Winter Warmth with Spanish Reds: Stay Cozy with Beronia Graciano & Dominio Fournier

The winter isn’t over; March can be difficult, and there's nothing quite like the warmth and comfort a glass of red wine can provide. Let's warm up with Spain's renowned wine regions to explore two beautiful reds that promise to elevate your March evenings: Beronia Graciano 2020 from Rioja and Dominio Fournier 2019 from Ribera Del Duero.

Beronia Graciano 2020, Rioja

Nestled in the Rioja region, Beronia was created in 1973 by a group of friends who had a mission to make great wine. The Beronia Graciano 2020 is a testament to their mission. Graciano, is an indigenous grape variety not grown in many other areas. It ages well and makes wines that are tannic and deep in color.

The Beronia Graciano 2020 SRP $27.99 is medium body and smooth. It has wonderful aromas of violets dark berries, hints of cocoa, tobacco and spice. The palate is wonderful, with ripe bright red fruit, raspberry, plum with a hint vanilla and warm spicy notes.

Something about this wine transports me to a summer day in my childhood.

Dominio Fournier 2019, Ribera Del Duero

Dominio Fournier is located in Ribera Del Duero, a region celebrated for producing some of Spain's most powerful and expressive wines. This vintage is a beautiful expression of the Tinta del Pais grape, also known as Tempranillo.

The Dominio Fournier 2029 SRP $29.99 is aged 12 months in French Oak. The wine has a nice bouquet of black cherry, blackberry, and hints of baking spice. On the palate the wine is full bodied, fresh and elegant with notes of black cherry, raspberry and licorice.

As we seek comfort and warmth during the crazy weather month of March, Beronia Graciano 2020 and Dominio Fournier 2019 stand out as perfect companions. Their rich flavors, depth, and elegance not only provide a sensory escape to the sun-drenched vineyards of Spain but also remind us of the joy and warmth that good wine can bring to our lives. So, this March, curl up with a glass of these nice Spanish reds and let their stories unfold with each sip.

Spanish Wines for Thanksgiving

The holidays will be here before we know it, and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s when my entire family gets together, and we have great laughs and fun over lots of food and wine. Everyone has different traditions on Thanksgiving and has that one signature family dish; at our home, everyone brings theirs.

Of course, I supply the wine at Thanksgiving. I try to pick wines that are not mainstream. Lately, I’ve been enjoying Spanish wines, and I feel wines from Spain will pair nicely with Thanksgiving, no matter what is on your plate.

One grape you probably haven’t heard of is Godello. One that should be on your Thanksgiving table. If you don’t like Chardonnay, you will like Godello!

The Godello grape is mainly grown in Galicia, the northwestern region of Spain. Some neighboring regions also grow the grapes. The wines made from the Galicia region tend to show lots of minerality. If you don’t like Chardonnay, you will like Godello. If you like Chardonnay, Godello will be your next go-to white. Another Spanish wine to have on your table is a Tempranillo or a Tempranillo blend with other red varieties grown throughout Spain.

I want to introduce you to two Spanish wines for your Thanksgiving table that won’t break the bank.

Pagos del Galir Godello 2020 SRP$21- The Godello for this wine comes from their premier cru A Malosa vineyards, in the Valdeorras area of Galicia. The vineyards grow on terraces between 400 and 600 meters in altitude. The wine is aged for 6 months on its lees in stainless steel tanks, foudre, and 500-liter barrels.

Floral notes and lots of salinity aromas come from the glass with hints of lemon rind. It’s fresh on the palate, with a nice silky texture and a medium + body.

Cune Organic 2020 SRP $17 - This wine is organic and vegan, 60% Granacha, 30% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano. Fermentation took place in stainless steel vats with wild yeast. It was then aged in 300-liter oak barrels for 6 months.

Aromas of fresh red raspberries and red floral notes. The palate is soft with medium tannins. Notes of red berry fruit, leather, and a nice touch of spice on the finish.

These wines are imported by Arano Imports. If you don’t see them on the shelf at your favorite wine store, just ask them to contact the importer. Both wines will be outstanding for Thanksgiving!

