Spain
2007 Bodega Muga Reserva
I love a nice nose and this 2007 Muga Rioja has one. Woody and dark fruit, hint of leather – very nice. Medium bodied, very present tannins, dark fruit, maybe a hint of wood/tobacco but the finish wasn’t amazing and to be frank – something just a little off at the very end. An aftertaste [...]
2005 Laguna de la Nava Gran Reserva Review
Then I tasted – wow. The flavors were a big disappointment. I thought it would be smooth, full of complex fruits and mysteries to be solved. Instead I just got smacked with tannins and a flavor that did not have me reaching for a refill.
2010 Vina Esmeralda Catalunya by Torres
As you may have guessed from my posts here, I don’t drink a lot of white wine. I think I may have had 3 bottles all year. So tonight while heading out to have dinner with my family I was going to reach for a red (we were out for sechuan) but my mother [...]
2006 Marqués de Riscal Reserva Rioja
A few weeks ago I tasted a Rioja Crianza as part of Snooth’s month of Tempranillo tasting. It was OK. I was curious about seeing the difference between a Spanish Reserva and Crianza, was there really a noticeable difference? Well in this case there is. This is a wonderful wine and although this website [...]
2008 Solaz Tempranillo Cabernet blend
If you’re searching for an everyday drinking wine that is bold with the fruit (but not in a overly sweet or bad way) and light on the wallet then a 2008 Solaz from the Osborne winery deserves some attention. I want to thank my old friend Paul for planting Solaz in my head. For [...]
El Coto Rioja Crianza 2007
Doing a little tasting of Rioja today in part due to the Tempranillo GTI over at Snooth. Specifically the Rioja Crianza from El Coto. While looking up what a few others had to say about this Spanish wine I was struck by the first one I came across. Aged in new oak gives this [...]
Global Tasting Initialtive
I’m not sure when this began but about three months ago I came across Snooth.com‘s Global Tasting Initiative (GTI). My interest in learning more about wine had been growing steadily these past few years and when I came across this, it was the perfect excuse to try tasting some wines that I would not [...]
Rioja Wines
Rioja wines, coming from the La Rioja region of Spain has a long tradition of wine making going back literally thousands of years to Phoenician times. The name Rioja comes from the river Oja (Rio Oja) and is best known for some fantastic Tempranillo wine. The region grows Tempranillo as well as Viura, Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo grape varieties. Rioja [...]
