Hey ya'll! Long time, huh? I took a hiatus. Eleven months really flies by fast... but that's a post for another blog. This post is about Spanish wine varietals. Over the past eleven months, I have come to realize that Spanish wines appeal to me more than any other, and trust me when I say that I have tested many, many, many, many, many, many bottles of wine. I have also found that I detest Australian wines- all of them. I don't know what they do to grapes in Australia, but it ain't workin' for them. To me, the wines are all bitter, like the grapes are not ripe, or the soil quality is poor. I have never had a bottle of wine from Australia that I enjoyed. Now, I'm certainly no fine wine connoisseur, and wine is a finicky thing, so if you like Australian wines that's OK. You just won't find them at my house. However, you will find a selection of tempranillo (my fave, fave, fave), garnacha, macabeo, merlot, and probably some red blends ALL from Spain. These wines are fragrant, fruity, light on the palate, and easy to drink (trust me- very, very, very easy to drink. What!?! The bottle is empty already?!?) with almost any food you can imagine, especially the tempranillo. Also, did you know that this particular variety of grape can reduce bad cholesteral MORE than any other? I swear. I'm not making this up. Everyone has heard that a glass of red wine every day is good for you. (If a glass is good for you, a bottle is better!) Well, a study at Spain's Universidad Complutense de Madrid discovered that healthy participants who drank tempranillo had a nine percent decrease in LDL and participants who had high cholesteral recorded a twelve percent decrease compared to a decrease of approximately eight percent for other varietals. WOW! Apparently, it has to do with the grapes dark, dark color and higher fiber content. So, drink up! CHEERS!
I have found that wine drinkers are typically loyal to a varietal or region. This taste develops over years of wine drinking. I know this because when you are younger you will drink anything. Drinking is just a means to an end. You are in search of a better frame of mind and some fun. You will drink the cheapest, skunkiest beer. C'mon, you know you did! You will drink vodka concoctions from the fridge or a communal cooler that taste like Vicks Formula 44D cough syrup. (I occassionally still do this in a pinch.... Here's a tip: rum is much easier to mix with anything. Vodka is not.) When you are young and there is no alcohol available, you will eye the Listerine.... However, none of this true for older, more mature wine drinkers. They will say politely, "No, thank you. I'll pass.", if you offer them a wine they don't like or a wine they are unsure about. So, the point of all this narrative is.... if you have not tried tempranillo, you should. I would compare it to a pinot noir. It's not a very heavy red wine. It's light and fruity and goes well with all food. The same holds true for garnacha and the spanish red blends. In my opinion, the macabeo and, of course, the merlot are a bit heavier. Give'em a try! Let me know what you think. :)
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