Bodega Beronia Food Friendly & 2 Sizes

 

Let’s travel to Spain where in 1973 a group of businessmen from the Basque region of Spain who are friends would travel to La Rioja every year on holiday. Can you imagine the fun they had. They loved everything about the area so much, the food, the wine that they decided to open a winery. The purpose of the winery was to produce wine to pair with the food during the get-togethers of their gastronomic society (txoko) that they formed.

The name Beronia is named after the Berones who were warrior people of celtic descent of ancient Spain who migrated from Gaul to Iberia around the 4th century BC. They settled in the La Rioja region and lived close to the Cantabrian Conisci in the middle of the Ebro region between Tiron and Alhama rivers.

Bodegas Beronia is located in the village of Ollauri in the Ebro Valley in the heart of Rioja Alta. Rioja Alta features Atlantic climate and soil that consists of yesos, ferrous and aluvial clay soil. The Atlantic Ocean protects the region and the Ebro river gives the soil the richness of minerals that make the area a great home for vines.

Beronia farms 900 hectares in Rioja Alta. The average age of the vines are 30 years however, there are about 50 hectares that are over 60 years old. They are planted with the majority of Tempranillo with Garnacha, Mazuelo, Graciano and Viura.

I had the opportunity to taste Beronica Crianza 2017 and found it so food-friendly! It’s a blend of 94% Tempranillo with 5% Garnacha and 1% Mazuelo. The wine spent twelve months in barrels and then relaxed for three months before being released. Beautiful dark red in color. The wine shows aromas of dark cherry and black raspberry. The aromas are followed to the palate with a cinnamon explosion on the finish.

The Beronia 2017 Crianza comes in 750ml bottle and 350ml bottle. The smaller bottle is great for the beach, boat, or bring along to dinner if dining with a friend that doesn’t drink wine. SRP 14.99 750ml and $7.99 350ml bottle.

Spanish wines are such a great value, great-tasting and at great prices. Now that we are heading into the Spring and Summer, they go great with appetizers, burgers and barbecue. We paired the Beronia with a cheese plate followed by burgers.

Thanksgiving Wine Recommendations

I can’t believe we are talking Thanksgiving, but it is around the corner, like next week. Got me thinking, I taste many wines throughout the year and many of them will pair well with your Thanksgiving and Holiday meals. I know Thanksgiving is about the turkey, and you might think you have to serve a white wine, but what else is on your table? Everyone has traditions, mine is a noodle pudding, yes a nice chardonnay will pair with that. How about those brussel sprouts with bacon, perhaps a red wine from Rioja will pair with that dish. Your turkey stuffing, do you put sausage in it? Perhaps a Sangiovese will go nice with it. After all, on the fork will be your stuffing and a small piece of turkey and maybe some gravy.

If your Thanksgiving day festivities begin with football, think about wine in cans. Then you won’t have to worry about knocking over a glass when you get excited. Cans come in all varietals these days.

No holiday meal should be with-out a sparkling wine. Depending on your budget you can go inexpensive and get some Cava, Nino Franco Prosecco or Cote Mas Cremant all priced under $20. If your budget permits toast to the holidays with a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne where prices range from $45 to $80

Sitting down at the table, you should have a good selection of different wines. Everybody has different tastes and palates, not to mention all the different food in front of you.

Wines from Spain

Wines from the Navarra region of Spain. Bodegas Ochoa Calendas Blanco is a blend of Chardonnay and Viura for $12 and Bodegas Inurrieta Mimao Garnacha for $15.

Head to Rioja and the Haro District for some Tempranillo. You can’t go wrong with any of these wines that are priced anywhere from $20 to $110. If you have deep pockets go for Bodegas Roda 2016 Cirsion at $325.

We can’t forget about Albarino! Paco & Lola Albarino for the Sauvignon Blanc lover. They will be wowed!

Wines from Argentina

Malbec and Torrontes from Colome are nice accompaniments to the holiday table. Torrontes a medium bodied white paired with the Malbec for the red wine drinker and those brussel sprouts. Priced from $16 to $30. You don’t have to break the bank.

State Side Wines

Want to keep wines stateside this holiday season, I would say support your local wineries. Should you need to venture to the liquor store here are some wines to look for.

Harken 2018 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay is a nice holiday white. Not an extremely heavy oaky chardonnay. It’s nice bodied with a hint of buttered toast on the finish. Priced around $17.

