Vina Bujanda - 2012 "Rioja" tempranillo [Spain]

I can't believe I haven't done a long review of a Rioja wine before. "Rioja" is a term used to describe a certain subset of Spanish red wine - and to be classified as Rioja, the wine's grapes must be grown in the provinces of La Rioja or Navarre in the Alava province of Pais Vasco (Basque Country) in northern Spain, along the Ebro River west of Pamplona. The region is only 60 miles south of the Bay of Biscay and almost 75 miles from France.

Source: decanter.com

It's a big fruit- and vegetable-growing area, and also a privileged wine region, which in Spanish is called "Denominacion de Origen Calificada" (compare to French Appellation d'origine controlee, American AVA markings, and Italian Denominazione di Origine Controllata). Furthermore, to be considered Rioja, grapes must be grown in one of three subregions - Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Baja, and Rioja Alta. According to Rioja's wine control board, there are around 600 wineries in the region.

Today's wine, a 2012 example from winery Vina Bujanda, is from Oyon, and is further classified as Rioja Alavesa. Of the four Rioja quality classifications, this is second - Crianza. Rioja's wine control board marks 2012 as a "very good year." a term you may hear thrown about often. This just means growing conditions and a host of other man-made and environmental factors contributed to a good growth season in line with the requirements of the grapes. You can read the full report here. 

The wine is 100% tempranillo, a grape I have had many many times in the past, so I have some idea of what to expect. Tempranillo is often blended, but does appear by itself frequently.

Let's give it a shot. It's dark red when poured, and garnet-colored and clear when candled.

Yep, it's definitely tempranillo. It's fresh, light, with soft cherry and red ripe fruit flavors. I'm particularly enjoying the clean and fruity flavors throughout with lots of fructose. It's not tannic at all, what wine tasters may call "soft" or "supple". The finish is clean and swift, and there's a slight zing of alcohol on the aftertaste but nothing to complain about.

Very tasty wine. I'm more partial to French reds, so I enjoy the jammy brightness that tempranillo generally possesses. That being said, I'd be curious to see what more expensive Rioja was like. At $22, this isn't cheap by any means, but there are two higher "levels" of Rioja - Reserva and Gran Reserva, both assumedly more expensive and rare. According to winefolly.com, these upper levels of Rioja simply change the number of years the wine spends in oak and in the bottle. By extension, this would change the flavor profile of the wine, making it softer and perhaps less sweet.

Regarding food - good pairings are Spanish omelette (a classic, really) light meats, rice, and paella, I paired it with a roasted beef tenderloin served with yams and mashed potatoes. The soft fruitiness of the wine was a nice complement to the delicate seasonings of the meat. A nice pairing and a nice bottle!

Stone Brewing Co. - 2015 " Double Bastard in the Rye" strong ale

Here's a fancy beer I came across last year and bought two bottles on the spot. It's is made by Stone Brewing Co, technically under the trade name Arrogant Brewing, a riff on their Bastard series of beers of which this is one. Called "Double Bastard in the Rye," it's a 2015-vintage, 12.70% ABV American strong ale aged in rye whiskey barrels. This past weekend I stayed at my aunt Claudia's house out in rural northwest Connecticut, and after a blizzard, what better beverage to serve (and how better to chill your beer than sticking it in the snow!)

This beer is barrel-aged, a term that has popped on the blog quite a bit. Barrel-aging is a common practice, and to recap from a deeper discussion last March, many beverages (wine, beer, whiskey, rum, etc.) are aged in wooden barrels, netting a variety of effects. Today's is aged in barrels that once contained rye from Templeton, Iowa-based Templeton Rye Spirits. Distilled according to pre-Prohibition techniques and recipes, Templeton Rye is distributed nationwide.

The cork-and-cage bottle opens with a lazy pop and pours a lovely caramel color, slowly with not a lot of carbonation. Aroma is of apple cider.

Candled, it's an electric orange and is dark cider-colored in the glass.

