2015 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio, Spain, Jumilla - Wine Review

Score: 
94
Grade: 
A

This is a big wine for sure.  I suspect it will be a love it or hate it kind of wine.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has dusty dark cherries, plums and chocolate and spice.  On the palate this is jammy with a lot of fruit.  Dark cherries and black raspberries.  Some spice showing.  It is really all about sweet fruit right now.  Delicious and enjoyable.  Not the best food pairing but great on its own.  Having had past vintages, I think it will settle down but if you don't like it young, you won't like it older.  If you do, its got a decade left.  

NV Joios Cava Brut, Spain - Wine Review

Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+

$12 gets you this delightful sparkler.  Perfect for mixing or drinking on its own at parties.  Light gold in color.  Lots of medium to large bubbles.  The nose is lemony which carries thru to the palate.  Apparently there is no Xarelo in this but it is 100% Chardonnay.  It certainly punches above its weight class.  Outstanding value.  

2015 4 Monos Albillo Real, Spain, Madrid, Gredos - Wine Review

Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

A really interesting wine.  We visited the winery in Gredos and brought this back.  Gredos is about 35 minutes west of Madrid and the vineyards are old, planted on sandy soils at high altitudes in windy conditions.  Albillo Real is the traditional white grape used in the area (most of the wines are Garnacha).  Deep gold in color.  The nose is nice withcrushed shells, herbal notes of wintergreen and thyme, and minerals.  On the palate, those carry thru.  Slight peach as well.  Medium bodied.  Slightly oily in texture.  Served with a Morrocan spiced Carrot Salad, this worked quite well.  Nice

2016 Familia Torres Pazo das Bruxas

Score: 
85
Grade: 
B

Light golden in color.  A very nice nose of crushed sea shells with bits of lime.  Not as good on the palate but still ok.  Nice minerality but it turns a bit bitter.  I would like to see a bit more acidity as well.  It would work well with sea food for sure.  

Top 30 Spanish Whites (and Light Sherries) to Try Before you Quit Drinking

In my previous article, I discussed the Top 20 Spanish Reds to Try Before You Quit Drinking . This time, the focus is on Spanish whites and light Sherries. What a task! I had to expand the list just to fit in more of the awesome white wines of Spain—there really are too many to choose from! As with the red wines of Spain, the quality of the whites is always increasing. There are more styles of wine than ever being produced (oaked Albariños meant to be aged, unfiltered Sherries released “en rama”), and some of Spain’s top winemakers are bringing the focus to indigenous varieties like Godello and Hondarrabi Zuri. Spain is famous for its Sherry, but with the quality level of these wines and their reasonable price tags (the majority of the wines on my list could be enjoyed during a causal lunch), fortified won’t be the only style buzzed about for long.
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Top 20 Spanish Red Wines to Try Before You Quit Drinking

Spain is like the wild, wild west when it comes to wine. Unlike France, where individual plots of land have been set aside for centuries as the best spots for winemaking, producers in Spain are still out searching for new terroirs, new regions and new (old) indigenous grape varieties that have been pushed aside in favor of commercial winemaking. In the 1970s, Spain’s winemaking reputation was for poor-quality bulk wine. Today, regions like Priorat, Montsant and Mallorca are eclipsing the better-known regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero.
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Top Spanish Red Wines

Spain has more area under vine cultivation than any other country in the world, according to Wines From Spain. While much of Spain's wine production remains in-country, Spain exports wines to many other nations, including the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. Russia and Italy are importing more Spanish wines than ever before.
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Verdejo - Spain’s Signature White Grape

Though Spain is better known for the red wines of Rioja and Ribera del Duero, the Rueda, located north east of Madrid, is home to arguably Spain’s best white wine, Verdejo. Similar in style and characteristics to Pinot Gris, Verdejo fully expresses itself in the high altitude of Rueda where it showcases lemon and citrus, minerality and above all, a sharp acidity which makes it compelling with the tapas so that are so ubiquitous around the region. It’s also inexpensive, with bottles exported to the U.S. usually less than $15. Verdejo has been planted in this area for over a thousand years, and it’s believed it was brought to Spain by the Moors. Some producing vines date as far back 130 years. However it has been only in the last few decades that Verdejo has proved to be the best fit for the cooler Rueda region.
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