I was wowed this year by Smith-Madrone Rielsing and Chardonnay. Priced at $34 and $40 they will add elegance to your table.

For the red wine, you must try some California Zinfandel. Think about that stuffing! Some suggested selections are:

Artezin Zinfandel priced at $16

Pedroncelli Winery 2017 Mother Clone Zinfandel from this winery celebrating 90+ years is under $20

Biale Vineyards has some higher priced Zinfanel wine. Try the 2017 Black Chicken which is code name for selling Zinfandel from the farm during the depression. Serve some Black Chicken with your turkey. $49

Rombauer Vineyards. Try their 2017 Zinfandel that is sourced from some of the oldest historic vineyards through-out California. Priced at $35. Bring some history to the table.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving with family and friends!

Cheers!

Pairing Steak with Tempranillo

Many times when you grill your steak you think of opening up a Cabernet Sauvignon or similar wine but there are many other red wines that go quite well with steak, especially grilled steak in the summer. Tempranillo from Spain is one of them.

Recently we grilled a Delmonico steak and paired it with Abadia Retuerta Selección Especial 2013 from the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. This is the first time I’ve tasted wine from this producer. A little back story on Abadia Retuerta.

Abadia Retuerta first began producing wine in 1996. The location winery is on the former site of the 12th century Santa Maria de Retuerta Monastery in Sardón de Duero. In 2012 the Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine Hotel opened in the Monastery surrounded by the vineyards, so if you visit, you must stay there and experience the hospitality yourself.

The vines are grown in river basin that has accumulated thousands of years of wrosion, alluviums, sedimentation in the soil composition. This gives their terroir great diversity and texture. The soil of each of the 54 plots of vines each has a different composition with clay along the river, pebbles and sand on the slope, gravel in the lower part and limestone in the heights. Each variety planted extracts the best of the terroir it’s planted on giving it it’s unique qualities.

Located on a privileged strip of land called the Golden Mile of Castilla y Leon, Abadia Retuerta is a bit of a rebel when it comes to their designation. Instead of being grouped under the designation D.O. Ribera del Duero they decided to be classified under the VdlT Castilla y Leon-Sardon de Duero. (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla Leon) This allows them more freedom when it comes to choosing, varieties, blends and percentages.

That freedom is shown in the Abadia Retuerta Selección Especial 2013, a blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon,and 10% Syrah, Merlot and Petit Verdot. My first impression of the wine was it was tight and it needed to open up. Probably should have decanted it, but I guess I wasn’t thinking ahead at the time. I let it sit for a bit and open up. After it opened up boy was it good! Aromas of mocha, chocolate covered cherry and vanilla escaped from the glass. On the palate it was smooth and silky with some acidity. Elegant with flavors of sour cherry and blackberries. The soft tannins really complimented the steak! 

SRP $30 and a great value.

Holiday Baking with Vina Zaco Wines

It's that time of year where I'm baking away.  I have a cookie swap I had to make 7 dozen cookies for and there are the cookies for Christmas and New Year's Eve. There is no better way to get through your holiday baking than with a bottle of wine at your side.

This year the bottle of choice was a 2014 Vina Zaco Tempranillo from Bodegas Bilbainas located in the Barrio de la Estacion of Haro in the Rioja Alta region of Spain. It is known as the oldest bottler in Rioja as well as the largest vineyard owner in the Rioja Alta region with over 600 acres.. This region is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and has mostly chalky clay soils which allows the Tempranillo grapes to thrive thus producing some wonderful wines.

The 2014 Vina Zaco Tempranillo rested in 50%  new American oak and 50% French Oak for six months. The wine had beautiful aromas of black cherry, plum, licorice and hint of violets. Sipping on this wine while red velvet cookies and chocolate chip blondies, my mouth found black fruit, hint of strawberry, vanilla, subtle notes of oak. The wine was well structured and had nice rounded tannins.  Was a great wine to eat the warm cookies with!

Besides the cookies, this wine would pair great with barbecued meat and chicken. SRP $15

The Vina Zaco Tempranillo has a sister a 2015 Vina Zaco Albarino. She is a great fresh aromatic white wine.

