Drink a Great Deal

  I can sum up spanish wines in one word: value. By value I don’t mean cheap wine, I mean getting a lot for what you pay for. It’s like watching a film by Pedro Almodóvar and walking out feeling like you’ve seen three films for the price of one. Or eating one paper thin slice of Jamón Serrano and having the satisfaction of feasting on the whole pig.

  Spain unlike any other wine producing country in Europe, has emerged from a troubled past of inconsistent and archaic winemaking into a diverse source of good juice. There are many pioneers to thank for this transformation, including Alvaro Palacios, Miguel Torres, and of course Jorge Ordonez. Coupled with new wine regions popping up more often then Lindsey Lohan does in the news has led to the production of quite a bit of wine. More wine equals lower prices. This is not to say that Spain’s winemaking traditions have been lost, they have simply been improved. Long standing bodegas like Muga, Emilio Moro, and Vega Sicilia are still crafting beautiful wines that will age beautifully.

One region that is now producing a multitude of wines is Castile-La Mancha. Castile-La Mancha is the center of Spain, and the center of mass wine production. More wine equals more value and one of these values is Venta Morales Tempranillo. Vinified in stainless steel, this wine is fresh, but not light or too fruity. With dark berry notes, and rich color it has surprising amount structure and complexity for under 8 bucks.

First of all, let me say that I drink pink wine. I am more than secure enough with my masculinity to drink rosés and hell, I’m even comfortable enough to blog about it. I know pink wine doesn’t have the best reputation in this country, thanks to the ocean of white zinfandel that has flooded the market. But as much as I’d like to curse white zin for staining (albeit a pale pink stain) the reputation of this wine style, it did play a powerful role in saving all the zinfandel vines in California. There would be no iconic “old vine zinfandel” in production and Sonoma county may have never become a serious wine region.

 Rosé wines, unlike white zin, shouldn’t be thought of as insignificant or insipid, they should be seen the perfect bridge between red and white wines and a great option with foods that fall between these worlds. Rosé has been produced, consumed and respected in France for a very long time. Wines of Provence, such as Bandol, and Tavel are serious drinking and pair brilliantly with seafood and pork. Rosés can add a touch of structure and tannin to white wine that makes them better with food then either of their siblings. Be it rosé champagne blushing from pinot noir with subtle hints of strawberry, or a dry and delicious grenache rosé from Tavel, waiting to be paired with sardines, these are versatile and wonderful wines. Damn the bubble gum badge of dishonor pinned on them by white zinfandel, relegating pink wine to hapless housewives and bingo parlor bluehairs! Rosé is held in high esteem in Europe, along with other things we Americans toss aside as trivial, such as literature and the arts. My advice to you is pick up a bottle of rosé and be proud. It’s delicious and deserves some respect. Drink Pink!

A domestic wine that fits this category well is Charles and Charles’ Columbia Valley rosé. Bone dry with bright refreshing acidity and aromas of strawberry and raspberry, this wine goes well with food, or without it. Grab it at Whole Foods on sale for $10.99.

Oh Lord stuck in Lodi again, however this time it’s a blessing, not a curse. Lodi is home to Laurel Glen, a winery that makes good use of the always sunny Central Valley but is smartly located near a plentitude of rivers which draw grape cooling fogs into the vineyards. This fog is a breath of fresh air for the zinfandel that is planted there. Normally, zinfandel is treated like a pack mule in this country, shoved out into the sun to bear the weight of it’s abundant heat. But as much as zinfandel does well surviving in this weather, it doesn’t deserve it. Sure it will ripen into big berries full of sugar that can be easily vinified into wines topping the scales at seventeen percent alcohol, but it deserves better. All of the subtlety of the grape is lost in the heat, not to mention all of it’s acidity. However at Laurel Glen, they allow it some respite from the heat and with a smart blending with carignan, and a touch of petite syrah, they produce a wine simply named Reds. Reds is a wine intended for everyone, juicy and fun, but with enough structure and focus to please educated palates as well, and it’s priced for the people as well. The wine retails for $9.99 at Whole Foods, and 10% off if you buy six (20% if you buy 12).