The fourth wine out of the gate for Spanish Wine Week is from Ribera del Duero. This area is right up there with Rioja for overall quality of wine produced. It’s also been getting more and more attention each passing year. Ribera del Duero is an almost exclusively red wine producing region. like Rioja, Tempranillo rules the day. Smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Malbec and Merlot are also grown. Inevitably these are most often used in blends with Tempranillo.
The 2006 Bodega y Vinedo Fuentecen Hemar Joven is one of four wines from this 
producer I’ll be taking at look at over the next several days. The nose of the wine features a huge bouquet of fresh cut strawberries and a touch of candied plum. This wine is young, fresh and tank fermented. Upon opening, this wine reveals itself almost immediately. There are absolutely no harsh or rough edges to this one. The color is a brilliant black cherry hue. The mid-palate features Bing cherry and copious cherry notes. Joven straddles the line between light and medium bodied. The finish reveals just a tiny bit of tartness and tingly white pepper dancing across the tongue.
This wine has a tremendous acidity that makes it a perfect match for Pasta Primavera or other similarly light fare. Joven also drinks very well on it’s own. Tasting this wine made me yearn for warmer weather so I could sit on my deck and sip the whole bottle at a leisurely pace. At 13% the alcohol is very moderate which also lends to sipping it for a longer period of time. The retail on the Joven is approximately $18. For that price I found this wine to be an incredibly enjoyable one to drink. Not the most complex wine out there, but a real pleasure to drink, and at the end of the day enjoyment is what it’s all about.
Imported by The Ravensvale Group.
Up next is a Spanish white, Palma Real Rueda.
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The 2006 Toro is 100% Tempranillo. The first thing off of the nose is a bushel of berries. blackberries and blueberries dominate. A hint of oak and a touch of vanilla sneak into the nose as well. Right out of the bottle the wine is closed up, tight and had a few sharp edges to it. It opens up easily and quickly however, with 20 minutes really doing the trick.
pretty tart and a touch rough around the edges out of the bottle. Decanting for about 45 minutes softens the edges and diminishes the tartness. This wine is light bodied and the mid-palate features sour cherry flavors and white pepper notes. In some ways it’s similar in body and flavor characteristics to Chianti in a similar price range. The finish is below average in length, featuring more of the above-mentioned sour cherry notes. Overall it’s a fairly one-dimensional wine. Not unpleasant to drink, but not really impressive in any way either.
la Hoya is composed of 
City. Hundreds of wines were available to taste from all areas of Australia.
found in Southern Italy, but plantings are cropping up in other parts of the world. Most notably it’s being planted in Australia and California.
$12.00 a bottle. Often it’s hard to find drinkable chardonnay in this price category. Most often if I want an enjoyable Chardonnay in this price range I look towards South America.
This weekend 
wines aimed at special occasions, or for tucking away in your cellar to age. If you wanted to focus on just white, just red or even one varietal there where enough choices and variety that you could easily fill up the 5 hour event creating any sort of tasting you desired. The foods presented were also a broad range of offerings. At one table I had a delicious Pasta Bolognese while at another across the room I had Corn Dogs made with Kobe Beef Hot dogs. Water was placed strategically throughout the venue so everyone could access it easily. Live cooking demonstrations also went on at a stage towards the entrance to the convention center. There were chairs available so anyone who wanted to take a break from tasting could sit and watch some well regarded chefs cook.
Wallace who has worked with artists such as Faith No More, Maroon 5 and Blues Traveler produced.
is full of terrific harmonies and hooks. Imagine songs as catchy as the jangly guitar pop Fountains of Wayne creates, and lyrics as cynical as Warren Zevon’s. That would give you an entry point to understand Ludo’s sound. They are however, much more than that.
wines. The one exception is an elegant Viogner that they make each year. They work with all of the red Bordeaux varietals in addition to Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah. In addition to being rich and lush what is most readily apparent about their wines is that they are well balanced. Alcohol, acidity and upfront fruit are all in check with each other.
