with the sparkling wine Cava.
But whenever we see this one as a single varietal still wine, we snatch it right up. With distinctive flavors, Can Sumoi's Xarel-lo is a bit unlike most other grapes you'll try!
As far as Spanish wines are concerned, we are often hit-or-miss with the hot climates resulting in very ripe grapes that lower acidity and increase alcohol.
One exception for our tastes is the Priorat region, which often has some delightful Garnacha-based blends that we quite enjoy. Roca de les Dotze Noray is one such bottle, and the aged blend of Grneache, Carignan, and Syrah hit our tastes perfectly!
We received this bottle as part of our Vinera Wine Club sample provided for review. As always, all opinions are our own.
We have to admit, we have a bit of a love affair with Pares Balta, particularly their Cava Blanca Cusine– an often aged Cava that comes packed with incredible flavor.
Since we loved the Blanca Cusine so much, we naturally wanted to try their Rosa Cusine- the rose equivalent in the same aged Cava series made with Grenache. While it may be less common to discuss aged rose, for this one, eight years of age was just starting to show its true potential.
Although we are not regular consumers of Spanish wines, we have to admit that Spanish white wines have been growing on us over the years.
As such, when we had a chance to try a Garnacha Blanca from Clos Dalian, we were excited to expand our tasting knowledge a bit more. For the reasonable price point, this was a delicious wine!
Hondarrabi Beltza is a rare red grape from northern Spain that we do not see all too often. So when we had the chance to pick up a bottle from Doniene Gorrondona, we knew we had to give it a try.
As it turns out, this red wine was quite intense and reminded us a lot of a Cabernet Franc!
Every so often we get a wine that is so fascinating it is hard to properly describe. Sometimes these are good, sometimes they are bad, but no matter what they leave us talking for a long time to come.
4kilo Motor Blanc made from the grape Prensal Blanc from the Balearic Islands of Spain was one such bottle. While we thought this one could've used a bit more in the acidity and length department, it was one we still find ourselves talking about over and over again.
Normally when we open a bottle of Txakoli from northern Spain, we expect an exceptionally high acid, low ABV, light and fruity wine that goes down quickly on a hot summer day.
Txakoli Primo Zarautz was not this bottle. Instead, this one felt like it had warmer characteristics all around- namely riper fruit flavors, higher ABV, and lower acidity than Txakoli we were used to.
We are here for it, because this wine was quite delicious despite catching us by surprise!
Please note: We did not include a vintage label on this one because we could not find any listed on the bottle. There was what appeared to be a label stamp showing 2021, but that does not say whether the vintage was 2020 or 2021. Unfortunately, this is the best we can guess in terms of vintage.
When studying for my WSET Diploma D4 exam in sparkling wines, I had to buy a number of bottles well beyond my normal drinking habits.
While I do enjoy a good Cava, I often find myself trending to artisan producers over some of the larger companies. But for studying purposes, I knew I had to go for some name-brand bottles to increase my tasting experience, which is exactly how I ended up with a bottle of Freixenet Cordon Negro Gran Seleccion.
While studying for my WSET Diploma, I found myself enrolled in the fortified class (D5) and studying all things sherry, port, Madeira, and VDN to name a few.
Historically, I have to admit not being too fond of sherries as the traditionally lower acidity and unique flavors from maturation (in particular the biologically aged fino style) never quite matched up to my palate.
The sweet wines, however, are an exception that I am coming to appreciate.
These wines sweeten the traditionally dry sherries with grape must or Pedro Ximenez, and convert what normally is only alright styles of wine to me to something I quite enjoy.
Mil Pesetas Cream Sherry was one such wine as this had all the hallmarks of a traditional Oloroso- but sweet!
Pedro Ximenez is an interesting dessert wine from Spain (although it is sometimes made into a dry wine as well). Typically, the grapes are allowed to dry out to effectively become raisins prior to fermentation, and the result is an intensely sweet wine that is subsequently fortified into a sherry.
A sweet, sweet, almost syrupy-like sherry.
Naturally, it is hard not to like this one if you have a sweet tooth, and Pedro Rodriguez e Hijos Mil Pesetas Pedro Ximenez NV was no different for us!