I recently talked about my March wine class that covered Spain and Italy… so much fun, but what a whirlwind. I need a really great wine/geography map already! To pick back up where Italy left off, here I present the Spanish gems that we tasted.

NV Cavas Hill Brut Rosado Cava Reserva Artesania

The Cavas Hill is a beautiful, girly pink color. Delicious bright and crisp strawberry flavor. Goes great with salmon. 60% Garnacha and 40% Monastrell.

Origin: Spain
Price: $13
Next time: Get a case!

2005 Valle de Salinas Yecla

This yummy wine is a blend of Monastrell, Cab Sauv, and Merlot. Dark brick rid with subtle fruit and an earthy smell. Very mild in terms of fruit flavors but still a nice balance with tannins.

Origin: Spain
Price: $14
Next time: Get a case!

2005 Campo Viejo Reserva Tempranillo Rioja

Similar to the above Yecla – the Campo Viejo has a bit more tannins than fruit, but still a nice balance with its blend of Tempranillo, Graciano, and Mazuelo. Still mild, but more acid here as well. Check out their website for some beautiful photos as well as videos about these specific wines, as well as tasting and serving wines in general.

Origin: Spain
Price $15
Next time: Get a case!

2007 Vinos Sin Ley G5 Garnacha Madrid – Puerto Bonita

This delicious Spanish red (100% Garnacha) is a real keeper. It clearly says Puerto Bonita on the label, but everyone seems to know this one as the “G5.” It’s a great fruity red with tannins as well. It’s similar to the previous two wines but lighter bodied but still the same fruit forward spirit.

Origin: Spain
Price $16
Next time: Get a case!

2006 Abadia Retuerta Rivola Sardon de Duero

For a red wine that’s 50/50 Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo, the Rivola has a buttery finish. I liked this better at the last tasting, but wasn’t a big fan of it compared to some of these other Spanish reds.

Origin: Spain
Price $17
Next time: I’ll pass

2008 Bodegas La Cartuja Priorat

This wine was an oaked Grenache blend that was just way too much in terms of tannins for my taste. Beautiful dark ruby red color, but a very tannic wine. Still a great fruit finish.

Origin: Spain
Price $17
Next time: Get a glass!

1996 Faustino I Tinto Gran Reserva Rioja

This Fuastino is a really weird wine. It smells like dirty shoes… leathery, dirty, funky. Crazy enough, the taste is much better… It still has its fair share of tannins, so it’s definitely not a sip on the porch kind of wine. Maybe with the right dish, this wine might thrive. Give it a shot, but I’m not expecting this to be a new favorite.

Origin: Spain
Price $32
Next time: Get a glass!

Now that we’re a couple of months into 2010, I took a look back at the wines I tried in 2009 and present to you my list of Favorite Red Wines of 2009! Fave 2009 Whites coming soon!

• Pine & Post Cab Sauv – $9
• Simonnet-Febvre Pinot Noir – ~ $10
• Finca el Origen Malbec – $11
• Lucky Star Pinot Noir - $9
• Mark West Sonoma County Pinot Noir – $12
• Memo Montepulciano – $11
• Morande Pionero Pinot Noir – $10
• Spellbound Petite Syrah – $13
• Alexander Valley Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir – $?
• Angeline Russian River Valley Pinot Noir – $14
• Oyster Bay Pinot Noir – $15
• G5 Puerta Bonita Garnacha – $15
• Eos Estate Zinfandel and Petite Syrah – $15ish? and $16
• Bliss Cab Sauv – $15
• Chateau Fantin Bordeaux Superioeur – $16
• Big Fire Pinot Noir – $18
• Poppy Pinot Noir – $16
• Rivola Sardon de Duero Cab Sauv – $17
• Vina Robles Cav Sauv – ~ $18
• Le Signal Domaine Ligneres Carignan – $19
• Murphy-Goode Cab Sauv – $20
• Wirra Wirra Church Block Cab Sauv – $20
• Chateau Robin Cotes De Castillion – $22
• Louis M. Martini Cab Sauv – $15-$20
• L’Oustal Blanc Minervois – $21
• Twenty Rows Cab Sauv – $23
• Oberon Cab Sauv – $24
• Molnar Family Pinot Noir – $26
• Douglas Green Shiraz Reserve – $20ish?
• Obsidian Ridge Cab Sauv – $29
• Patricia Green Pinot Noir – $30
• Hartford Zinfandel – $30
• Chateau Rollan de By Medoc – $30
• Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir – $??
• Anne Amie Pinot Noir – $??

This G5 Puerta Bonita came recommended by my dad, who’d gotten some in October last year at Highland Wine. He raved about this one, so I had to give it a try. I’ve had mixed reviews with Grenachas, so I figured this tasting could go either way.

Well, as they say – father knows best. This wine rocks, hands down. From 120-year-old vines, they only make about 1,100 cases – with 900 imported to the US, so I’m not sure how widely available you’ll find this one. If you run across it, definitely give it a shot.

Origin: Madrid, Spain
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $15ish
Next time: Get a case!

This Big Bang Rioja, also called “BB” made it to my wine collection by way of Highland Wine‘s monthly wine club (one of the best things I’ve ever signed up for!). The accompanying wine notes recommended pairing this powerful wine with roasted lamb with rosemary and garlic. Wouldn’t you know that’s exactly what our friends the Glovers cooked for our New Year’s Day feast! Perfect.

