Great Spanish Wine You May Not Be Drinking

Tempranillo. Albarino. Verdejo.

If you are living in the US, and are just getting started on Spanish wines like me, these are most likely the wines that you are drinking. In general, I have tended to like the white varietals (Albarino and Verdejo) more than the reds, which may just be a result of not drinking enough of those wines, or drinking not very good examples.

But the other day I had a fantastic wine that made me think there was a world of Spanish reds that I'm not yet finding easily in the stores: the 2003 Bodega Inurrieta Norte ($12.99, Rosso Wine Shop). And it wasn't made from tempranillo, but from a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. This was a rich, smoky wine, with a deep inky crimson color and inviting aromas of spices, flowers, and rich red and black berries. Bodega Inurrieta makes their wine in the Navarra region, which has both warm Mediterranean and cooler Atlantic influences. These different influences help the grapes to develop their full potential without over-ripeness. The flavors of cassis, clove, and cedar were equally rich and inviting and lingered in your mouth, making it a pleasure to drink glass after beautiful glass. And you could do just that because the wine had 13.5% alc/vol despite its rich and flavorful profile. What most impressed me, however, was the wine's superb balance, since the acidity that gave the wine structure was perfectly paired with the fruit and the oak. Excellent QPR.

I drank this wine at a terrific restaurant in London that specializes in tapas and small plates called The Salt Yard. If you are in the UK for whatever reason, try out this restaurant located in Bloomsbury near the British Museum and the University. Great food, great service, and a great location combined to make it a very nice place to spend an evening with friends. I couldn't decide between 2 Spanish wines and our server let me taste each (this is fantastic, and I wish more places offered this service). Both were great, but we picked the Inurrieta which arrived at our table at the perfect cool cellar temperature (just lovely on a warm summer night when you plan on eating a fair amount of chorizo!). It cost around 18 BPS (roughly $35) which is amazing considering wine markups, how good this wine was, and the unbelievably weak dollar.

I found only one wine merchant in the US who carries this wine, and happily they're right around the corner in beautiful Glendale: the Rosso Wine Shop. I've not been there, but they will be at the top of my shopping list later this summer since they specialize in everyday wines from Italy, Spain (check out their list of Spanish offerings here), France, and California. And at $12.99 a bottle, this Bodega Inurrieta "Norte" certainly qualifies as an everyday wine bargain. If you've found a great Spanish red--whether a tempranillo or some other varietal--let us know in the comments below because I'd certainly like to try a wider range.