Incredibly attractive easy drinking red wine at a very affordable price is not easy to find. But this is all of those things and more. Lovely soft red fruit, simple easy tannins and a hint of spice combine to make this one of our customer’s favourites. Planning a party or a BBQ then you can’t go far wrong with this. If it’s a hot day then serve it lightly chilled and it will be even more refreshing.
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From a relatively new co-operative set up in 2001 comes this attractive wine. Campo de Borja is a region to the South West of Rioja that produces some great value wines and also is starting to produce some great fine wines. Previous vintages have won lots of awards and this latest vintage should do so too.
This is simply very drinkable it has ripe red fruit aromas with a distinct hint of sunshine. In the mouth it has sufficient grip to make it work with food but is also very enjoyable on its own. Charming drinkable and good company what more can you ask?
Tilting at windmills should come easily to the four leads in this wine making odyssey as this superb bottle comes from Don Quixote’s La Mancha. There are many romantic stories in the wine world of why people choose to become involved in a project but here you have an Australian his Bulgarian wife, a Spaniard and an Italian who stepped in to save some ancient bush vines that were in danger of being grubbed up due to generous EU subsidies.
The reason they chose to is the quality of the fruit produced by these gnarled old veterans. It produces a wine of wonderful depth and harmony. You can almost smell the sunshine. Chocolate, cinnamon and lush berry aromas wrapped up with saffron and spice. In the mouth deep blueberry fruit, textured velvet like tannins and a long complex finish mean that you will be hoping not to share this with anyone but a close and appreciative friend.
“Four aspiring wine Knights and some bloody old vineyards,” is how Zar Brooks describes Cien y Pico…
Tilting at windmills should come easily to the four leads in this wine making odyssey as this superb bottle comes from Don Quixote’s La Mancha. There are many romantic stories in the wine world of why people choose to become involved in a project but here you have an Australian Zar Brooks his Bulgarian wife Elena, a Spaniard Luis Juminez García and Italian Nicola Tucci who stepped in to save some ancient bush vines that were in danger of being grubbed up due to generous EU subsidies.
The wine itself is full of intense aromas and succulent fruit. The wine is made using the ‘doble pasta’ method, whereby the crushed grapes are fermented over additional grape skins and pulp, to obtain a high extract, colour and tannin.
Tannin may be present but it is no need for concern as it is beautifully integrated with the rich dark fruit flavours lending a necessary grip. There are hints of cocoa amongst the blueberries and bilberries and even a touch of lavender. This really is quite special and you may notice that our best selling wine on the website is also made by Zar and Elena but back in Australia at Dandelion Vineyards.
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/cien-y-pico-doble-pasta-tintorera-2009-manchuela
Possibly the best selling white wine in our Wine Bar the Bridge because it has much of that grapefruit tang and a herby leafiness that is reminiscent of a good Sauvignon Blanc. Anyone who likes bright fresh refreshing wines and is willing to try something different will love this wine. My biggest challenge is always to find wines that completely over deliver for the money and this one easily does that. I heartily recommend it.
Flamboyant Spanish Reds
Normal Retail Price £105.88
Special offer for this case £95.40 or £7.95 per bottle
Spain is one of the most exciting wine making countries on earth and was recently tipped by American Wine Guru Robert Parker to be the country to follow over the next few years. The case I have put together, reflects the modern sexy Penelope Cruz Spain it is full of luscious, rumbstious, downright naughtily drinkable wines. No dry dusty old red’s here.
There are two bottles of each wine in the case
Bodegas Borsao Tinto Garnacha, Campo de Borja 2012
Bodegas Borsao is a co-operative established in 2001. It is situated in Campo de Borja a region to the south east of Rioja. This wine could hardly be more drinkable and has won numerous sommelier awards for being the perfect house wine.
