55 posts
The Patón-Clemente brand operates in the La Mancha D.O. region of central Spain. Not only is La Mancha the largest wine-growing region in Spain, it’s the largest wine growing region in the world! La Mancha features a hot, dry continental climate wit...
Bodegas Faustino Rivero Ulecia is part of a five-generation winemaking family that started back in 1899. The winery was founded in 1899 by Olegario Rivero. It operated locally for decades selling bulk wine. Then, in the 1940s, the winery, known as...
Puerta de Plata (i.e., Silver Door) wine is produced in Spain and bottled by Terra Cellars. It is made from 60% Tempranillo and 40% Garnacha. A bit of on-line searching seems to indicate this wine was aged for 12 months in American and French oak...
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time for sparkling wine. And, Cava is great choice. These two wonderful Cavas are from Vilarnau in Barcelona Spain. The name comes from the old Vilarnau castle which can be found on the banks of the river Anoia and wh...
This Albariño is from Adega Pazos de Lusco, one of the most renowned wineries of the Rías Baixas wine growing region along the northwestern coast of Spain. The winery boasts a historic 16th century complex that was in used until 2009 featuring a cha...
Vilarnau Cava These two wonderful Cavas are from Vilarnau in Spain. And now, they are 100% organic! The winery is a small, artisanal, hand crafted Cava house located outside of Barcelona that dates back to 1949. Made in the traditional méthode cham...
Bodegas Volver creates wines in regions of Spain such as Alicante, La Mancha, Jumilla, Rueda, Valencia and soon Rías Baixas. It is differentiated by its modern approach of working with indigenous varieties. The winery was founded in 2004 by Rafael C...
Vilarnau Cava These two wonderful Cavas are from Vilarnau in Spain. The winery is a small, artisanal, hand crafted Cava house located outside of Barcelona that dates back to 1949. Made in the traditional méthode champenoise, the Vilarnau bottles h...
This Ace Kicker wine originates from Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region which is located about 40 miles south of Madrid. This Big Bet Blend is indeed a big blend that’s produced from 34% Cabernet Franc, 27% Syrah, 15% Petite Verdot, 12% Tempranillo, ...
2012 LAN Rioja Reserva Recently I featured LAN Rioja Crianza as the Behind the Cork™ wine of the week. Now we step it up to the LAN Rioja Reserva. This Rioja is from vineyards in the Rioja Alta and Alavesa subzones with an average age of vines bein...
Here’s another returning star to Behind the Cork™. This Beronia Rosé is from the Rioja region of Spain. It is produced from 70% Tempranillo and 30% Garnacha. Both the Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes underwent cold pre-fermentation maceration for se...
This Pagos del Galier Godello is making a return to Behind the Cork™for the 2018 vintage. And, if you’ve never heard of, or never tried Godello, you need to! Godello is not a varietal that is seen as much in the U.S., but this is one to keep your ey...
This Dominio Fournier Reserva is from Ribera del Duero in Spain. It is produced from 100% Tinta del País grapes which are more commonly known as Tempranillo. The grapes come from the terraced sides of the Duero River which winds through more than tw...
This Fournier Crianza is from Ribera del Duero in Spain. It is produced from 100% Tinta del País grapes which are more commonly known as Tempranillo. The grapes come from the terraced sides of the Duero River which winds through more than two kilome...
Cava is the sparkling wine of Spain and perfect for the holidays! The Vilarnau Brut Reserva is made from the three base wines used to make Cava - Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada. These wines are always made separately. The first fermentation takes p...
This beautiful wine is from Ribera del Duero, located in the village of Villalba del Duero, in the province of Burgos, Spain. The 182-acre estate vineyard was planted in 2002 mostly with Tempranillo. The three stars on the label represent the three ...
The Rioja region of Spain is famous for its wine that are based on Tempranillo. This Gran Reserva offering from Beronia is comprised of 97% Tempranillo with 3% Graciano. Tempranillo means “little early one”, a name given to it by Spanish growers who...
This Sherry is from Jerez de la Frontera in south-western Spain. All true Sherry fortified wine comes from the vineyards around Jerez de la Frontera and the neighboring towns of Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Together they form the ...
This Sherry is from Jerez de la Frontera in south-western Spain. It is a city of long-standing wine traditions. All true Sherry fortified wine comes from the vineyards around Jerez de la Frontera and the neighboring towns of Puerto de Santa Maria and...
