Rioja: An Untapped Resource

So you want aged wine, direct from a winery’s cellar, without paying an arm and a leg? The answer is easy--it’s Rioja. Don’t get me wrong; some of this depends on your idea of relative value, but I assure you that buying a bottle of 20 year-old Rioja for $75 - $100 is one of the best values in the world of wine. And it doesn’t end there. Great bottles of aged Rioja can be had for a pittance around the country.

Rioja is a Spanish wine made from the Tempranillo grape and aged in American oak, giving it a healthy dose of wood tannin and vanilla character in its youth. It can take decades for this character to integrate and result into a perfectly aged bottle of wine. However, when it does emerge from that overly oaked and tannic state, the results are marvelous. These are gorgeous wines with layers of intense aromas and depth of flavor that most of us wait decades for while aging wines in our cellars. Yet you can find them upon release, perfectly stored and ready for a short decant, and an evening of enjoyment.

Below are just a few wines tasted at a recent event; but the fact is, I’ve loved aged Rioja for years now. All are worth searching for.

On to the tasting notes:


1994 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Reserva Ygay – The nose showed intense ripe cherry with leather, dark wood tones and earth. On the palate, it was still youthful with structure partly masking its red berry fruit. The finish showed dried flowers and strawberry, yet remained tight, showing that this wine still needs time. (89 points)

1994 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva – The nose showed dark tones of red fruits, wood, tobacco, undergrowth and earth. On the palate, it was soft and ripe with lush red fruits and mulled spices. The finish was long with red berry fruit dancing on the palate. (91 points)

1994 Bodegas y Viñedos Labastida Rioja Manuel Quintano Reserva – The nose was woodsy, with berries, herbs and dark wood tones. On the palate, it was open and plush, showing red fruits, leather, citrus and plum. The finish was long and as smooth as silk with earthy red berries and dried spices. This ’94 Reserva gave me a lot of hope for the ’04 I had tasted earlier. (92 points)

1994 Bodegas Muga Rioja Gran Reserva Prado Enea – The nose was enticing with vibrant dark berries and cherry notes, spice and moist wood. On the palate, it showed soothing textures with soft red fruits, herbal tea, dried inner floral tones and earth. The finish was long and satisfying as its bouquet of dried flowers wafted up to through the senses and dark berry notes coated the palate. (93 points)

1985 Bodegas Valdemar (Martinez Bujanda) Rioja Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva –- The nose was rich and dark, rooted in the earth yet sweet and spicy with notes of brown sugar, vibrant cherry, leather and floral tones. On the palate, it was soft like silk, drawing you in to reveal ripe red fruits, earth and hints of citrus and spice, all while seeming impossibly young. The finish was long and fresh, showing tobacco and wood with sweet cherry and milk chocolate. (95 points)

** The best part about this tasting were the people I enjoyed it with. This Rioja tasting was hosted by Snooth for their "People's Voice Wine Awards". My tasting companions were made up of some of the best wine bloggers from around the country. Below are links to their impressions from this exciting lineup of wines. Enjoy!

Benito's Wine Reviews: Snooth PVA: Wines of Rioja

Vinesleuth "Uncorked": What is Rioja Wine?

Vindulge: Cellar Worthy Rioja

Snooth PVA: A World of Wine In N.Y.C.

By Eric Guido

I have just returned from a rollercoaster ride of a tasting weekend. The Snooth People’s Voice Wine Awards managed to take me from Italy, to Spain, to Austria, to Brazil and even South Africa. It was a massive event with focus group tastings, guest speakers, cooking demos, food & wine pairings and a group of some of the best wine bloggers from around the country. It will take many days to sort through the massive amount of pictures, tasting notes and overall impressions that I collected over the last few days. All of those impressions will find their way into these pages.

However, until that time, I thought it would be great to go over a few of the highlights of my weekend. In the world of wine tasting, you always have the ones you love, the ones you like and the ones that fall flat, but I can tell you that this weekend opened my eyes to large number of excellent wines. What’s more, the people that made it happen, the bloggers that shared my experience (which you should be following, see below), and the foods—oh the food. So I’ve attempted to put something of a scrapbook together for you here. Enjoy.

