Tapena Garnacha`10 $10.00 Live Blog Red #WBC12

@Tapenawine  Spain. Garnacha. Ten Bucks. The name and price say it all.  ETOH 13% Pena means friend, and tapas is small plates.  Have a bunch of friends over, mix up a lot of food, dig in, kick back drink a few bottles while you eat, talk and dream about the future.  40,000 cases were made.

Almez Garnacha `09 as Sangria (not TJ's) $7.99 ***

Just a few months ago, in the snowy depths of  February we tried this cheap & cheerful Almez Garnacha  (original review); it made me dream of Sangria. It is good wine.  In anticipation of Summer, S. & JPH laid in a few bottles (ok, half a case, sadly, now down to one lonely bottle). Now, we are in the early days of summer, winter is long gone and this Almez Garnacha is kicking off Sangria Season.

Here is my Almez Garnacha Sangria report:
I've made it three times in the past three weeks using a classic sangria recipe from the Feast of Santa Fe Cookbook.  It is very simple, using just orange, lemon, sugar and triple sec; each time I make it, it gets better and better.

First Batch:  The Great Hudson River Revival, Clearwater.  I made it at home in the morning, put it in a 2 litre plastic carafe then stowed it away in a cooler.  That night, my friends and I  drank it without diluting it (which is a good thing since I had brought sparkling wine to "dilute" it with....)  Even without the added bubbly, it was fruity, strong, and perfect for the occasion.  A friend generously said "it is just like I am back in Mexico".

Second Batch:  We made it one afternoon and started in drinking it before dinner.  We made it lighter by adding seltzer water, but I made the mistake of adding too much citrus, not letting the wine macerate long enough and using lemon flavored seltzer.  All were bad choices.  It made the wine very acidic.  Of course we went through two bottles, but it could have been much better.  On the third attempt, it was.

Third Batch:  The night before, I mixed a bottle with the fruit, covered it with saran wrap and put it in the refrigerator.  The next morning, I added the triple sec and sugar.  In the late afternoon, as we were cooking, I hauled it out, poured a half a glass over ice and filled the other half with plain seltzer water.  It was light, fruity and refreshing.  A perfect spritzer.  By the evening, it had been mellowing for a day, and transformed into a smooth and delicious Sangria.  At dinner, one guest who had been waxing on about Paella and Sangria when in Spain insisted on a glass and decided that she wanted it straight up with  no seltzer water and just a bit of ice.  Her glass was empty quite quickly.  Given enough time, the wine, fruit, sugar and triple sec had mellowed and  morphed into a lush, fruity drink that packed a punch.

Conclusion:  This Garnacha is adaptable.  By varying the fruit, sugar and maceration time, along with how you "cut" it, (I prefer plain seltzer) it can either be refreshingly light, or seductively lush and hangover inducing (so I have been told).  We'll be trying a whole bunch of wines for sangria this summer and this Almez has set the bar pretty high.

I took a lot of pictures at Clearwater, but none of the Sangria. 

Here is one of my favorite memories, 

being barefoot, sailing the Hudson River on the Mystic Whaler, 

listening to Uncle Tiki's rendition of  "Into the Mystic".

Almez Garnacha `09 $7.99 (not TJ's) ***

I love the idiom "Cheap & Cheerful". It makes me happy.  It makes me think of London. And on first sip, it is how I describe this wine.

Hello Almez Garnacha!  It is like a glass of juicy, unsweetened Raspberries with up front Tannins. It is dry and this wine is screaming to be made into a delicious Sangria! Really, it screamed.  Right in my ear. (ok, maybe not)

There is nothing complex about this wine.  It is a simple, straightforward, honest bottle of flavor with a kick. We had it with left over Elk Ribs repurposed into a tomato based pasta sauce and sauteed spinach. It added a fruity height to the rich meat in the dense Gemelli.  I wouldn't tout this as a winter wine, just because the freshness is a bit disconcerting after you have been drinking dark, full bodied wines all winter, BUT this wine is well worth the $7.99 investment.

We will be having it again.  JPH promised to lay in a few bottle so that in the summer, we can make it into sangria for suppers al fresco.  You can't help but dream about eating outside in warm summer evenings when the house is still blanketed with 18 inches of snow and ice.

This wine is from Spain, specifically, the North East in the Aragón, ancient birthplace of Catherine of Aragón, the surviving wife of Henry VIII. I am thinking that this old world region produces some hardy stock in their wine and in their women.  It is a Garnacha/Grenache varietal that is known for its straight forward flavor. I'll re-review this wine when we make Sangria over the Summer.  I have very high hopes! 

