Colosi Nero d’ Avola, 2007

Colosi Nero d’ Avola, 2007

This Colosi Nero d'Avola is made from estate fruit and is aged exclusively in stainless steel. The color is a dark ruby red that is nearly opaque with a black hue. This is a delicious, full-bodied Nero d'Avola bursting with sweet dark cherries and berries with nice floral notes and a hint of pepper. On the palate it is ripe and full bodied with nice integration of sweet tannins. There is a good level of acidity that balances the creaminess of the mid-palate and contributes to a long and harmonious finish. This is a modern wine from Sicily that should please anyone who enjoys a delicious fruit-forward wine that will pair well with a pizza or a grilled rib-eye steak. We purchased this lovely wine at the Seattle Wine Company for about $14.

Matthews Columbia Valley Red, 2002

Matthews Columbia Valley Red, 2002


Kate just purchased the 2001, 2002 and 2003, Matthews Columbia Valley Red wines, as a holiday gift for us. We have enjoyed these wines, in the past, and are excited to add them to our cellar. The Matthews Columbia Valley Red, 2002, has a dark, nearly opaque black/red color with a delightful nose packed with black fruit, chocolate and cassis. This is a full bodied wine with chewy concentrated fruit, espresso, spice, licorice and mocha commingling to create a luscious and balanced wine. The tannins and underlying acidity coat your mouth and linger on the smooth, long toasty finish. This wine deserves a grilled prime steak or some well aged cheese. This wine is ready to drink now, but should continue to evolve over the next 5 years. This is one of our favorite wines.

Casale Triocco Sagrantino di Montefalco, 2003

Casale Triocco Sagrantino di Montefalco, 2003

Sagrantino is grape varietal that grows only around the hilltop town of Montefalco, in the Umbria region of Italy. Sagrantino is known to produce tannic, heavy masculine wines. This Casale Triocco Sagrantino is a powerful wine with a deep purple/ ruby color. The scent of ripe rich blackberries and raspberries are complimented by dried floral notes, pepper, and warm vanilla. This is a big wine with dark cherry, ripe strawberry and mocha flavors with layers of rich tannins that completely coat the mouth. There is impressive concentration and nice balanced acidity that create a full and pleasant finish. This wine is lovely now but should do well with a few more years of cellaring. Enjoy this wine with a grilled Kobe steak or a sharp aged cheese. We purchased this outstanding and unique wine from “Wines From Italy” for about $40.00.

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Cabrales Cheese

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Cabrales Cheese

Here is a simple tapas that will pair well with any tasty red or white wine. The exact quantity of dates, bacon and Cabrales (Spanish blue cheese) depends on how many stuffed dates you need. Figure at least two, per person, if pairing with other tapas. You can substitute Monchego for the Cabrales cheese or Serrano ham for the bacon. These tapas are delicious in all these variations.

Medjool Dates, slit open and pit removed
Sliced Bacon , 1/2 slice per date
Cabrales cheese (Spanish blue cheese)

Preheat oven 425 degrees

Stuff the inside of the dates with the Cabrales cheese. Wrap each stuffed date with a half slice of bacon. Overlap edges of bacon and secure with toothpick. Line up each on baking sheet with edge side down. Bake in oven for about 8-12 minutes until bacon is golden and crisp. Remove dates from oven and place on paper towel to absorb excess fat. Serve within 5-10 minutes while still warm. I would pair these with the delicious 2007 Bodegas Ateca Garnacha de Fuego. Yum.

Leonetti Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley, 1999

Leonetti Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley, 1999

This was one of the many top shelf wines we opened on New Years Eve as part of our wine and food extravaganza. Leonetti Cellars has a reputation of being one of the top wineries in Washington State and has almost cult status due to the difficulty finding their wines and an unblemished record over the past 20 years. We had cellared this wine for the past 5-6 years and one of our New Years resolutions was to drink more of the fine wines we have been saving. Below is a picture of our "line-up" for New Years Eve, plus we opened a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne, 1993, at the crack of midnight. The Leonetti Cabernet was a lovely wine that continued to evolve in the glass as the evening went along. The wine has a deep ruby color with a complex bouquet packed with black fruit, coffee and licorice and some smoky oak. The wine delivers a broad mouthful of fruit with cherry and cassis. This is a full bodied wine with fine dusty tannins and subtle acidity. The fruit is followed by flavors of espresso, licorice, tar and vanilla. This wine is smooth, silky and well balanced and has a long elegant finish. Current vintages of this Leonetti wine sell for about $100, making it one of the higher priced Washington State reds. For my money I would rather invest in Gorman, Matthews of Alexandria Nicole Cabernet for about half the price!

Wines of Spain

Common Grape Varieties in Spanish Wines

In the last few years we have enjoyed many wines from Spain that represent high quality wines and exceptional values. Here is a compilation of the most common grapes we have encountered and the qualities they bring to the wine. Spain has more acres of vineyards than any other country in the world and modern winemakers are using old vines to produce world class wines at every price point.

Albariño
White. Native to Galicia, with small, very sweet glyceric berries which produce high quality wines. It is the basic grape of Rías Baixas DO. There has been a dramatic increase in the area planted with this grape over the last few years.

Cariñena
Red. Produces robust, balanced wines. An excellent complement to Garnacha, it is widely planted in Catalonia and La Rioja, where it is known as "Mazuela". It is also considered a main variety in Calatayud, Costers del Segre, Penedés, Tarragona and Terra Alta DOs.