Wow, it's heavy and oaky, with a strong woodsy booziness that's very powerful. It's perhaps a bit more sweet than the "Double Bastard", but still retains that double IPA heritage with heavy hops. It had the same texture as a barleywine, perhaps a bit lower gravity, and finished with a warm cider flavor. Not bad at all, and the 12.7% ABV strength certainly helped with those alcohol flavors.

I liked this. I was expecting something more along the lines of an "Oaked Arrogant Bastard", albeit one stronger and thicker. But the cider-y nature of the beer and the strength was enough to keep me entertained. I've got another bottle of this tucked away in the cellar, and perhaps will revisit in a couple of years to see how it changes.

It's a one-time-only release, and somehow the Super Liquors in East Hartford, CT, managed to keep a whole bunch stocked. I've subsequently seen them at Total Wine in Manchester, CT, so keep an eye out if you like this kind of thing.

The Vineyard at Grandview - 2013 "Grand Rouge" red blend [Pennsylvania]

Here's a wine that I sampled last month at the fine Castlerigg Wine Shop in Carlisle, PA. It was part of a flight I ordered, and I wanted to spotlight this one in particular since it was one of my favorites.

It's a sampling of The Vineyard at Grandview's 2013-vintage "Grande Rouge", a red blend consisting of 52% merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet franc (a personal favorite) and 4% Petit Verdot. Not a bad blend. But the cool part is that this wine was made in Pennsylvania!

The Vineyard at Grandview is a winery located in Mount Joy, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  In addition to the vines, there's a tasting room, a big deck, and space for weddings and events. Looks nice, right?

This is actually the first wine I've sampled in my life that's made in Pennsylvania - but it doesn't surprise me that the climate of east-central PA is good for growing grapes. Pennsylvania has a moderate climate, and the landscape of Lancaster County and its environs is great for farming (just ask the Amish and Mennonite farmers out that way.) There's even a Pennsylvania Winery Association and a Pennsylvania Wine Trail. Where was this when I studied in Carlisle?

Despite this rich wine history, I haven't had the chance to try a PA wine until now. Luckily, Castlerigg has a bunch and this one caught my eye. It's a small pour, so I'm only working with an ounce or so of the stuff.  Color is nice - a deep, rich red. Not a lot of aroma.

I had to taste very conservatively because of the volume. But initially, the wine was bold, slightly sweet, and had an almost port-like strength to it. There was a bit of smokiness there which I loved. Lots of flavor here - mostly of sweetness and some cassis, and a finish that reminded me of cocoa shells. I enjoyed the richness of the flavor here, which was very full-bodied. I wouldn't mind serving with shepherd's pie (perhaps right up the street at Market Cross pub!) By the glass, it's $12.75 and $44.75 by the bottle.

About Castlerigg - if you're ever in Carlisle, do drop by. It's affiliated with both The Vineyard at Grandview and Seven Mountains Wine Cellars in Spring Mills, PA. Proprietor Alan Tumblin and his staff are super welcoming, very knowledgeable, and the atmosphere is great for events or a personal tasting. They have a pretty wide variety of wines available, so you're bound to find something you like. Also of note - they have a jar full of oyster crackers at the bar, so you can cleanse your palette between samples of wine. Not many places have the mind to do this, so you can tell they know their stuff! It also helps that it's right next to both the Carlisle House and the Comfort Suites, so it's very easy to get to.

[photo of Vineyard at Grandview courtesy of PennLive.com]

Beer Flash: Kinkaider Brewing Co. - "Devil's Gap" ale

Here's a quick spotlight on a beer my colleague Dustin got for me on his last trip to Nebraska. It's from Kinkaider Brewing Co. out of Broken Bow, NE. This is their "Devil's Gap", a 5.2% ABV ale made with jalapenos. As you know, I've had quite a few pepper beers in the last few years, but am always curious to try new ones - especially from new states. This is my first beer from Nebraska, so here goes!

It pours swiftly and is a cloudy, dark orange in the glass. There's not a lot of aroma coming off it, but if I stick my nose right in there, I can detect a bit of pepper.

