Spain
Tres Ojos
Old Vines Garnacha, 2005
$7.99
Castano Monastrell
2006
$7.99
Maybe it’s because the grapes are lesser known in the American market than the big sellers — cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir, zinfandel and Chardonnay — that both the Tres Ojos Old Vines Garnacha and the Castano Monastrell still are selling at such great prices.
Ironically, Garnacha, which in France is called Grenache, was until recently the world's second most widely planted grape variety, ranked behind Airén, another grape grown in Spain for white wines that suffers from obscurity in the rest of the world. It’s not a great shock, but cabernet sauvignon is the current world leader, with merlot tagging close behind despite the movie Sideways' effort to stamp out the grape.
Tres Ojos is 100 percent Garnacha, which comes from 50-year-old vines in the Calatayud zone of Aragon in Spain's arid northeast. The soil and the long growing season — with hot days and cool nights — produce high sugar content and intense flavors in the grapes that carry over to the rich but dry wines.
A group of young winemakers who are targeting the export market produce Tres Ojos at the Bodega San Gregorio, a cave cooperative founded in 1965 that has 250 members.
The vines are not irrigated and production levels are low — but the flavors intense. There's no need for oak here.
Castano Monastrell comes from another obscure grape and has received high ratings from the top wine magazines. This is not a wine to be toyed with, so don't expect a smooth-tasting cabernet sauvignon or merlot. Like Tres Ojos, it also is one of those gritty Spanish wines with a lot of character and fresh yet strong fruit flavors with a hint of oak. And as a bonus, you also get a screw top on the bottle. That’s handy for resealing, but I doubt that you’ll need it.
Monastrell is called Mourvedre in France where it's grown in the southern, drier regions. In Spain, it's grown in Yecla in the southeastern part of the country. Ramon Castano Santa and his three sons started the winery in the mid-1980s.
Today, one of the sons, Daniel Castano, runs the winery with the help of other family members and winemaker Mariano Lopez.
Realeza, 2004
Cuvée 6, Tempranillo
$6.99
Take centuries of colorful history, a classic novel, hot, dry rugged mountainous terrain, gnarly vines struggling for existence and one of the noblest of grapes; throw in modern production techniques and finely honed winemaking skills, and you should have one of the best red wines in the world.
Well, actually, that very wine is made just down Spain’s Duero River from a wine I recently discovered.
But that’s no reason for my discovery to hang its head. Realeza has a lot to be proud of - complexity, rich flavors and particularly its price at $6.99. That other wine - Vega-Sicilia Reserva Especial "Unico" Ribera del Duero - is $329 a bottle and not easy to find around here. Anyway, Vega-Sicilia is not in my budget so I couldn’t do a side-by-side tasting, and it would be silly to say Realeza is in the same league. But I can say it’s a great buy.
Realeza is made from Tempranillo, which wine guru Robert Parker calls "the finest indigenous red wine grape of Spain." Hijos de Antonio Barcelo produces two types of Realeza, and only one, the Cuvée, is exported, the company’s Web site says.
The Cuvée is aged for six months in American oak barrels, which is unusual these days for a wine in the lower price range. Barrels are expensive and some producers cut costs by putting oak staves or chips in the stainless steel fermentation tanks to give wines the hint of oak.
This is a terrific wine for the money. It goes well with all sorts of meats or is great for sipping, particularly in cooler weather.
René Barbier
Mediterranean Red
$4.99
René Barbier
Mediterranean White
$4.99
I get pretty excited when I find a wine that’s inexpensive, well crafted and a bit off the beaten track.
René Barbier comes from northeastern Spain’s Penedés wine growing region along the Mediterranean in Catalonia. The area is best known for producing Cava, the fine, dry sparkling wines that are excellent and inexpensive. In fact, the Ferrer family who produce the black labeled Cava, Freixenet, owns René Barbier.
Farmers have been growing grapes in Pendés for more than 2,000 years, so all that practice and the warm days, sea breezes and cool nights must contribute to some pretty good wine being produced in the region.
Both the Mediterranean Red and White are widely available in the Upper Valley.
Red Guitar
Navarra, 2006
Old Vine Rosé
$9.99
Red Guitar is made from Tempranillo and Garnache grapes picked from gnarly 110-year-old vines grown in the Spanish region of Navarra adjoining the French border.