The vineyards in the Secastilla Valley lie in the far north-eastern part of Spain, near the border with France. This region provides a Mediterranean micro-climate for growing grapes. Secastilla is a hidden valley which boasts hundred-year-old Garna...
This Beronia Rioja Reserva comes from the Rioja region of north-eastern Spain. It is made from a selection of the best grapes from the oldest Tempranillo (95%) vines, Graciano (4%) and Mazuelo (1%). After fermentation, this Rioja earns its “Rese...
The Rioja region of Spain is noted for its Tempranillo and this one from Beronia is indeed noteworthy. This is a typical Rioja blend of grapes consisting of 91% Tempranillo, 8% Garnacha and 1% Mazuelo (a.k.a Carignan). The Tempranillo in this win...
This 100% Mencía (men-thee-uh) is from the Valdeorras region which is located on the eastern-most fringes of Galicia, in North-Western Spain. It was cold macerated, went through malolactic conversion and aged in French and American oak barrels for ...
This Pagos de Galier Godello is a product of the Valdeorras region of Spain which is located on the eastern-most fringes of Galicia, in North-Western Spain. This 100% Godello is cold pressed and kept below 65 degrees F during fermentation. It then s...
Tió Pepe’s Fino Sherry is from the city of Jarez in southern Spain’s Andalusia region. It’s made from the Palomino grape, fermented to the 11-12% ABV range, fortified to 15.5% and then enters the Tió Pepe Solera. While it spends four years in the So...
From the northern Spanish region of Navarra, this Chardonnay is full of flavor. Being on the Southern border of France, the Navarra region is well suited for wine production with its limestone and clay soils and a micro-climate that allows for a lon...
Here’s nice refreshing Sauvignon Blanc that will compliment any spring or summer meal. This 100% Sauvignon Blanc is from Bodega Inurrieta and comes from the Navarra region of northern Spain. It’s got wonderful bright tropical fruit flavors of pine...
If you think that the only good Cabernet Sauvignon is from California, think again. This Vega Sindoa from Bodegas Nekeas is quite nice. And, at the price, you’ll be hard pressed to find one better. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the Navarra...
This wonderful Cune rosé is from the Rioja region of Spain and is made from their famous Tempranillo. The bright red color of this Cune rosé is spectacular. And, hence, it’s big Maraschino cherry and ripe strawberry flavors are no surprise. These g...
As Spring begins, what better way to get it started than with a Rosé. This Beronia Rosé is from Rioja and is a blend of their famous Garnacha (55%) and Tempranillo (45%). This Beronia rosé has a fabulous pink salmon color and screams of strawberry w...
This was an unexpected recent find. A Tempranillo from Spain. And, it’s a Crianza. This style of Rioja is required to be aged for one year in oak and spend one year in the bottle before being sold. This extra aging takes the bright red fruit flavor ...
This was a recent find. And, in true fashion for a Behind the Cork™ wine feature, it’s a great value! This is blend of 80% Tempranillo, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Grenache. And it’s a tasty blend. The Tempranillo and Cab give this blend some ...
This wine is from the Valley of Valdizarbe, D.O. Navarra, in Spain. One of Navarra’s most historical viticultural areas. The grapes are from vines planted over 80 years ago. After the Garnacha grapes were lightly crushed, they were cold macerated be...
From the northern Spanish wine region of Navarra comes this 100% Tempranillo. It is one of six signature wines from Javier Ochoa. Being a “Crianza” it has been aged for 12 months in American oak and then spends at least one year in the bottle. The...
The northern Spanish wine region of Navarra is known for its beauty and diverse terrior, with vineyard filled with Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and beyond. This Garnacha is just another fine example from this region. This wine is cold soak for ei...
This Garnacha is from the DO Navarra region of northern Spain that is known for its beauty and diverse terroir. It is sourced from 70 year-old vines on the estate’s “La Cantera” vineyard, meaning ‘The Quarry.’ It’s appropriately named as the vineyar...
The vineyards in the Secastilla valley are located in the north-eastern part of the Somontano region in Aragon Spain. The name Somontano means “under the mountains” which is appropriate since the region sits in the foothills of the central Pyrenees m...