It's actually very surprising - reminds me a lot of chips and salsa. The chip flavor is there - a flat, salted wheat - and the salsa flavor is evident as well with the jalapenos. The heat level is low, the bitterness very mild (I read somewhere it was 6 I.B.U.s) and it has heartiness to it that reminds me of good salsa roja. On the finish, there's a bit of a zing that got my attention. Overall, really tasty and remarkable. Would love to have this again.

Castra Rubra Winery - 2009 "Bulgariana" red blend [Bulgaria]

As winemaking regions go, most people think of France, Spain, Napa Valley, or Italy as the best. True, they have a lot of good wines, but grapes are grown around the world, and some really fantastic wine has been made elsewhere: Germany, the Balkans, Chile, Argentina, Greece, and historically, even Iran and Iraq. Today's wine is from Bulgaria, a country which has long made wine for Europe but just recently has become very popular in North American markets.

This wine is called "Bulgariana" and is made by Castra Rubra Winery in Izvorova, Haskovo province, Bulgaria. This winemaking region, known as South Thrace or the Thracian Valley, is a viticultural area in southern Bulgaria that has rainy winters and temperate summers, making wines grown there susceptible to drought in the growing season. Thrace is of course a historical location, as well, with many historical (and mythical) battles taking place upon its plains in the times of Alexander the Great.

Modern-day Thrace

This wine's grape blend is as follows, and has some interesting components:

• 60% Merlot
• 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 5% Rubin
• 5% Mavrud

Both Mavrud and Rubin are Bulgarian varietals, with Rubin being a hybrid between Syrah (a favorite) and Niebbolo (another great grape.) Mavrud is a small-yielding grape native to Thrace that's rumored to be ancient clone of Mourvedre (another favorite of mine) that was imported to the area by the Romans. According to wine experts Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson, Mavrud is a wine with strong potential for aging. I guess that makes sense, since this is a 2009 bottle.

It's got a dark red color, almost black, and when candled, it's a blood-red. I was expecting perhaps a more purple-colored wine, given the varietals. 

Wow, interesting. This wine is almost bitter. Not sharp, just bitter. The texture is somewhat dry, a bit salty, but not tannic or astringent. There's a slightly smoky element there, which is nice, with some berry skin flavors (like blackberries) tossed in. As the wine warms up, and as I drink more, the bitterness fades away. I'm left with a somewhat dry finish and savory aftertaste.

In the end - very interesting and different. I don't think I've ever had a wine like this. I can certainly appreciate the craft, and I liked the smokiness and the dryness. The blackberries notes I detected are probably evidence of the Merlot in the wine. However, given that I prefer jammy, fruity French reds, I don't know of the "Bulgariana" is right for me. Something just didn't sit right with me about it.

I got this at Costco for $7.99, so it's not a bad price. If you're into wine, and want a new experience - give this a try. I didn't like it personally, but for the price, it's worth a try. In terms of pairing - I'd pair this with perhaps a chicken dish, or maybe a lightly-spiced steak.

Terrapin Brewing Co. - "14th Anniversary" ale

I came across this in Whole Foods a month or so back, and it looked interesting. It's Terrapin's "14th Anniversary" ale, a 7.5% ABV red ale, brewed in celebration of Terrapin's 14th year. It's also the 100th unique beer they've crafted. What intrigued me was the description - the beer is billed as a "tart Belgian red." This is a combination that I've never seen before, so I figured it was my scientific obligation to investigate. 

It pours rather nicely, is a light caramel color when poured and generates a buff-colored head. 

I'm always a fan of the red color. And when candled, it's pleasantly cloudy.

This is rather peculiar. Its Belgian heritage definitely shows, with some mild tartness throughout and a pleasant dank malty flavor. There's a tinge of wheat in there, specifically on the aftertaste, and it's really not bitter at all. More sour, like a wild ale. In a way, it reminds me of Peak Organic's "King Crimson." It has the same slightly resin, tangy taste to it. 

I think the different flavors mash up nicely, and it's an intriguing take on the Belgian-inspired red ale genre. I believe this was $8.99, so if you're interested in those taste elements, it's surely worth a try. I think this would be great for fall, and would pair nicely with bratwurst, some cheese curds, or a cheese plate.