We uncorked the Big Bang with high expectations — and it delivered! This blended wine is composed of 50% Garnacha, 40% Tempranillo, and 10% Graciano. Wine Advocate describes this wine as:

The Garnacha was raised in concrete vats, the Tempranillo and Graciano in oak for nine months. Dark ruby colored, it offers up an exceptionally spicy nose (from the Graciano) along with floral notes, underbrush, cassis, cherry, and plum. Medium-to full-bodied on the palate, it has layers of flavor, excellent acidity, savory fruit, and enough structure to evolve for 2-3 years. It will be at its best from 2010 to 2017.

I’d tried some Riojas in the past at tastings and was never particularly fond of them. The more I’ve thought about it, I think it comes down to the massive power of these wines – oftentimes, they have strong tannins, so they’re just not going to come across at their best at a tasting without a big powerful meat to go with it. They’re just too much to really enjoy as a solo beverage. So next time you have a spicy, flavorful lamb – definitely give this wine a try!

Origin: Rioja, Spain
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $17
Next time: Get a glass!

The other night, Highland Wine and DBA Barbecue hosted a great wine-tasting centered around wine-pairing with… you guessed it… BBQ! It was really fun, and I enjoyed snacking (making a meal) on the big variety of appetizers and sampler dishes they brought out.

Here’s what we tried:

N.V. Cavas Hill Brut Rose Reserva Artesania Cava ($12) to go with pulled pork and smoked chicken – This was my favorite wine of the night. Stunningly delicious – so fresh and crisp with light sweetness. Now that the weather’s getting chillier, this was a punch of springtime. I’m going back for some bottles of this!

2007 Petit Rimauresq Rose Grenache/Cinsault (Provence, France: $15) with wings and smoked turkey – This rose was more dense and mellow compared to the first wine. Less spring-like and crisp, it reminded me more of baked fruit, maybe like apricots in its heavier qualities. Not bad, but I’d rather have two bottles of the first one and skip this one next time.

2008 Bauer Haus Riesling QBA (Nahe, Germany: $13) to accompany white cheese and corn muffins with honey butter – SUPER SWEET! If your friend likes White Zinfandel, give her this instead. A little of this sweet wine would go a long way for me, but I think it would be really awesome with a spicy asian dish. I’d love a slightly less sweet version of this wine, but I would definitely not turn down a glass of this Riesling.

2008 Terra Antiga Vinho Verde (Portugal: $13) to pair with oysters on the half shell – Ah, one of my new favorite wines from this summer. It’s like honeysuckle. Go get a bottle if you haven’t already. It’s awesome. I didn’t try it with the oysters (they were out of season, and I don’t like raw oysters… enough said)

2007 Winzer Krems Gruner Veltliner (Austria: $13) with bacon wrapped shrimp and boiled peanuts – Nice light sweetness but high on the citrus flavors. It paired well with the shrimp, but overall I wanted less citrus and less acid.

2006 Flora Springs Barrel Fermented Chardonnay (Napa, CA: $21) to go with deviled eggs – I said “no, thanks” to the deviled eggs, but for folks who like a mild oaky, buttery Chardonnay, you’ll like this Flora Springs. For non-oaky, non-buttery Charddonay fans, skip this one and get a Le Chat Rouge instead.

2007 Umani Ronchi Montepulciano D’Abruzzo (Italy: $13) to accompany frog legs and grilled portabella sandwich – This was my favorite red wine of the tasting. It was mild and fruit-forward, not overpowering, just a great humble wine. I see a few bottles of this coming my way soon.

2007 Finca El Origen Malbec Reserva Mendoza (Argentina: $11) to pair with pulled pork salad – This wine packed a punch in terms of jammy and spicy. I didn’t dislike it but I never embraced it either.

2008 Penelop Sanchez tinto Joven (Spain: $14) with brunswick stew – As with most grenaches, the high tannins didn’t deliver the experience I wanted. When paired with a heavy stew, the tannins would be balanced better, but still…

2007 R&B Swingsville Zinfandel ($12) with andouille sausage, red beans, and rice – I think I tried this wine back in the summer at the Smyrna Wine Festival. Recommended.

2006 Vaca Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Small Lot Reserve ($14) with Texas beef brisket – EXCELLENT Cab. Medium tannins (but goes great with food), some spice but not overly so, and full-flavored. Go get some!

2005 d’Arenberg d’Arry’s Original Shiraz-Grenache (Australia: $17) to parnter wth Carolina-style spare ribs – This wine was enjoyable and it definitely goes great with a big piece of meat.

2007 Opolo Vineyards Summit Creek Zinfandel ($21) paired with baby back ribs – Reminded me of a port in its dessert wine similarities. Lots of caramel flavors. I prefer a lighter zinfandel to this dessert bomb but it was fun to drink. Skip mentioned it would pair with chocolate really well… I might have to try that one at some point. A Vosges Barcelona Bar would do the trick.

This Spanish red was very intense – really powerful flavor, a bit too much bite for my taste. The tannins weren’t too heavy; just too concentrated and with some spice. When poured, it’s extremely dark-colored. However, I love the fact that the La Huella de Adaras‘ vineyard uses sustainable farming techniques!

Varieties: 60% Garnacha Tintorera, 30% Monastrell, 10% Syrah
Farming: Sustainable
Age of Vines: 10-50 years old
Aging: 12 months in stainless steel

Origin: Spain

Where: Shell Oil, $10.99

Next time: I’ll pass