The fruit is sourced from the Val do Salnes region of Rias Baixas. The Albarino is hand harvested, went through malolactic fermentation and then were left for a few months on the lees before being bottled. The wine maintained its freshness and has a nice mouthfeel as a result of the malolactic fermentation.

The wine has beautiful aromas of white flowers, white grapefruit and green apple. Citrus notes on the palate, the wine is smooth, hints of minerality and a touch of acidity.  A delightful and fresh wine! This wine is a great pairing for seafood SRP $17.50

My Son Went To Spain and I Got a Bottle of Rioja

Back in February my son approached us and asked if he can take summer courses in Spain.  His school (LaSalle University) offers an exchange at the University of Salamanca.  Of course!  I was so excited, what a great experience for him!  (Wish he could have pack me in his suitcase!)

Yes the girlfriend went with him

The summer is flying by and he's been to Spain and back.  He had a great time. Took 4 classes and got 4 A's. Traveled through Spain and Portugal on the weekends.  Oh the life!  He did manage to bring his parents back a bottle of wine - 2005 Osborne Bodegas Montecillo Grand Reserva, Rioja.  For those of you who are wondering, the grapes used in the Rioja are Tempranillo.  Termpranillo is the grape varietal that forms the backbone of many wines from Spain.

We wasted no time in popping the cork to find that it was quite good!! Aromas of red cherry, licorice and herbs filled the glass.  Flavors of red raspberry with a little mocha and white pepper on the finish filled my palate.  Some nice hints of oak and a little tannins made this wine very enjoyable.

I did do some research to see if the wine was sold in the states.  Of course I flipped the bottle around and put on my glasses to read the back to see only to find it all in Spanish.  I didn't do that well in Spanish in high school so..well just let's say I poured myself another glass.  But the wine is sold in the US for around $24.

 We served it with a grilled T-bone steak from Kiernan Farms.  Fantastic dinner and pairing!

Life Beyond Brotherhood - Baeza Wine Connection

Cesar Baeza is one of the nicest gentlemen I know.  Yes, I say gentleman.  My first encounter with him was when I began working for the Shawangunk Wine Trail.  He welcomed me with open arms and was very sincere.  He was the Winemaster and the first person to come to mind when Keryl and I created Happy Bitch Wines. I never thought of another person to go to for guidance.

Now that Cesar has recently scaled down his responsibilities at Brotherhood Winery, new doors have opened for the Winemaster who Wines & Vines Magazine listed in the top 50 Winemakers in the US.  I had the opportunity to have lunch with him in September and boy did we chat.  We both opened up about our experiences, but that's not what I'm here to write about.  It's life beyond Brotherhood.

Welcome to Baeza Wine Connection, a consulting firm involved in all aspects of wine from blending to commercialization.  A consulting firm designed to help distributors find wines and wineries find distribution. Baeza Wine Connection is a family affair that began out of the love and passion for good wine by, Cesar and his brother Fernando who has been a restaurateur  in Long Island, NY for many years.

The Baeza Wine Connection is currently working with wines from Chile, Spain and Italy.   "Viejo Feo" is a Chilean wine whose label shows an Ugly Old Man standing next to a mirror, revealing it's the beauty inside that counts. They've developed  an estate- bottled Cabernet Reserve, Merlot Reserve, Sauvignon Blanc and a unique Pinot Noir.

They are introducing  Finca Loranque Winery in Spain to the American market for the first time. Finca Loranque produces Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and  Syrah.   They have already received international recognition for many of their wines.

I recently tasted Finca Loranque's 2006 Tempranillo/Syrah blend.  Going in with no expectations Paul and I were wowed by this wine.  It's 60% Syrah and 40% Tempranillo, barrel-aged in French oak for 12 months and at least 1 year in the bottle.

With aromas of black fruit, the palate dances with blackberry and raspberry.  As the wine opens up, plum and more dark fruit enter.  There are not a lot of tannins in this wine.  It's elegant and smooth and nicely balanced.  The finish is one of soft spice.

I paired this wine with an aged Mimolette and Manchego and both went very well.

For those of us who know Cesar, he always has something exciting in the pipeline (or the grapevine if you will).  He's working on a Super Tuscan using Italian heirloom grape varieties and tells me we'll have to wait until next year for the results.  And also organic wine.  Maybe German wine too.