"Best Bang for the Buck"...Red from Spain comes out on top!!

Local downtown tasting with 45 participants and 7 wines. Good selection of cheese, great social activity and some newbies present. Will try to post on the wines as time allows but the wine of the night for me was the `04 Arrocal from Ribera del Duero.

WTN: `04 Arrocal (Ribera del Duero).

Deep red colour, nose of plums, cherry, spice, hint of terroir. On the palate I enjoyed the smoothness with spice, cherry, chalky almost. Soft tannins, cassis enjoyed by many present. Very approachable wine here, Spain has it right this time around! Cost is 19.95 Cdn.


Other wines of note..........................

`05 Crasto, Douro.
`05 Cortes de Cima Chamine, Alentejo.
`04 Marquis Philips Shiraz, SE Aust.
`04 Four Vines "Old Vine Cuvee" Zinfandel, Paso Robles.

OK, Bob, I'm claiming my curling winnings here.

What did you think of the `05 Crasto, Douro?

I've got three bottles left, and I have my doubts.

Regards, Bob

I love all Spanish wines but their low dollar wines are GREAT for the buck

Annual fav's include Las Rocas and a few others. Trying to find a few Ludovicious (SP?) and Alaia which are apparently in the same category of sub $10 (even in MA!!).

No sign of the Arrocal in Ontario I'm afraid.

OK, Bob, I'm claiming my curling winnings here.

What did you think of the `05 Crasto, Douro?

I've got three bottles left, and I have my doubts.

Regards, Bob

Ok, thats not too bad a choice! Was dreading something like Yellow Tail or sparkling Piat d`Or. Bob, in fact I tasted the`05 Crasto the other night at the Best Bang tasting and with the winemaker Cristiano van Zeller at an instore tasting. Will look up my notes and post asap.

Cristiano van Zeller doesn't make Crasto, Bob. Cristiano is the owner of Quinta do Vale D. Maria. The owners of Quinta do Crasto are Miguel and Tomás Roquette, and the winemaker is Susana Esteban.

I always loved the traditional Tempranillos from years ago. Crisp, acidic, food friendly wines that rivaled Sangiovese. But so many Spanish wines went to the International style.

I haven't had a Spanish wine in years. From the sound of some of these TN's, maybe I ought to check them out again.

Richard

Here is another wine that stood out in the evenings event I described.

WTN: `04 Four Vines "Old Vine Cuvee" Zinfandel, Paso Robles.

This Four Vines winery has been getting lots of good press and there are some various Zins out there, all with a "biker" thread in the title. This wine is really approachable with white pepper, spice and blackberry on the nose. Very satisfying on the palate without being too serious. Soft tannins, good balance, blackberry to the forefront. Great buy for under $20 Cdn.

Tempranillos from years ago. Crisp, acidic

Interesting. Tempranillo is a notoriously acidity-deficient grape variety.