Conde de Pircardo Tempranillo 2013 (about $11)

About the Wine:  Tempranillo is a signature varietal of Spain and a few of its clones are also very successful in Portugal.  The varietal is grown elsewhere, but never with much commercial success.  The bottle carries the Rioja designation but not a label that distinguishes how long it was aged in oak, such as Crianza or Reserva.  It is a risk, but I have a real affinity to the wine of the region.  Also, this price point speaks to me at a profound level.

About THIS Wine:  The wine is ruby red in the glass with a pink rim.  Cranberry is prominent on the nose, which unusual for a Rioja.  They typically have distinctive notes of cooking fat, which I did not get at all from this wine.  The palate is dry with good fruit and a firm tannin in the finish.

Drinking This Wine:  Something like steak or sausage would make a good pairing here.

Overall Impression: There is no reason this wine could not go for twice the price and as such it is a steal.  My one caveat is that it does not present like one would expect from a Rioja.  For someone who wants a great value dry red, though, this is where it's at.



Bagordi Rioja Graciano 2009 (about $20)

About the Wine:  Graciano is one of the least used of the Rioja varietals.  It is especially rare as a single varietal.  The region is mostly know for Tempranillo and to a lesser extent, Garnacha.  Let's see how it does on its own.

About THIS Wine:  It is opaque in the glass with a dark, velvety purple rim.  The nose is musky with strong plum notes.  The palate has good fruit but the tannins are rock solid.  This needs age or food.

Drinking This Wine:  Drink with pork sausage or roast duck.  The wine needs food, for sure.

Overall Impression:  It's a fun find.  As a novelty, this wine is reasonable for the price.

Cune Vina Real Crianza 2010 (about $17)

About the Wine:  Cune, or CVNE, is one of the best producers in the Rioja region of Spain.  Their better offerings can get into hundreds of dollars per bottle and the 2004 CVNE Imperial made wine of the year a few years back.  This is one of their entry level offerings.  The Crianza designation means that it does not have to be aged as long as Riservas and Gran Riservas do.

About THIS Wine:  It is opaque in the glass with a purple rim.  The nose is tight, as can be expected of such a young Rioja.  With a little patience notes of grilled, spiced meat come through.  The palate is bone dry with solid tannins.  This will benefit from breathing.

Drinking This Wine:  The traditional dish to have with Rioja is a sausage stew.  As I told my coworker, "This wine is cheap and it wants some sausage.  It's the your mom of wine."  It's hard being this classy.

Overall Impression:  I have always found amazing value in Spain and this is another one.  This wine is a good value.

Castillo de Monjardin (about $12)

About the Wine: I went to a wine shop and asked for something weird. They gave me a Garnacha from Navarra. Though bordering on Rioja, Navarra is nowhere near as popular. This Garnacha is, I am told, done in the style of its French cousin Grenache, a major varietal in Rhone blends.

About THIS Wine: Fruit and earth compete on the nose.  Earth wins on the palate, creating a wine that is firm but not overbearing. There is no finish worth noting.

Drinking This Wine:  This would pair well with grilled meat.

Overall Impression: This wine is tasty and approachable. For $12 it is good for the price.

Bodegas Y Vinedos Noe Tempranillo #3 2009 (about $11)

About the Wine:  I told one of the managers where I work that I was having chicken and rice and wanted something cheap to go with it.  This was his recommendation.  I have heard rumors that the Chinese are starting to take an interest in Spanish wine and that prices will soon skyrocket, but for now it remains a good region for value.

About THIS Wine:  The wine is dark red in the glass with a thin, nearly clear rim.  The nose is fairly woody, though some notes of red berries do come through.  The palate is fairly acidic and frankly not all that pleasant with a slightly sour finish.

Drinking This Wine:  Definitely not a sipping wine and too light for anything heavy.  I would describe this as Pinot Grigio drinker's red and as such it would go well with foods that go with Pinot Grigio, like chicken and rice.

Overall Impression:  The wine is unimpressive but it is cheap.  I will say it is reasonable for the price.

Bagordi Rioja 2011 (about $11)

About the Wine:  Spanish wine has seen some problems in recent years, like some kind of mold or bacteria got into some of the vineyards and fouled some of the grapes, leading to flawed wines.  The problem is not universal and there are still some great values coming out of the region.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is opaque with a dark purple rim.  Dark fruit and forest floor comprise the nose.  Dark, sour fruit makes up the bulk of the palate with gripping tannins on the finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This wine definitely needs food.  I had it with spaghetti and red sauce and it was a good pairing.

Overall Impression:  For eleven dollars I don't expect much and in this case I got what I expected.  Unfortunately, this wine is reasonable for the price.

Ergo Tempranillo 2010 (about $12)

About the Wine:  Ergo is made by Martin Codax, a well respected brand that was recently acquired by Gallo.  Gallo prides itself on maintaining the integrity of the brands it buys.  How well that works out varies a lot from one brand to the next.

About THIS Wine:  The center is crimson and fades to a pink rim.  Sour cherry, blackberry, and smoke make up a pleasantly complex nose.  Unfortunately, the wine smells a lot better than it tastes.  Jammy, slightly bitter fruit dominates the palate. There is no finish to speak of.

Drinking This Wine:  I don't think this would work as a sipper. It could work with beef and rice.

Overall Impression:  This wine is very  mediocre and ten dollars a bottle would be pushing it.  At twelve it is overpriced.

by Ben Stiebel