Wine Outlook

If you read The Winemaker’s Wife, you’ve already seen my picture. But of the two I took, that was the one I preferred to showcase the wines from the Rioja tasting Tuesday. I went into it with 2 possible bottles, both of which I proclaimed as “cheating” when I entered. One was from the wrong but nearby region of Ribera del Duero, with similar grapes, and the other was a rosado. While technically that wasn’t illegal, I assumed the cellar rat meant red when he picked the theme.

In Rioja, Spain’s dominant wine region, red wines are made from Tempranillo, Garnacha (Grenache), Mazuelo (Carignan), and Graciano. In some rare cases, Cabernet Sauvignon is allowed. With the whites, Malvasia and Viura take the stage. I actually wanted to bring a white but put off shopping too long and didn’t have as many choices.

For an industry that started out fairly isolated in the 15th century, growing with monks providing refreshments for pilgrims on religious journeys, Rioja finally began to receive notice some 300 years later. Improved trade situations helped but it was truly the spread of phylloxera through France that brought other merchants to Spain.

This particular Rioja tasting found a winner in the 2003 Marqués de Cáceres Crianza (both Crianza and Reserva must spend at least a year in oak, Gran Reserva at least two). I found both the nose and the palate to speak of candy…vanilla, caramel, and cherry jolly ranchers. (I felt like a winner when I found out that was my happy from the belated honeymoon to Spain!). In second place was my 2005 Marqués de Cáceres Rosado–glad I went for the wrong color rather than region–and at $7, a wine I will definitely get again for its lovely nose of strawberry and grapefruit, with a surprising kick of white pepper on the finish. Very nice with the marbled Italian salame.

We also enjoyed the 01 Coto de Imaz Reserva which seemed the hottest and spiciest to me, making it a great pairing for the grilled lamb. The 03 Sierra Cantabria smelled of olives at first ( I checked and the tapenade was nowhere near) and then later of a nice cigar, with mint and raspberry in the mouth. We agreed this was the most California-like of the bunch. Sadly, the 97 Marques de Arienzo was a little off, perhaps somewhat oxidized, as the longer it sat in my glass, the more it smelled like a not-quite-right Port mingled with warmed soy sauce.

Though initially, with a few of us having had bad days, we were just going to drink the wine, I’m glad we decided to go through with a mostly serious tasting.

Rioja tasting, Ribera del Duero, Marqués de Cáceres, winetasting group

….Farley Walker