The Good Wine Guru » garnacha

Thanksgiving 2011 Wine Selection

George — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:00:59 +0000

There are a lot of different wine sites out there giving suggestions on what you should be pouring during your Thanksgiving festivities. Since, however, it’s been fairly well established what varietals go well with the traditional Thanksgiving feast, I thought I would change it up and let you know what I’m pouring at dinner, or rather, what I’m taking up to my parents house to pour for the army-sized feast my mother will be cooking.

2009 Coastal Vines Pinot Noir – Sonoma, CA – $10

I picked up a pair of these at my local Richmond wine shop since it would have been irresponsible of me to not show up with some Pinot Noir. While there are plenty of wine sites that will be recommending $30 and $40 bottles, I don’t see the reason to break the bank when there are perfectly serviceable bottles under $20. I’ve never had this one before, so it will be interesting to try it out on Thursday.

2010 Ponga Pinot Noir – New Zealand – $14

I’ve had other Ponga varietals before (namely Sauvignon Blanc), so I’m holding out high hopes for this being a good value wine that over-performs for the price.

2010 Alamos Torrontes – Argentina – $13 (SRP) *

Much like the Ponga, I’ve had other wines from Alamos, so I’ll be interested to try this one. For those unfamiliar with Torrontes, the best approximation I can give, and the comparison I usually use, is Viognier. Given that I live in Virginia, and that I’m not bringing any Viognier myself (sorry VA Wine Marketing Board), it seems appropriate to bring something similar.

2009 Steininger Gruner Veltliner – Austria – $25

A few months back I received a case of summer white wines to try out, and of those my favorite was a Gruner Veltliner. I found it to be light, minerally, and refreshing. Since Gewurztraminer is a popular choice for Thanksgiving, I wanted to mix it up and try something a bit different though similar. As I’ve only had one Gruner (that I remember), I’ll be interested to see if this one is as enjoyable to me as the other one.

Freixenet Cordon Rosado – Spain – $12 (SRP) *

Rose’ in general has been finding its way more and more into my wine selection, as have sparkling wines. It’s only natural that they should combine. A blend of Trepat and Garnacha grapes, this wine will probably be a good selection before and during the dinner. I may use this bottle as a way to entice my parent’s neighbors that pretty much only drink bubbles to come over for a drink at some point in the evening.

2011 Christmas at Biltmore – California – $12 (SRP) *

This one will most likely get brought out for dessert, as one of the suggested pairings is pumpkin pie. A blend of Gewurztraminer, Muscat Canelli, Chenin Blanc, and Riesling, this wine has 4% residual sugar, so it’s definitely going to need something to either cut or compliment the sweetness.

2008 Foris Gewurztraminer – Oregon – $15

Since I was grabbing some Pinot Noir to bring, I of course had to bring some Gewurztraminer as well. I’m always a bit gun-shy around this particular grape, so I had my guy at my local wine shop show me to his driest Gewurztraminer. Hoping that this will go well with the feast my mom puts out.

Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut – Spain – $18 (SRP) *

A blend of Pinot Noir and Trepat (85%/15%), it will probably be a coin flip to see if this or the other sparkling rose’ makes it to the dinner table and which one gets opened up early for cocktails before dinner. I’m leaning towards dinner with this one though.

2009 Montinore Estate Reserve Pinot Noir – Oregon – $21

My wife and I actually bought half a case of this wine thanks to enjoying a glass of it so much at our local Flemings while there for happy hour. Since it’s rude to not share, I grabbed a bottle of this to throw into the selection that we’re taking up to Norther Virginia with us.

Hopefully you’ll all enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner and I hope you all have a safe Thanksgiving and have safe travels. If you feel like sharing what you’re pouring I’d certainly be interested to hear it.

Wines marked with a (*) were received as samples.

Evodia Old Vines Garnacha 2008

George — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:00:53 +0000

Varietal: Garnacha (Grenache)
Region: Spain
Cost: $10.50

Ruby in color with aromas of fresh strawberry and raspberry, with notes of black tea, licorice, and pungent herbs. Red berry flavors linger through till the end. Pairs well with BBQ, chicken, and pasta.

Recommendations: I picked up this bottle after a tasting at The Wine Cellar because a) I’m a fan of Spanish wines, particularly Grenache, and b) it’s a really good value for a really good wine. Good color in the glass, and while I didn’t get the licorice on the nose (which is fine since I don’t like licorice), I did get the notes of strawberry and raspberry.

Red fruit was pervasive throughout the wines flavor, and while I didn’t pair it with anything except a movie and some time with my wife, it was easy to drink by itself, and I could easily see pairing it with some grilled BBQ chicken or pasta. The slightly high alcohol content (14% by volume) wasn’t as noticeable as in other wines I’ve had, and allowed to open for a few minutes, it quickly passed.

If you’re in the market for a good value Grenache that goes well with food or by itself, it’s hard to argue against the Evodia, especially when you consider that it’s an Old Vines wine (made from grapes on vines planted more than 100 years ago), and that wines such as that can often be quite expensive. Definitely one to grab if you come across it.

Tapena Garnacha 2007

George — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:00:03 +0000

Varietal: Garnacha
Region: Spain
Cost: $10

Garnet colored with aromas and flavors of blackberry and cherry and pepper on the finish. Pairs well with pork tenderloin, rib-eye, and roast chicken.

Recommendations: My wife picked this up at the store as we’re both fans of Spanish wines. Very dark in color, just barely what I would call garnet really, I picked up good aromas and flavors of cherry. Paired with a meal of manwhich (or sloppy joe’s if you prefer), the pepper finish was very welcome.

The one thing about this wine that surprised me was that it only had a 12.5% alcohol content, as it tasted like it had much more. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the wine, and I would certainly pick it up again, especially the next time I’m making pork tenderloin.

Little Chica Tempranillo Garnacha

George — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:00:10 +0000

Varietal: Tempranillo (55%); Garnacha (45%)
Region: Spain
Cost: $12

Dark purple wine with flavors of blackberry and fresh crushed fruit. Medium bodied wine that pairs well with chicken, pork, red meat, or by itself.

Recommendations: Still drinking while entertaining my brother-in-law and his wife, we opened up this blended Spanish red. Dark purple in the glass with a bit of smoke on the nose, the flavors of black berry and crushed fruit were enjoyable for a wine that we were enjoying by itself.

If you’re like me and enjoy both Tempranillo and Garnacha, this is definitely one worth picking up, especially for the price. With food or by itself, it’s a good wine to keep on hand for friends, family, or by yourself.

Garnacha de Fuego

George — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:01:35 +0000

Varietal: Garnacha
Region: Spain
Cost: $7.00 – $10.00

A bit of smokiness on the nose is balanced by berry aromas of blackberry and blueberry. Smooth flavors of spice, vanilla, and raspberry have a nice finish of subtle tannins that make this wine enjoyable by itself or with a variety of different meals from pizza to a perfectly cooked and seasoned steak.

Recommendation: Anybody that’s been visiting this site enough knows that I am falling more and more in love with Spanish wines. My wife wanted this wine if for no other reason than the bottle was interesting and at $10 it wouldn’t be a waste if the wine wasn’t that good. Fortunately we got an interesting bottle and a good wine.

The smokiness on the nose wasn’t overpowering, but was enough to mellow out the flavors of ripe berry and lead very nicely into the subtle tannins on the finish. Perfect with a pepperoni pizza after grocery shopping, this is a great wine for anybody looking to dip their toes in the Spanish wine pool. Definitely going to be a repeat buy.

Can’t find this wine at your local shop? Get it here.

2007 Bodegas Boraso Oton Campe De Borja