This Rioja from Beronia is produced with 95% Tempranillo, 4% Graciano (known as Morrastel in Languedoc) and 1% Mazuelo (a.k.a. Carignan). Being a ‘Reserva’ in Rioja means that this wine is required to be aged for at least one year in oak and then sp...
Rioja is maybe the best known Spanish wine, but did you know there are various styles of Rioja? First, let’s review a bit about Rioja. It is a region in North-Central Spain that’s known for its wine. And, like most Old-World wines, the wine label i...
The Rioja region of Spain is noted for its Tempranillo and this one from Beronia is indeed noteworthy. This is a typical Rioja blend of grapes consisting of 91% Tempranillo, 8% Garnacha and 1% Mazuelo (a.k.a Carignan). The Tempranillo in this win...
This Rioja Reserva is a blend of 90% Tempranillo, 5% Granacha and 5% Graciano. It’s grown in vineyards located near the heart of La Rioja, surrounded by the Sierra de Cantabria mountain and the river Ebro. A Rioja Reserva wine must spend a minimum ...
I saved the best for last! In previous Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week reviews I’ve featured Matsu’s “El Picaro” and “El Recio” wines, both of which are very nice Tempranillos from the Toro region of Spain. But, “El Viejo” is Matsu’s finest. Wh...
This is the second in the lineup of 100% Tempranillos from Matsu. This one also comes from the D.O. Toro in north-western Spain. The grapes used in this wine come from 90 to 100 year old vineyards that are manually harvested. After being softly pres...
From the D.O. Toro in Spain, this 100% Tinta de Toro is grown in 50 to 70 year old vineyards and manually harvested. It is fermented in concrete with natural yeasts. Matsu pays homage on their labels to those that have been working the vineyards. A...
This Tio Pepe Fino Sherry is from the Jerez region of Spain. Jerez is the home of sherry and all true Sherry comes from the vineyards around Jerez. Made from the Palomino grape, this Sherry uses only the free run and first press must. Following ferm...
This 100% Albariño by Lusco is from Rias Baixas, in the Galicia region of northwestern Spain, located along the Atlantic coastline. Imported into the U.S. by González Byass, this wine is fermented with natural yeasts produced by the grape. After its...
This wonderfully refreshing Rosé comes from the Rioja region of Spain, is produced by Beronia winery and distributed in the U.S. by González Byass wines. It’s a nice blend of 40% Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo and 30% Viura (a.k.a. Macabeo) which is also...
This Beronia Verdejo (Vehr-DAY-hoh) is imported to the USA from Spain’s Rueda region by González Byass (www.gonzalezbyassusa.com). Rueda, located in Spain’s northwest, is home to the largest number of plantings of Verdejo grapes in the entire world....
In a recent Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week I reviewed Godelia’s White blend of Godello & Doña Blanco. I had to admit that I needed to do some research on these grape varieties. Here again, I need to do some homework. The Mencia (men-thee-ah) gr...
I must admit, I had to do a little research on this one. The Godello and Doña Blanca grapes were ones that I wasn’t familiar with, but am so glad that I had the opportunity to learn something new. The Godello grape is grown in both Spain and Portuga...
Vilarnau is a small artisanal handcrafted Cava house located just outside Barcelona Spain. This Cava is made the traditional way with 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada and 15% Xarello. It is a dry Cava with soft fruity flavors. It is classified as a “Reser...
Vilarnau is a small artisanal handcrafted Cava house located just outside Barcelona Spain. This Cava is made from Trepat, a red-wine grape variety indigenous to northeastern Spain, and Pinot Noir. It is a dry Cava with delicate flavors. It is classi...
Abadia Retuerta first started producing wines in Spain in 1996. The winery and surrounding vineyards are on the former site of the 12th century Santa Maria de Retuerta Monastery in Sardón de Duero. This land is just west of “The Golden Mile,” a privi...
Looking for a good, affordable bottle of bubbly for the holidays? Consider Cava. Cava is a sparkling wine from Spain with a lot of similarity to French Champagne. In fact, the Spanish bubbly was called Champaña in Spain until the 1970s when French r...
In the 1800s, Spain began producing sparkling wines to mimic their French neighbor’s Champagne and they called it Champaña. But in the 1970s, French regulations were put into place such that only sparkling wine produce in the Champagne region of Fra...