The Bold and Beauty of Garnacha

I recently participated in a tasting of Garnacha and was really impressed, not only on the quality but the value of the wine.You have your bold Garnacha which is worthy of aging and you have your drink now Garnacha which is a bit more fruit forward and the inbetween.  In any event they are great value. The prices ranged anywhere from $8 per bottle to $23 and these are all wines I wouldn't hesitate to purchase or give as holiday gifts.

The first wine we tastesd was made with Garnatxa Blanca or Garnacha Blanc. It's a white grape related to the red varietal Garnacha.  I really loved acidity and minerality of the Vall Major Garnatxa Blanc.  It had nice notes of limon and hints of pear. The vineyards the grapes are grown in sit at an elevation of 1500 - 2000 feet and you can taste the bright freshness this brings to the wine. I paired this wine with Garlic Pesto Ravioli.  The wine complimented the pesto and also added a touch of sweetness to the cheese. (It's a good thing I didn't have a date after eating them) Best part, this wine retails for $8

All the reds paired very well with the Manchego cheese and my leftover meat lovers pizza. This goes with pairing regional wine to regional cheese.

The 2013 Cruz de Piedra Garnacha from the Calatayud region of Spain is a nice young wine with lots of blackberry aromas coming from the glass.  This is a very young wine and will go well on your holiday table.  A bit acidic and tannic the palate has nice flavors of bittersweet chocolate, black and red raspberries with a nice spice on the finish.  When paired with the manchego cheese, the cheese soften the tannins and the finish has a bit of anise on it.  This wine retails for $10

2010 Finca Bancales Old Vine Garnacha paired extremely well with grilled cheese and tomato soup.  Yes, nice winter comfort meal. The grapes for this wine come from a single vineyard over 90 years old.  It was aged in French oak for 14 months. Lots of black fruit. A soft mellow taste with hints of cherry with a dusting of toast from the oak.  This Garnacha retails for $20

When I talked about bold, the 2013 PDM Moncayo is what I am talking about.  When I first opened it, aromas of green peppercorn and dry herbs filled the air. Lots of tannins  A wine that will age very well.  This wine was aged 10 months in American oak and is unfiltered.  It's very complex and bold. The Manchego cheese paired very well and softened the tannins of the wine.  This will pair very well with duck, venison and lamb. This wine retails for $23

Pizza wine..yes 2010 Marin Old Vine Garnacha screams pizza!  In fact it paired very well with my meat lovers pizza.  Very light on the palate with notes of blackberry and nice simple complexity. This wine retails for $12

A Carinena and Garnacha Wine Under $9.99

Yes you saw correct.  The two wines I am going to tell you about are priced under $9.99 and besides a great value, they are pretty good wines to drink now.

The wines come from Bodegas San Valero Co-Op and they manage 700 grape growers in Carinena covering over 8,600 acres of vineyards. 20% of their Garnacha are old vines ranging in age from 30 to 100 years and are at high altitudes in very rocky soils.  You can taste a bit of the minerality in the wine.

The first wine I tasted was the 2014 Castillo Ducay Red.  This wine is a blend with 60% of the wine Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  The grapes come from 15 to 20 year old vines from the Monte Ducay vineyards.  This red is unoaked. You can see the youthfulness of the wine in it's color which was a bright redish color with blue hues.  (Tilt the glass and hold it up to the light against something white and you will be able to see the hues of the wine)

The wine had bright acidity with red berry fruit throughout.  I did get a hint of vanilla in the wine. Even though it wasn't oaked, it was probably the alcohol talking at 13%.  It's a wine with excitement.

This is a young wine and should be consumed at purchase.  It is not one to age.  It is prices at....are you ready....$7.99

This was my first introduction to the Carinena grape. (There's a first time for everything.) The 2013 Particular Carinena spent 6 months in French oak. I did get some of that oak on the nose along with aromas of talc a touch of red licorice and earthiness with both red and black fruit and under notes of rosemary and spice. Yes, a lot going on in this wine. The palate was very complex, hints of violets, and the acidity is nicely intergrated with the wine.  You do get a touch of the mineral notes. As it opens it is velvety on the palate.  There is a nice black pepper spice on the finish but it falls off.  This wine will age but only for 3-4 years max.  The price.....between $8.99 and $10.99

I had both of the above wines with some Spanish cheese.  Some Mahon, Iberico and Manchego. Which yes, was my dinner since I was the only one home that evening.  Me, my wine and my cheese.

Cracking The Grandes Vinos Y Vinedos Garnacha Code

Founded in 1997, Grandes Vinos y Vinedos works with vineyards in 14 of the growing areas in D.O.P Carinena. They source grapes from 10,000 acres of vineyards that range in altitude from 1,000 to 2,800 feet. One third of their production is Garnacha.

I got to taste two of their selections.  Both Garnacha, one Rose and one Old Vines.

2014 Besdo de Vino is a Garnacha Rose. Antonio the Bull kissed this wine and fell in love.Beso de Vino means "Kiss of Wine" It is kissed with a beautiful raspberry color.  In fact raspberry all around.  Very strong notes of fresh raspberries on the nose and on the palate.  The taste of raspberry lingers in your olfactory for a while on the finish.  As the wine begins to open notes of fresh cherry become apparent. This wine, think summer fun. SRP $10













2014 Corona D Aragon Old Vine Garnach is sourced from the oldest vines in Villanueva de Huerva at very high altitude. The wine begins with layers of aromas from the glass of cherry, sour cherry and red currants.  The palate was bright with bing and cherries.  As the wine began to open it was bursting with black raspberry and became jammy. The fruit was really showing it's colors. SRP $10

Two great wines at affordable prices!