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.

Have You Heard of the Graciano Grape?

Have you heard of the Graciano grape? I didn’t until we featured it on Winephabet Street in November. Graciano is mainly grown in the Rioja and Navarra regions of Spain. It is challenging to grow, is low-yielding, late harvesting and susceptible to mildew. It is used a lot as a blending grape for its deep color, intense aromas and ability to age.

Winephabet Street is a monthly series where Lori Budd of Draceana Wines and I work our way through the alphabet exploring wine and wine regions one letter at a time. The show is live on the third Monday at 8pm (but does change depending on our schedules) and is free, but you must register to attend. Put it on your calendar, pour yourself a glass of wine and hang out with us. It is sponsored by Dracaena Wines and Trio North Wildwood.

In this episode, we were joined by Josh Harp, winemaker at Jada Vineyards and Winery. Jada is a small winery with a 3000 case production.

The wine we sampled during this webinar was Jada’s 2019 Hell’s Kitchen. It’s a blend of 55% Syrah, 17% Graciano, 15% Grenache and 12% Tannat from the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles. Aromas of cassis, plum and leather escaped the glass. The wine is serious but exciting. Nice expression of tannins, dark fruit, black currant with a plum pepperiness and a touch of earth on the finish. Very easy to drink!

I will add I did have a bottle of Ser 2018 Graciano in my cellar that I drank recently. Ser is women-owned and located in Santa Cruz, Ca. The grapes for this wine that was 100% Graciano came from Bokish Vineyard in Lodi Ca. It had lots of cherry aromas with hits of violets. This led to a soft, not complex palate, with silky tannins and black cherry. There was a wonderful black pepper spice that is soft and lingered on the finish. Very easy drinking.

Listen to the webinar or podcast and hear what Josh has to tell us about the Graciano grape and Jada Vineyards and Winery. If you drink a glass or bottle of Graciano, please let me know what you think.

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Podcast