Garnacha Tinta
Red Garnacha. A high-yielding grape that produces vigorous wines. This is the most widely grown red grape in Spain, especially in La Rioja, Madrid, Navarre, Tarragona, Teruel, Toledo and Zaragoza. It is considered a main variety in the following DOs: Ampurdán-Costa Brava, Calatayud, Campo de Borja, Cariñena, Costers del Segre, La Mancha, Méntrida, Penedés, Priorato, Somontano, Tarragona, Terra Alta, Utiel-Requena, Valdeorras and Vinos de Madrid.

Graciano
Red grape with a low yield, which produces highly prized wines. Young Graciano wines are very tannic, rough and tart, but develop superbly during ageing, both in cask and bottle. For this reason, these grapes are present in Gran Reservas from La Rioja and Navarre. The Graciano grape is not very abundant due to its low yields and can often be found mixed with other grapes in the same vineyard.

Malvasía
White. Originally from Greece, this grape produces very aromatic and distinctive wines. It is mainly found in Valencia, Zamora and the Canary Islands, and is classified as a main variety in Calatayud DO. There also is a variety known as Malvasía Riojana, widely used in Rioja white wines. In Catalonia, it is known as Subirat Parent.

Mencía
Red. According to recent studies, this grape is very similar to Cabernet Franc. It produces high quality wines and is most widely planted in León (68%), Zamora, Lugo and Orense provinces. It is considered a main variety in Valdeorras and Bierzo DOs.

Monastrell
A red, very sweet and productive grape. It produces wines with a deep colour and considerable alcoholic content. It is mainly found in Murcia (52%), Alicante, Albacete and Valencia and it is considered a main variety in DOs such as Alicante, Almansa, Costers del Segre, Jumilla, Penedés, Valencia and Yecla.

Tempranillo
Red. Superb quality and very aromatic, the star of Spanish grapes. It is called Ull de Llebre in Catalonia, Cencibel in Castile-La Mancha and Madrid, and Tinto Fino and Tinto del Pais in Castile and Leon. It flourishes in Burgos, La Rioja, Alava, Cuenca and Ciudad Real. It is considered a main variety in the following DOs: Calatayud, Cigales, Conca de Barbera, Costers del Segre, La Mancha, Penedes, Ribera del Duero, Rioja, Somontano, Utiel-Requena, Valdepenas, and Vinos de Madrid.

Torrontés
White. Originally from Galicia, it produces wines of little body and good acidity, with considerable personality and an intense bouquet. It can be found throughout Galicia and in Córdoba.

(From Vinos de España)

Juan Gil, 2005

Juan Gil, 2005

The 2005 Juan Gil is 100% Monastrell aged for 12 months in French and American oak. It was sourced from estate vineyards with 45 year old vines. Bodegas Juan Gil is located in the Jumilla region of Spain. This region is known for having a harsh, arid climate with shallow, chalky soils on a bed of limestone and rock. These conditions challenge the vines and produce very low yields. This wine has a dark red color with purple tones. On the nose it has powerful aromas of red berries, blueberry, leather and smoke. This is a medium bodied wine with ripe blackberry and cranberry notes with sweet tannins and moderate acidity and minerality. The palate is very rich with an elegant balance between fruit, earthiness, spice and oak. This is more “new-world”, than old. This is another great value from Spain that can be found in the Seattle area for about $13. This wine will pair well with any hearty meal, aged cheese or quality chocolate. The 2006 vintage will be in stores shortly.

Rosemount Mountain Blue Shiraz Cabernet, 2001

Rosemount Mountain Blue Shiraz Cabernet, 2001


Mountain Blue is the jewel in the crown of Rosemount's vineyard estate in Mudgee, on the western slopes of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales Australia. This wine has a deep purple/ruby color. The nose is packed with black fruit, licorice and spice. This is a rich and elegant wine with flavors of ripe black cherry, blueberry jam, current, licorice and pepper. There is a nice gentle cloak of toasty oak along with pleasant sweet tannins that add to the lingering, harmonious finish. This is a lovely wine from Rosemount Estates that was a great compliment to last night’s “snow storm” dinner.

Mano a Mano, 2006

Mano a Mano, 2006

Mano a Mano is 100% Tempranillo from the La Mancha region of Spain. This is another fine wine from the Jorge Ordonez Selection that is imported by Elliot Bay Distributing of Seattle. The grapes are hand picked from vineyards located at an elevation of about 2000 ft. and the wine is aged in French oak for 6 months. This wine is another example of the amazing values coming from Spain. The color is a lovely dark purple that is almost opaque. On the nose is the aromas of blackberry and black cherry with some tobacco and coffee. This is a big wine that delivers a broad mouthfeel of black fruit, licorice and dark chocolate. There is a gentle acidity cloaked with fine grained tannins that keep this wine well balanced. The finish is long and chewy. This wine can be found for under $10 in the greater Seattle area. If you want to enjoy a “big” Tempranillo at a “small” price, search out some Mano a Mano.

Bodegas Ateca Garnacha de Fuego, 2007

Bodegas Ateca Garnacha de Fuego, 2007

This Garnacha from the Calatayud region of Spain represents another great value wine that proves you can get interesting and delicious wines on a tight budget. The Garnacha grapes are from old vines that really excel in the high elevation and gravely soil vineyards of Bobegas Ateca. This is another fine wine from the Jorge Ordonez Selection. This is a medium bodied wine with a deep red color and a nose of fresh raspberry and citrus peel. On the palate there is ripe red raspberry, cranberry sauce and some spicy pepper. There are supple tannins that highlight the fruit driven style. This wine shows a zesty, focused personality that will pair well with any spicy dish. We enjoyed this with my Albóndigas with Tomatoes and Peas.