The Aurora Carnaval Moscato Rose

We started early Saturday with the wines of Brasil. My overall impression of this up-and-coming region was good, however the tasting was marked by an unusually large amount of corked bottles. I certainly enjoyed a number of the red wines, but the show stealer (and great for the upcoming spring) was the NV Aurora Carnaval Moscato Rosé, a spicy floral and fruity rosé with soothing bubbles, ripe fruits and spicy inner floral tones on the palate. At $14.99, this would be a great way to sip through your summer BBQs.

Costilla al Vino Tinto
Ribera del Duero braised short ribs

With Brazil behind us, we made our way to Salinas Restaurant for a tasting of wines from Ribera Del Duero. This was an eye-opening tasting for me, as I admittedly have not spent enough time exploring this region of Spain. The wines were ripe and juicy, but not over the top. They were great with food, yet could easily be sipped for your enjoyment, and I can’t wait to compile my notes and present them.

Chef Luis Bollo

Then there was the food. Salinas Restaurant presented us with a four-course meal prepared by Chef Luis Bollo. It was fantastic with the warm, soothing Caldo de Temporada (Galician style Pumpkin-Chicken soup) and the Costilla al Vino Tinto (Ribera del Duero braised short ribs). The setting was comfortable, yet uplifting, with skylights and a warming fireplace. I can’t wait to go back and spend some time perusing the menu.

The afternoon found us tasting through the white wines of Italy, a region that I have the most experience with. However, on this day, nothing truly wowed me from this lineup of wines. No matter, because right afterwards we were brought to Snooth’s Grand Tasting, featuring the finalists from the People’s Voice Wine Awards. It was amazing with some of the best wines from around the world.

Chipotle-Rubbed Swordfish
with a Papaya-Fennel Slaw

Many of my favorite wines were present along with cuisine from a number of local and, not so local, chefs. We even enjoyed a cooking demo from Chefs Vidyadhara Shetty and Keith Griffin of the Cayman Islands, preparing a Chipotle-Rubbed Swordfish with a Papaya-Fennel Slaw. The crowd was massive and there was a feel-good aura to the entire event, which I seldom find at tastings.

Some of the highlights from my evening included a great performance from the Australian wines of Yalumba, a Masciarelli Merlot, and the Villa Ghemme Montepulciano d’Abbruzo, as well as the young yet spellbinding ’09 Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero. My detailed notes will follow in the weeks to come.

At this point, you’d think there’s nothing much to top what we had already tasted, but you’d be wrong.

Aldo Sohm talks rocks, dirt
and Gruner Veltliner.

With Sunday came an early morning tasting of the wines of Austria. The tasting was magnificent with a great presentation Aldo Sohm, on terroir, and so many stunning wines that I was floored. As I continued to work through them, it seemed as if they just kept getting better and better. My experience with Austrian wine has been limited, and this tasting left me as a fan, with a new love in life, Gruner Veltliner. One of the highlights of this tasting was the 2011 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Lamm # 1, a completely seductive white wine that was stunning for it’s richness, yet balanced and laced with minerals and tart citrus. It’s a wine that will find its way into my cellar.

Smoked Ostrich

Lunch brought us to my alma mater, The Institute of Culinary Education, for a paring of South African food and wine. One of the highlights of this tasting was to find the 2009 Glenelly Lady May in the lineup, a wine that I became familiar with from a tasting late last year. Different vintage, but same amazing performance. The Lady May is a Bordeaux blend from South Africa that truly proves that the possibilities are endless in this region. It’s a wine that could be decanted and enjoyed now, or better yet, placed in the cellar for years.

With only a few hours left to our day, we made our way to a tasting of the wines of Rioja. It’s amazing to me that I don’t have more of these wines in my cellar, because each time I have a chance to taste both young and aged Rioja, I swoon over them. It’s a region of remarkable beauty and ancient cellars that are filled to the brim with treasures waiting to be released.

The '85 Conde de Valdemar Gran
Reserva.  A perfectly aged bottle.