Borsao Selección Tinto, Campo de Borja 2012
70% Garnacha, 20% Syrah, 10 % Tempranillo. Simply one of the most dangerously drinkable wines I sell it bursts with lovely ripe fruit. There is a hint of mocha and just enough grip to keep it
Manon Tempranillo, Bodegas Mano a Mano, Alhambra 2010
From a state of the art winery that harnesses both traditional techniques and modern methods to produce a wine of great elegance. Lovely ripe strawberry and raspberry fruit, supple smooth tannins and good length
Bodegas Juan Gil Pedrera Monastrell , Jumilla 2012
Monastrell is known as Mourvedre in France and it produces wines of great depth of colour and intense fruit as those who are familiar with the French versions might know. Here you get some chocolate notes along with the dark fruit and easy tannins.
Pasión de Bobal, Bodegas Sierra Norte, Utiel Requina 2011
Made from the unfamiliar Bobal grape this wine is as its name suggests a heaving torrent of vinous lust, spicy exotic fruit sprinkled with incense, soft silky tannins and come hither flavours that just will not say no. It will certainly spice up an evening!
Urbina, Crianza Rioja 2006
Well a Spanish selection would not be complete without a Rioja and this is a classic example of what people expect. All sunshine, baked fruit and leather notes, it is a blend of 95% Tempranillo with 5% Graciano & Mazuelo from 30 year old plus vines. Aged in American oak casks that leave a sweet touch of vanilla and it is undoubtedly the star of the case.
From a small producer close to Alhambra comes this truly funky looking wine. It has been aged for just three months in American oak to give it subtle hints of sweet vanilla that complements beautifully the wines deep dark spicy notes. It is fresh and immediate in the mouth with a balanced expression and a pleasing finish.
This wine hails from vineyards close to Toledo in the La Mancha region of Spain, a vast region full of windmills. Esther Pinuaga is the powerhouse behind this producer a woman of great charm and enthsiasm like her wines, this wine is classic modern Spanish, ripe red fruit, good acidity and decent length make it a perfect companion to a plate of Jamon and Manchego.
Prios Maximus Roble, DO Ribera del Duero
This is a delicious dark expressive wine from Pesquera the finest village in the Ribero del Duero whose wines are known for their ability to age. The vines are typically 40 years old so are fairly low yielding but produce high quality intense fruit that benefits from 6 months ageing in American Oak barrels.
On the nose the wine has intense aromas of dark cherries and blueberries with a hint of sweet vanilla from the oak. In the mouth these powerful fruit flavours continue with layers of spice and well rounded tannins. It is a wine that would work well with slow roast lamb dishes and you will not find a much better example at this price point.
Canforrales de Tempranillo, Bodegas Campos Reales
We directly import this wine from the central region of La Mancha an area of some aridity where summer nights are cool but the days hot and full of sunshine leading to well developed grapes with good colour. The wine is expressive and attractive with lots of red fruit to the fore and nice underlying acidity. Some of it is aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels which add sweet vanilla notes to the wine.
It is a great alternative to Rioja having a similar flavour profile and it has this wonderful Dali-esque label
Vega Del Rayo Tempranillo, Rioja
If you are looking for a great value dose of Spanish sunshine in a glass then this is the wine for you. Vibrant spicy fruit, uncomplicated tannins and an easy drinking style make this the perfect wine for a party or Barbeque.
After almost 15 years of working in cellars and vineyards in Galicia, Manuel Guerra Justo decided to break off and focus on making small productionartisanal wines. He brought in well-known Enologist Álvaro Bueno to make thewines and now currently owns 3.5 acres of vineyards within the DO of Monterrei, just outside of Verin.
They make a mere 1,200 cases annually oftheir Godello and Treixadura cuvee with an additional 700cs small project justbeginning from their young Mencía vines. Both wines are made from onlyestate bottled fruit, fermented by indigenous yeasts and harvested by hand. When the grapes arrive to the winery, the must undergoes a cold maceration (46 degrees F) of whole destemmed grapes for 6-8 hours, then pressed and left to settle out the lees in a process known in Monterrei as “Trabajo de Lías.”
This process allows the natural fine lees to settle by gravity and be separatedfrom the gross lees. It is then fermented and aged on the fine lees for a fewmonths. There is no oak ageing. It is just a pure example of artisanally made Godello from the sandy/clay soils that Moneterrei is so well known for.
The name Vía Arxentea literally translates as “The Silver Route,” the local
name for the important pilgrimage route – El Camino de Santiago – which is
nearby and a legendary road in all of Galicia.
