Great Wine, Great Price: the 2004 Venta La Ossa

During these fiscally lean times, you may want to have a wine that's big, juicy, and rich enough to make you forget the austerity budget that you may be facing these days.

If you do, try the 2004 Venta La Ossa Tempranillo. I received this as a sample, but you can get yours from domaine547 for just $11 which is the best price I've seen on the 'net.

This is a big, bold, wine from Spain that is made in an opulent, New World style. If you are looking for a restrained Tempranillo, this is not your wine. But if you are looking for fruit, you've found it. When I first opened it, there was some sense of alcoholic heat, but this quickly blew off and to be fair to the wine I think it was too warm. Once I'd cooled it in the fridge a bit, the alcoholic sensations were completely gone.

This done, there was nothing standing between me and the aromas of black cherry and black raspberries. Both of these delicious, fruity aromas were also present in the flavors. Notes of cedar and vanilla emerged in the aftertaste, which were a nice counterpoint to the wine's smooth tannins. A newer vintage of this wine has been released, but this one is absolutely ready to drink now and I think you could even hold it for 2-3 more years. Excellent QPR.

This is a hedonistic wine that's affordable. Get yourself some take-out carne asada burritos or tacos, pop this in the fridge for 20 minutes while you pick up your food or wait for delivery, and then enjoy escaping from the news coverage for a little while as you sip your Spanish wine.

We all need an affordable escape. This wine can provide it.

The Spirit of the Vine: First Impressions of Spain

At the end of May, I had an opportunity to visit Spain for the very first time and spend time in the wineries associated with the Osborne family. The Osbornes have been involved in the wine trade in Spain since the 18th century, and today their properties extend from Rioja in the north to Andalusia in the south. In one blissful, action-packed week I had a chance to see and savor some of the best that Spain has to offer.

I fell totally in love with the country, the people, the food, and the wine, as this sampling of pictures shows.



I've traveled to a lot of different places, and lived in a few European cities for months and even years. But I never felt homesick for a place after only spending 5 days there--until now.

So what was it about Spain that hooked me? First and foremost it was the spirit of the land and the people. The word that I associate most with Spain now that I've been there is "genuine" and that forthright genuineness came through in every chilled glass of Fino sherry, every slice of Spanish jamon or ham, and every conversation with a winemaker or a vineyard manager that I had during my brief stay.

I know that last year was the "Spain" year and this year is "Italy" year, but over the next several months I want to share my new passion for Spanish sherry with you, and give you detailed tasting notes from my side-by-side tasting of several rare Osborne sherries. They may well be the best value holiday wines you are likely to find anywhere, and I'll tell you why later this fall. I was amazed during my trip by the range of flavors that you can find in Tempranillo. I had the opportunity to talk to a legendary winemaker, Maria Martinez-Sierra about her passion for this grape and how she makes superb wines from Tempranillo grown in the Rioja Alta region. I watched a master cooper make wine barrels, and saw the traditional being passed down to a new generation of craftsmen. Near Toledo, I also saw first-hand how cutting-edge science is being used to help manage a vineyard so vast that there were grapes as far as the eye could see. In Malpica de Tajo, the Osborne family is growing international varieties as well as Spanish favorites like Tempranillo. They are also experimenting with other Spanish and Mediterranean grapes to determine which do best in the region, gathering data on the life cycle of each grapevine and cluster of fruit.

I took hundreds of pictures while in Spain, but to give you an overview of what I saw I put together this slideshow of some of the most memorable images from my week. You'll be seeing some of these pictures again in upcoming posts, and depending on your browser you may have to click over to Flickr and watch the show over there. Until then, I hope this virtual sight-seeing tour whets your appetite for more on Spanish wine and food.

On the Spanish Wine Road: Rioja and Castilla

I´m in Spain, tasting wines from the north (in Rioja) to the South (Jerez) and hitting points in between such as Tierra de Castilla which is pictured here--but not by me. (image from lacomunidad.elpais.com)

This has been an unbelievable experience that is only half way over, so it will take me a while to digest and process all that I´ve heard, seen and tasted. I´ve met legendary winemakers, seen some cutting edge science at work in the vineyards, and am on my way to the historic Osborne sherry operation in Jerez. I´ve been stunned at the range of Tempranillo, and charmed by what a really fresh Fino Quinta sherry tastes like served very cold, in a frosted glass, after a long day of walking and talking. And the food has been excellent, too, so I´ve got some new tips on what to drink with your Spanish and Portuguese wines.

The weather in Spain is a bit uncharacteristic right now, as it´s cold and wet. There was hail in Rioja just a few days ago, but in Castilla the red poppies were in full bloom. I´ve been reminded all week about Nature´s fickleness, and how difficult it is to work so hard to produce any product that depends on good weather.

I´m not sure if I will be able to post again before I head back to the states, but wanted to send out a mini update to let you know what I´ve been up to and what you will be hearing about soon here on the blog.

Tilting at Windmills and Learning About Spanish Wines

In the classic Spanish novel Don Quixote, the main character decides to do battle with windmills. It's where our phrase "tilting at windmills" comes from, that colorful way of describing folks who make up enemies just so they can attack them. Don Quixote's windmills may have looked just like this one, photographed by Ryan Opaz (who blogs with his wife Gabriella and friend Adrienne Smith at the Iberian wine blog Catavino) which I spotted on his new Wine Blog Atlas, a great resource for regionally-focused information on wine. (FYI: Ryan's not only a good blogger, he's a good photographer, too.)

I have to admit that my ongoing attempts to conquer Spanish wines (one of my New Year's Wine Resolutions) has taken on a "tilting at windmills" feeling as I grimly set out to find Spanish wines, then cleared off the kitchen table and sat there, with just my bottle and wineglass, so as not to have any distraction while I tasted the wine.

Recently, though, I discovered that Spanish wines are not the enemy. Here's how. I subscribed to Catavino's feed in my reader, and started learning from the informative posts about Iberian wines. I listened to Tim Elliott's Winecast that featured Ryan Opaz. I started understanding what was on the label a little bit better, and how some familiar varieties like tempranillo and mourvedre might be masquerading under names like Cencibel and Monastrell (and most importantly, I learned these are not vineyard designations!) In short, I've started relaxing a bit, and considered it a personal triumph when, at a restaurant last week, I looked down the wine list, saw a tempranillo, and ordered it instead of my default shiraz to go with some gooey mac and cheese and a side order of grilled asparagus topped with honey vinaigrette and shaved manchego cheese.

I find that Spanish wine is actually very conducive to relaxing (and my tongue is only slightly in my cheek here!). The wines I've been drinking have had a laid-back, comfortable feeling. They go wonderfully with food. And they represent exceptional value. What's not to like?

My most recent Spanish wine find was the very good QPR 2003 Pago Florentino Tinto ($14.95, Chronicle Wine Cellar), complete with a little picture of Don Quixote on the label. This was a juicy, fruit-forward tempranillo that was dark, dark plum. Enticing aromas of berries and spice drew my nose into the glass. Flavors of blueberries and cedar predominated, and there were some leathery notes that added complexity to what was a friendly and straightforward wine. Tempranillo grapes characteristically have low acidity which leads to a plush feeling when you're drinking, despite the fact that this wine had a considerable influence of oak (8 months in a mix of French and American oak barrels), which produced the cedary, woody flavors.

Last time I tried a tempranillo Ryan suggested pairing it with lamb, so we had this wine with a Food & Wine Magazine recipe for Lamb Meatballs sauced with tomatoes, cumin, and mint. Served over some steamed rice it was, as he promised, a perfect pairing.

If this is the life of La Mancha, I'll take it.