Wine Cellar by Bill Kearney
THERE IS ALWAYS A KNOWN GOAL for wine consumers to pursue wines that are affordable or at least easier on our wallet than Grand Cru Burgundy or classified-growth Bordeaux. Irrespective of our fascination with drinking great wines, finding a bargain that others can enjoy evokes bragging rights as well as a known addition to our next big wine purchase. A question that I often receive is: “What quality wines are available in the marketplace that are ‘good buys’?” Without question, it does not take a genius to go out and spend a hundred dollars on a bottle of
Spanish wines is to recognize that the grapes we are predominately dealing with are tinto fino (tempranillo) and garnacha (grenache). While there are many wonderful and distinctive wine regions in Spain, the two with the highest quality—and not coincidentally most familiar to Americans—are the Ribera del Duero and Rioja. The Ribera del Duero region is home to Vega Sicilia, one of the most sought-after wine labels in the world, located in the north central area of Spain along the Duero River. The predominate grape
Spanish Red Wines wine and be able to enjoy the experience. Similarly, I am often amazed at how many $100 wines exist on the shelf that really are not worth $20. I find it inspiring and even gratifying to find a $20 bottle that I know is often better than the $100 bottle. This task is becoming more difficult than it has been in the past as more consumers of wine flock to the hedonistic pleasures we have known. There are many great values to occupy your drinking time, though I must opine that the country presenting the greatest value ratio is Spain. While producing some wonderful site wines, Spain is far more famous for the red wines it produces. Americans generally flock to a grape varietal such as cabernet, merlot or pinot noir, which crates an easier understanding of what we are drinking. Spain produces wines based upon their regions, and there are few that are cabernet sauvignon. Yet, I encourage you to give these beautiful wines an opportunity to speak to your palate, as they will provide a variety of distinctive pleasures based upon where they are from. The first thing we should do in trying to understand 38
Inside Northside
varietal is tempranillo, which seems to flourish in the relatively flat and rocky terrain. Many producers in the Ribera will blend cabernet sauvignon or merlot to their final blend and these wines are truly world class. Other than Vega Sicilia, some of the recognizable producers from this region include Dominio de Pingus, Tinto Pesquera and Hacienda Masterio. Tinto Pesquera is unique in that they proudly produce wines using tempranillo without the blending of other varietals. The grapes are naturally stressed from growth in limestone soils and make for intense and long-lived wines for consumption. The emergence of the Ribera created a strong competition to the older and more notable region of Rioja. With some 600 different producers, over 150,000 acres and wine production that dates back to the 13th century, Rioja is recognizable to most seasoned wine consumers. In addition to tempranillo, there is a heavy influence of grenache in the wines of Rioja. You will also find the use of grenache in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but the soils are dramatically different, as are the final cuvées. The