Besides being a refreshing, crisp, dry wine, the producers have a really cool Web site. Not only does it have terrific Flamenco guitar music, but there’s also a fun reminiscence from the aging winegrowers about working in the vineyard during the days before tractors. They ate sardine sandwiches on crusty bread for breakfast and swashed them down with the rich red wine of the region. The wine quenched their thirst and gave them strength to work eight hours in the vineyard.
The guitar was invented in Spain, and has been a part of Spanish culture for over 400 years. The name of the wine reflects the "well-worn family friend, brought out to serenade lovers, morn the passing of a friend, or as catalyst for an evening of singing, dancing and joy," the Web site says. Red Guitar is a very good wine for the money at $9.99, but if the dollar keeps dropping in value, it might get too pricey for me. It’s available at the N.H. Liquor Store and elsewhere.
Hoya De Cadenas
2004
$7.99
A couple of years ago, I discovered a great inexpensive red — 1998 Hoya De Cadenas Reserva. The wine is produced in the Spanish Rioja region by the Vicente Gandia family, which has been in business since 1885 and is noted for its high-quality, well-crafted wines. The 1998 vintage was exceptional and on sale for $5.99 a bottle. It doesn’t have the DOCa designation, but it probably should.
Hoya De Cadenas is made from a blend of 90 percent Tempranillo and 10 percent Grenache grapes and rounded out by aging it for 12 months in American oak casks, the company’s Web site says. Although subtle, the oak comes through in the first taste of Hoya De Cadenas. The wine is balanced and smooth with mellow tannins. Its deep, rich color belies its velvety, light grapey flavor. The wine goes well with meats or even double cream cheddar.
Alas, the 1998s are gone and at least temporarily, so is the $5.99 price. After a couple of lesser years, the 2004 Hoya De Cadenas seems to be on par with the very fine 1998 vintage. It now retails for $7.99, which probably can be pegged to the dollar’s weakness against the Euro. It’s still worth the cost, but it also can be had from time to time more cheaply.
$8.99
The sparkling wine that I drink most is the Spanish Cristalino Brut Cava N/V, produced by the J. Garcia Carrion family in the Jaume Serra winery. The wine is produced in the Alt Penedes area of Catalonia near the Mediterranean Sea and is a blend of 50 percent Macabeo, 15 percent Xarel-lo and 35 percent Parellada grapes. The blended grapes come from at least two vintage years, and so, as with many sparkling wines, Cristalino carries the N/V or non-vintage designation. The winemakers use yeast imported from the Champagne region of France, which they say gives the cava a clean and bright finish. The wine is aged to maturity between 18 and 24 months and is ready to drink when it arrives in the Upper Valley. The wine has received "Best Buy" awards from The Wine Spectator, The Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits magazines.
The best place to find it is the New Hampshire Liquor Stores, where it sells for $8.99 a bottle. I also have spotted it in other area wine stores.
2005, Blanco white
$6.99
Marques de Caceres still white wine has character and an excellent price. Enrique Forner, a Spaniard who was raised and trained in the vineyards of Bordeaux, moved to Rioja and established a winery there 50 years ago. The Forner family now produces fine wines under the Marques de Caceres label that carry the DOCa designation. The "dry white wine" is produced from Viura grapes grown in the southwestern area of the region that has a wetter climate and is known for its milder wines. The grapes, also known as Macabeo, are widely cultivated and produce wines that are best drunk young.
As billed, I found the wine to be dry and refreshing with a slight taste of peaches reminiscent of my childhood summers in Georgia.
The Marques de Caceres is a terrific buy, and it has the bonus of a screw top for easy access.
2004
$7.99
For something different, Casa Fundada, which is one of the oldest wineries in Spain, produces a 50-50 blend of Shiraz and Tempranillo grapes under the label of Osborne Solaz that I like a lot. The wine, which is aged four months in oak, is very dark and inky. It'll block out the sun, but it's great with meats, hearty soups and stews and with mature cheeses. This wine is good enough to be shared with friends without hesitation, and at $7.99, you might invite more than one friend.
$9.98
Freixenet Cordo Negro, Extra Dry, which is known for its distinctive black bottle, is probably the most widely distributed cava in the United States. It is priced slightly under $10 and frequently is on sale for less. Its crisp, dry flavors make it a great buy.