Condesa De Sarabella Garnacha 2007

RANKING: Good Enough for My Numb Tongue

Like Don Quijote, I will try another wine quest in Spain to find a great cheap wine.  This time we are testing another procuto de Espana, the Condesa De Sarabella Garnacha 2007.  Again the Trader Joe’s aisle brought us to this little red.

What Others Say: Marga’s Foodblog Jan 2009 

Condesa de Sarabella garnacha is a perfectly fine table, every day wine. It’s crisp, but still medium-to-full bodied, light tannins and no oakiness, or smoke or earthiness or anything really to distract you. There is no unnecessary sharpness or acidity (or even bitterness) either, sometimes found in wines at this price range. It basically tastes like everyday wine – something that you won’t be ashamed to serve your guests for a regular meal (let’s have something nicer for a more special one), but that at $5 doesn’t break our recession-era budgets.

What I Thought: Spain is the third largest producer of wines in the world so, even if I am disappointed with another red, I have plenty of quests to go!  Intriguing little Picasso’ish face on the label.  I could imagine pointing that out to my buddies (my own personal Sancho Panzas)  and they say, “Picasso, who’s he play for?”  I hang with a high brow bunch.  The Condesa was soft but I found it a bit acidy (is that a word) not at all lush if that is what you are looking for.  If mildly abrasive can be used to describe a wine I would say this one comes close.  Still, I drank the bottle over a couple of nights without reaching for a cookbook.  Ok wine probably to serve to yourself while doing something fun like taxes but not worthy of a gathering.  What saves it is the somewhat spicy taste strong floral nose that allowed a pleasant moment or two for the senses.  Probably would be good with a web surfing delicacy like string cheese.  I’d drink it again for the $5 I spent.  (Six pack of Bud is $5.79 right)

Found an intersting ittle Spanish wine site for those of you who like to sip and surf.  Espavino.com 

Cheers from the Wine Oaf

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Albero Spanish Red Wine  Tempranillo Barrica 2006

Made with Organically Grown Grapes

Trader Joe’s $5.99

RANKING: OK Wine To Cook With (or maybe make Sangria)

What Other Say:  This wine is quite mouth-filling on the entry with good concentrated red and black fruit, layers of soft black cherries with black fruits of the forest, definite spice and pepper components, and again that unmistakable hint of creamy vanilla from the American oak. It is very clean and rounded throughout. The midpalate is ripe with firm tannins, and yet there is supple fruit and quite a polished backbone in the wine through the nice finish. It is a solidly made wine from this normally rustic varietal. (quoted from Las Vegas Review Journal online, Jan, 2009)

What I Thought: Black and Gold labeling made this a perfect (looking) wine to blend in with the Super Bowl Sunday snack lineup.  That being said, there is little other reason to commend this wine.  A medium red like this should have been great with chili.  It should have been lush enough to surround the tongue and remove the spicy burn of the over-the-top salsa.  I should also have bet the Cardinals to cover the spread too.  None of that happened.  I had read on other blogs about this little find from Trader Joe’s but just didn’t feel the same love.  Harsh to the tongue, over the top tannin..not a great experience.  Maybe, like one of the blogs glowingly boasted, this wine would be a great foundation for a summer sangria.  Yeah, I could see that.  Mix it with fruit and throw in some booze, chill it to a near freeze and you might have something.  Other than that, drink something else, almost anything else.  This one is a sure disappointment.

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2006 Panarroz, Jumilla Spanish Red $8

 Rating: Good Enough To Share With Brother Dave

Summer afternoons are the best aren’t they?  You can be outside enjoying a bright blue “happy little fluffy cloud” day when all of a sudden, the temperature will drop, the sun will disappear and the sky will open up for 15 minutes of absolute deluge.  Whether you are in the middle of an outdoor project or in the middle of the third fairway (I spend very little time in the fairway when I golf) … you are going to get soaked.   I know being trapped in the rain like this upsets a lot of people but you know what, it can actually be fun.  Maybe I look at things differently but this is a perfect excuse to be a kid again.  When kids are having fun it is never too wet, too cold or too dark!  It’s only when we “grow up” and quit doing childish things like running down a hill for no good reason, giggling in the middle of something serious, breaking into a song because we think of it or play for hours outside in the snow, rain or mud…it’s only when we grow up that we worry about our clothes, our hair and our shoes getting wet in the rain.  So, adults don’t really stress out over the rain sneaking up on us then, we stress out over how it affects our appearance and possessions.   

I remember as a good, white-shirt-uniformed, parochial school boy, we played tackle football on the field behind the grade school at recess.  (Hint: Ties are a great way to bring somebody down so always tuck them in your shirt just above the second button.) I have no idea what we looked like (or smelled like)but maybe that’s why they always took school pictures in the morning.  Being caught in the rain may just give you that kid-like excuse again to say “Oh well, I might as well have fun.  I’m already wet.” 

Of course, as an adult, you can come in after the big rain, get some dry clothes on and warm up with a glass of good cheap red wine.  I would suggest you try the Panorroz by Jumilla-Espania.  Just sit there and giggle if your wife tells you that you have ruined your shoes.

What Others Say:90 points from Robert Parker: “An amazing bargain from Spain, this blend of mourvèdre, grenache, and syrah bursts with plum, blackberry, and licorice-infused fruit. There is a bit of pepper as well, and the wine is silky, soft, and opulent. Serve it at a barbecue… Years ago I wrote in The Wine Advocate that Dan Kravitz was perhaps the top U.S. importer of wines priced under $10 a bottle. Even though the dollar bought a lot more then, Kravitz still has a knack for finding good wines at great prices.” (in Business Week Magazine)” K&L Wine Merchants writes: Mr. Parker is exactly right. To find a wine of this quality at this price is truly a wonderful thing. The vineyards that lend their fruit to this lushly textured wine yield less than two tons per acre. We also found a hint of chocolate on the voluptuously long finish.
http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1035887

What I Thought:I enjoyed the Panarroz.  I don’t know much about Spanish wines, though I am willing to learn, but found the flavor more like I an Italian or Sicilian wine than a French wine.  Now, Spain is closer to France so….Hmmm, I’ll need a second glass to figure that one out. The blend of grapes selected delivered a medium level of intensity, as you would expect, but still had a full lush “all over the tongue” finish that leaves a pleasant taste.  Still though, it would not be my first choice for a gathering of friends but Panarroz still delivers a great late Saturday afternoon, post getting soaked taste experience.  I’d share it at least with my brother Dave.  We used to play football in the rain together. 

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