I'll leave you with someone who was also Cheap and Cheerful.  

The man who created Poor Richard, 

and had countless other cultural and historic political influences.  

He said it best when he said:

 "Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, 

with fewer tensions and more tolerance."

and he cautioned:

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."

  --  Benjamin Franklin

La Ferme Saint Pierre Cote de Ventoux Rouge `08 AOC (Not TJ's)$14.99 ***

(Great growing region + winemaker who cares)/(pretty bottle+ pretty color)= a very good glass of wine (or two...or three... and THAT is the extent of my math for the day).

Sunday lunch

This is a great picnic wine, all you really need is a good loaf of bread, some sausage, some cheese, maybe some Tartufo Estivio Macinato spread from Italy (spoils from the last family vacation, I am down to scraping the tiny little jar), a book - MEH is currently re-reading The Three Musketeers and a good great lunch can be had by all.

a very pretty place to grow grapes

From Cote de Ventoux the gateway between Rhône and Provence, comes Paul Vendran, a cute young man who likes to make good wine. Even without the label or the video, this is a nice, versatile wine. JPH grabbed it off the shelf at a wine shop here on Long Island.  Maybe it reminded him of a family vacation to Ventoux (pictures of the mountain are from their vacation album).  No matter what the impetus, he chose well.  So far we have had a couple of bottles, one with mid week supper a while back and now this one for a picnic style Sunday lunch.

The predominant taste in this wine is a dried cassis.  It is fruity, but has a minerality that grounds it.  Some tannins that add a longer finish and a nice depth of flavor. I think that this is predominantly a Syrah, with some Grenache to lighten it. I can't find the percentages but my guess in 70/30. Look at me guessing varietals... hah!  I could easily have this wine with chicken or grilled pork chops - something not too spicy or overpowering. 

Morning

After the vinturi: it is just as good aerated as not aerated.  This is a 2+ year old bottle of wine, yet still tastes fresh.  The tannins remind you that you are drinking a red wine, and the cassis fruitiness is a welcome break from the dark cherry tastes of some of the heavier reds.

Grant Burge Tawny Port 10yo (not TJ's) $29.99 ****

There is something about finishing a meal and having a nice glass of Port. This is from the Barossa Valley in Australia, and it was a great find.  (I have to credit JPH) As we sipped and talked about the bottle, we were surprised that it was so good, so inexpensive (for Port) and well, from Australia.  What a surprise, and lest you think that the dinner table is highbrow, we started speaking in bad Australian accents and kept it up through the dessert Torte.

Grant Burge Wines knows what they are doing. It is smooth, rich, fruity and just lovely.  I will be sipping from this bottle for a while, and then maybe I'll splurge and try the 20YO. This is a blend of grenache, mataro and shiraz, but to me, it is less wine like and a slightly sweet, golden raisin flavor. It was a hit at the table, and glasses were refilled a couple of times. This is a great Port, and an excellent buy at $29.99.  This is a bottle to be opened and enjoyed over a few weeks.  We had it on a Thursday night after dinner but it could also be an aperitif for a formal Sunday dinner as well, it does stimulate the appetite.  It is just good drinking.  But I think I prefer it as an after dinner drink. Later this week, I am going to try it with cookies!

Condesa De Sarabella `07 Grenache $4.99 ***

Memorial Day Weekend - 2009 is the kick off to my Birthday week. So today is all about home. I woke up and gardened, then started fermenting homemade Ginger Ale for Monday's picnic.

As I have been puttering cooking and cleaning, I decided to uncork a bottle of wine. Condesa De Sarabella, a Grenache from Spain. First sip - good. Fruity. I taste blackberries. It is a full bodied, but not heavy, fruity red with very light tannins, some acid. I really like it. It could make an AMAZING Sangria. (the sun is shining, it is beautiful out - my mind always strays to sangria)

After a run through the vinturi: Different - more balanced, but it hides the fruity flavor. I prefer this straight out of the bottle. The vinturi makes it a pedestrian wine. Keep the Spanish flair, pour it right into the glass and enjoy.

Today's menu:
Mixed Greens
Potato & Pickled Beet Salad
Roasted Wings in Honey BBQ sauce
Coffee Ice Cream

Here is the "Before" picture of the Ginger Ale (next to my tomato plants who are going to be re-potted outside this afternoon). If you see the spots of color in the background, those are my Roses coming into bloom. My roses make me smile.

We'll be drinking the Ginger Ale on Monday.