This tasting put a number of vintages in front of us, but what was truly stunning were the wines from 1994 and 1985. They were so intense, still fruity and young, yet they showed all the depth of aged wine, along with price tags that are surprisingly easy to swallow. Our last wine of the weekend, the 1985 Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva, was so beautiful that I couldn’t help myself from drinking it down—and going for a second glass.

What a weekend! But that’s not all; the people that I shared it with were such a big part of the experience. I had the honor of tasting with, and have been humbled by, some of the most talented and interesting wine writers and artists. Their links are all below, and I urge you to check them out. It’s amazing what resources are out there for wine and food lovers; you just need to look.

The Wine Hub: Wine Exploration Starts Here
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Wine Julia - A focus on Oregon wine & so much more
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Wine Harlots - On wine and all things that inspirer her
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Richard Jennings on Wine - A truly epic wine taster and writer
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Seema Gunda of the Serious Eats Amateur Taste-Along.
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Wine Folly - Wine tips, maps and tools.  An amazing resource for wine lovers.
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Wine by Benito - Food, wine and great perspectives, a blog after my own heart.
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Reverse Wine Snob - Down to earth, looking for great wines that are good values.
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Makers Table - Food, Wine and the pleasures of the table.
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Brunello Bob - Love Sangiovese? This is the blog for you.
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Vineyard Adventures - Wine, food, Travel and Tours.  A beautiful site to dig into.
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Vines Sleuth - "the wine blog for casual wine drinkers" but so much more.
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Vindugle - Wine Education and Consulting
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Wannabe Wino - Totally down to earth with a great selection of reviews
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Hip Tastes - A totally hip website about wine, food, travel and music, as well as a published wine 
guide.
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Vine Spot - appreciation, education and the enjoyment of wine.
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Avvinare - An amazing, experienced palate with perspectives on food and wine. 
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Jameson Fink - Wine without worry

Food and Wine in September

The fall has always been my favorite time of the year, and although most of September still feels like the summer, its those last two weeks when I start to feel the need to begin my fall rituals. The cold crisp to the air and dry nights put me in the mood for the more austere reds and heartier foods. October and November continue the celebration of this wonderful time of year and I take solace in knowing that this is just the beginning.

One thing that truly marks the beginning on the fall is my desire to once again stand over a burner, for a half hour straight, stirring a risotto. That being said, my newest article at Snooth has just been published and its one that any lover of food and wine owes it to themselves to try; Risotto al Barolo.

Risotto al Barolo
Two Versions of this Piemontese Classic

Nothing thrilled me more as an aspiring young chef and lover of Barolo and Barbaresco than to learn that a dish such as Risotto al Barolo existed. The idea of it was almost unimaginable; pouring half a bottle of Barolo into a pan. I had to wonder, could it really be that good? Could it really be worth it? Well you know what? It is...

Read the rest and get the recipe at: Snooth

As for wine, September was full of some wonderful surprises. Some are top shelf, while others were amazing for their big rich and bold flavors. All are currently available at retail, even the 1973 Rioja. Each is worth checking out.

1973, Vina Valoria Rioja - This bottle was decanted three hours before tasting. It opened with sweet plum sauce, cherry tobacco, allspice and clove with sweet peas and musk on the nose. This wine excites the palate with roasted cherries, old cedar, sweet sun tea and fresh earth on a gorgeous velvety frame. The finish is long, long, long with tealeaf and spicy fresh cherry. (93 points)

Find it on: Wine-Searcher.com

1995 Comm, G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero -The nose on this wine showed black olive tapenade with mineral penny and dusty sour cherry. The first impression on the palate is how this wine starts sour and as it worked its way across the palate, became massive. Flavors of cranberry and wild berries with an herbal quality lingered on the long finish and gave way to a tannic tug on your palate. (93 points)

Find it on: Wine-Searcher.com

2006 Bodega Numanthia Termes Toro Termes - After two hours in decanter, this wine showed dark raspberry jam, mulling spices, musk and toasted gram cracker on the nose. On the palate, I found spicy, dark black fruits and plum sauce, which led to a long mouth coating finish. This wines structure was massive but the tannins have faded a little since my last tasting and it has left this wine with a velvety smooth mouth feel. (91 points)

Find it on: Wine-Searcher.com