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Pairings January 4, 2014

Mexican Steak & Avocado Salsa Paired with Juve de Camps Cava Gran Reserva.

This post is painful to write. No, it’s not because I’m listening to Miley Cyrus whilst writing this. Actually, it’s because I made this recipe a few weeks ago and I’m just getting-around to posting it. This procrastination conveniently coincides with my crazy idea of doing a 48 hour detox. No food or alcohol for 48 hours. (I ate 3 digestive biscuits last night, but don’t tell my wife. So doesn’t read this blog, so…

News, Reviews October 14, 2013

Grape Expectations – Eight Wines that Pair With Summer and Fall.

Ok, first-things-first, I didn’t write the title for this article. “Grape Expectations” is way beyond my reaches of my creativity. Secondly; I wrote this article a couple of months ago for the Jacksonville Magazine “Taste” Edition…and I know we’re out of Summer now….but I think it still has relevance…since the weather here is Florida is so bloody-warm well into November! 4 Summer Wines Taltarni “Tache,” Brut Sparkling, Australia Description The term Tache (meaning “stained” in…

Reviews January 9, 2013

Honoro Vera, Monastrell, Jumilla, Spain.

Grapes 100% Monastrell Facts I’m already a big fan of the wines coming from producer Bodega Juan Gil. I’ve found them to be easily some of the best value wines coming out of Spain, but this is my first time trying their organic Monastrell. This Mrs. bought the bottle because, and I quote: “It has a cute little ladybird on the label!” I’ve still got a ways to go with her… The Bodega Juan…

Reviews August 20, 2012

Ribeira Sacra "Alodio" Mencia, Spain

Grapes 100% Mencia – pronounced “Mehn-cee-ah,” (or “Mehn-thee-ah” in Castilian Spanish…say it like you have a lisp.) Facts My advice for wine drinkers (especially new wine drinkers) has ALWAYS been to try and venture outside your comfort zone and be open to trying new wines i.e. don’t get caught in a rut, drinking essentially the same old wine that you’ve been drinking for years. The Ribeira Sacra “Alodio” Mencia is a perfect example of…

Facts July 27, 2012

A Guide to Rioja Classifications.

Below is a really handy guide to how Spanish wines are classified, in terms of the minimum length of time they’ve spent in the barrel/bottle. Since terms such as Crianza and Reserva will frequently appear on bottles of red Rioja, but are infrequently explained, it’s useful to remember their definitions! I have a simple mantra I learnt many years ago in order to memorize the length of time red Rioja’s are aged for. It is…

Reviews December 29, 2011

Black Slate Priorat, Spain, 2009.

Grape 46% Garnacha, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 2% Syrah. Facts Ahhhh Priorat! My favorite of all Spanish wines! I tasted my first Priorat back in 2005, and I remember it being my true-awakening to Spanish wine! I’ve since come around to enjoy the majority of styles coming out of Spain, but I will say; if you’re a “New World” wine drinker (i.e. everything from outside of Europe), Priorat is going to be…

Reviews December 2, 2011

Alvear Solera 1927, Montilla, Spain.

Grapes 100% Pedro Ximenez, (but just call it “PX” if you want to sound cool and trendy…and I know you do). Facts Kind of like Port, I find Sherry-style wines more suited for chilly weather. It always reminds me of Christmas for some reason… Established in 1729, Alvear is one of Spain’s most prestigious and internationally acclaimed Bodegas. The family is in its eighth generation. | Sherry wines go through a Solera aging system. A…

News November 8, 2011

Understanding Sherry, Should You Want to…

“Sherry!?!? Who the bloody hell drinks Sherry?!?!” Well, that’s a very good question! Who does drink Sherry? The answer? Not very many people at all! Which is kind of a shame…. Being from England, drinking Sherry is almost a right of passage (saying that, it’s normally only at Christmas). I would state though, if you haven’t ever tried a good Pedro Ximenez with an aged Gouda cheese, you’re missing out! It’s been one of my…

Reviews October 14, 2011

Volver Tempranillo, La Mancha, Spain 2009

Grape 100% Tempranillo [TEM-pruh-NEE-yo] Facts This is another bottle from Spanish Wine God Jorge Ordonez. See yesterday’s review on Can Blau for a little more about him… The Tempranillo grape is native to Spain and is arguably one of the most “noble” of all Spanish varietals. The grapes going into the Volver are harvested from a small 72 acre vineyard that were planted in 1967. The wine is fermented in its barrel,…

Reviews October 13, 2011

Can Blau 2008 from Montsant, Spain.

Grapes Mazuelo 40%, Syrah 40% Garnacha 20% Facts I’ve been on a bit of a Jorge Ordonez (the importer of this wine) kick lately! As the “bringer-inner” (I just made up that term) of some of the best Spanish wines in the U.S, he’s been fighting to help the wines of Spain wines out of obscurity since 1987. When looking at a bottle of Spanish wine, look for the Jorge Ordoñez importer information on the…

Funny, News October 11, 2011

The Bitch is Back….and This Time She’s Spanish!

Aussie cult winemaker Chris Ringland has escaped from Australia and he has created a Spanish version of Bitch Grenache. The Bitch has been on a hiatus of sorts for the past few vintages. She (I presume it’s a she) was one of the Australian labels underneath the Grateful Palate umbrella that went into bankruptcy last year. Well, fans of the Bitch will be pleased to know that she’s back…and she’s switched her Australian accent for…

News August 31, 2011

Wine Masterpiece by Bodegas Navarro Correas

“We created a 13 x 8.2 foot structure with 1000 acrylic cells and an automated robotic mechanism, that would be filled with 6 different shades of wine, people could choose a cell and sent a text message, and the robot filled each box with wine. At the end people could recreate the Van Gogh’s self portrait and build a masterpiece with our masterpiece Navarro Correas wine.”