Another month has passed and it’s time for our virtual tasting, known as Wine Blogging Wednesday, masterminded by Lenn Thompson almost 3 years ago.

This month’s theme, Passionate Spanish Wines, was chosen by Michelle & Kevin of My Wine Education. They ask that we pick some Spanish wine to blog with special attention to the values found for $10 USD and less. And what a great theme for me as I just spent 10 days in Spain. So I thought I would write notes for four wines that meet the host’s criteria; two purchased in Spain and two purchased here. I thought it would be fun to see which side of the pond the best Spanish values could be found.

Spanish Purchases

When I was in Montsant with Gabriella and Ryan from Catavino on July 2nd, I picked up the first wine I’ll blog tonight for 6.30 Euro ($8.66). It carries the prestigious Priorat D.O. and proves you can find some decent values from this red-hot region of Spain.

Vinicola Del Priorat, “Onix Classic”, Priorat 2006 - A blend of Garnacha and Carignon. Dark purple in color with aromas of bing cherry and licorice. Cherry and strawberry fruit flavors with white pepper and dusty tannins. A solid value.

15% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 86

The next purchase was made in Barcelona at a great wine store Ryan introduced me to named Vila Vini Teca. We challenged the staff for the best wine for under 6 Euros and they came up with the following for a shade over 4 Euro.

Bodegas Agapito Rico, “Carchelo”, Jumilla 2006 (4.30 Euro/$5.90) - Made from 100% Monastrell (a.k.a. Mourvedre) this wine is extremely dark purple-black in color. Very strong blackberry jam and fennel aromas prepare the taster for a fruit bomb. And this wine doesn’t disappoint in the mouth with fresh boysenberry pie filling flavors with some blueberry and black pepper finishing very juicy and round with good acidity. A very nice value and a fun wine to drink.

14% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 88

Twin Cities Purchases

Back home I picked up a Garnacha (a.k.a. Grenache) from D.O. Calatayud in northeastern Spain’s Aragon region.

Viña Alarba, Grenache, “Old Vines”, Calatayud 2005 ($8) - Garnet-purple in color with aromas of cherry, spice and earth. Medium bodied in the mouth with cranberry and strawberry fruit, some white pepper, earth and minerality on the finish. A lot of wine for the money.

14% ABV
Synthetic cork closure
Score: 88

My final selection is one I tasted before I went on my trip that is only available here in the U.S. Selected and blended by Eric Solomon, this wine is perhaps the best value from Spain I’ve yet found.

Bodegas Castano, “Hecula”, Yecla 2003 - ($10) - Another 100% Monastrell, this time from D.O. Yecla. Complex cherry, black currant, violet & licorice aromas. Black currant, blueberry & black pepper finishing with fine grained tannins, minerality and good acidity. A delicious value.

14% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 92

What’s interesting about this tasting is how many great values can be found inside Spain and here in the U.S. From browsing wine stores in Spain, I’d give them the nod for more wines available under $10 USD a bottle. But here in the Twin Cities, we pay more for wine than in other parts of the country so you might find better pricing in your local market.

Thanks again to Michelle & Kevin for a great and timely (for me) theme this month. I’m looking forward to WBW founder Lenn’s selection for next month’s 3-year anniversary event.

Photo by Scott Clemens / Epicurean Traveler

I thought I would post a note about the first of several excellent restaurants we enjoyed on our tour of Spain. Since food was nearly as important as the wines presented during the five days hosted by The Osborne Group, I think this is a good place to start my coverage of the trip.

After traveling for over 17 hours I found myself in a taxi rocketing into downtown Bilbao, Spain at about 8:30 pm local time on Monday, June 25th. This was our scheduled time for dinner to begin, very early for Spain as I would find out, but most likely due to our travel schedules. After dropping my bags in my room at the Silken Gran Hotel Domine, I took a taxi for a short ride to Restaurante Etxanobe. There I met my hosts, Alberto de la Iglesia and Africa Romero from Osborne International and Jenn Turner from their U.S. PR firm, along with the other journalists on the trip, Wini Moranville, Charyn Pfeuffer, Glen Putman and Scott Clemens.

Since it was a early for dinner when I arrived a few minutes before 9:00 pm, the restaurant was empty except for a large round table in the center where I met my traveling companions and hosts. After quick introductions, the dinner immediately began with a trio of appetizers matched with Bodegas Montecillo Blanco 2006. The wine, made from the native Viura grape grown in Rioja, matched well with each starter. But to me, the final appetizer of scallop and leek was best with the crisp citrus flavors of the Viura nicely complementing the sweetness of the fresh scallop.

The other highlight of the dinner was chef Fernando Canales’ signature, Solomillo a distancia – Sirloin grilled “at a distanceâ€? paired with Montecillo Reserva 2001. This would be the first of three times we would taste this wine made from 100% Tempranillo and it’s power and grace is impressive holding up with the perfectly prepared rare tenderloin. Chef Canales came to our table in the now filled restaurant to explain that the beef is grilled slowly on a custom built chrome grill of his invention where the meat is at more of a distance than normal. Whatever the trick, this was one of the finest pieces of beef I have ever had and the wine harmonized well with the flavors of the meat.

The final highlight was the dessert sampler; several bites of different sweets paired with Osborne Pedro Ximenez 1827 Sherry. A very nice way to end a most memorable meal and a great way to start my conversion to the wonders of Sherry. Chef Canales then autographed his cookbook for everyone before treating a few of us to an impromptu chocolate tutorial and tasting.

The next time I’m in Bilbao I will definitely stop by for another meal at Restaurante Etxanobe. The food and service are world-class. I can see why the folks at Obsorne picked this as our opening dinner venue but there would be two other very memorable dinners ahead in Madrid and Jerez which I will cover a bit later in the week.

Next, I will write and podcast about my visit to Rioja and Bodegas Montecillo; stay tuned…

Nine days ago I arrived in Bilbao, Spain and immediately took a taxi to a great restaurant in the Guggenheim Museum. What followed was a rapid wine tour of Spain as the guest of Grupo Osborne then concluding with 3 days in Catalona with Gabrella and Ryan of Catavino. Before I begin my detailed coverage of this trip, I thought I would first post some impressions.

In just over a week I toured five D.O.’s in Spain and tasted wines from ten D.O.’s. My overall impression is that some of the world’s finest wines are made within one of the most diverse terroir for wine grapes. Starting with the cool climate of Rioja Alta where Tempranillo struggles to ripen to the scorching hillsides of Priorat where winemakers are challenged to maintain reasonable levels of alcohol, Spain provides the wine lover with nearly every style of wine. That’s probably why most wine stores there only stock Spanish wines with the occasional French or even California bottle a rarity.

But most American consumers don’t know about this diversity in wines from Spain which has created the false impression that the finest wines come from Rioja, only reds are worth seeking out and most everything else falls into the value tier from $20 and under. In the next week or so, I hope to dispel some of these myths as I return to my notes to post about each day and record four podcasts based upon my visit.

Photo by Ryan Opaz / Catavino