Tag Archives: spain

Top 9 Wines for Fall

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We’re not going to lie: Though we love our rosés (we really do), more than a few of us were happy to see our massive stock of them dwindle away at summer’s end. And though we’ll always have a robust rosé showing in store (especially at Thanksgiving) we’re all ready to change our seasonal wine wardrobe.

Feel the same way? Dive into Josh’s fall wine picks and welcome New England’s cool, sweater weather season.

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2004 Chateau La Vielle Cure, Fronsac, France
From one of the most beautiful appellations in France, this tasty blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon gives you the profile and structure of a well-aged Bordeaux – but at a fraction of the price of other Right Bank selections.
$31.99

Chateau de Saint Cosme, Cotes du Rhone, France
I love the wines of St. Cosme (say “comb”). The region is among the world’s most consistent producers of quality juice. This is the perfect red to keep around for any occasion, from friends just stopping by to a great Sunday dinner!
$15.99

Catena Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina
The archetype for Argentine Malbec! Laura Catena now has the reins of the winery, and along with winemaker Alejandro Virgil they produce the region’s most consistently outstanding wines. Give an old friend another try.
$19.99

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Casa Brancaia ‘TRE,’ Tuscany, Italy
One of the early Super Tuscans, TRE from Brancaia has the profile we have come to expect from the category. The Sangiovese grape gives TRE a sanguine and distinctly ‘Italian’ feel, while the Merlot rounds it out and makes for a nice, complete wine.
$21.99

Orowines “Blue Gray,” Priorat, Spain
A gateway drug for those Napa-drinkers who want to experience Spain! Wines from Priorat have the structure and balance that new world wine-drinkers look for, while not losing a distinctiveness that is truly unique. Priorat wines tend to have a bit more depth than a lot of other old world wines, without being overly dry.
$19.99

Pine Ridge, California
A longtime favorite of mine, I tend to always have a bottle or two on hand in case of company. A light blend of Chenin Blanc and Viognier, this wine is more floral than sweet – and still has some acid to it to create a nice balance. Perfect for entertaining or casual deck-sipping!
$14.99

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Masciarelli Wine Company, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Italy
Another old friend – I have sold this wine since the very first wine shop I worked in. A fabulous value, this bottle is a solid dry white that is similar to a Pinot Grigio but with more structure and acid, and without having that metallic finish you can sometimes find in budget Pinot Grigio.
$12.99

Hugel et Fils, Pinot Blanc, ‘Cuvee Les Amours,’ Alsace, France
If ever there was an underappreciated grape, it’s Pinot Blanc. The most widely planted grape in Alsace, it makes a great all-purpose white wine that can be used for anything. If you’ve never tried a Pinot Blanc, start with Hugel – they know what they are doing. They’ve been making wine since Providence belonged to the Algonquian!
$17.99

Sandhi Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills, California
The Sandhi story is far too complex to recount here, but the wine is an outstanding example of what happens when great winemakers, growers, and critics get together to create a world class wine! Green apple with lemon characterize this wine – definitely not a Cali oak bomb!
$39.99

Happy Fall!

-Josh

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Nick’s Spanish Adventure

Garnacha growing in the extreme desert conditions of Jumilla.

Earlier this summer Bottles’ Wine Director Nick Shugrue traveled throughout Spain, visiting several vineyards and essentially having the time of his life. We’ll be tasting many of the wines he had while in Spain in the store on Saturday. Following are excerpts from his travel journal.

We started in Vigo which is up in Galicia, in northwest Spain, known for incredible seafood and the Albarino grape. We were in a small seaside town called Cambados, which was kind of New England-like (humid, coastal, picturesque) but with big, old palm trees lining the main boulevard.

In Cambados we had an insane lunch with mountains of shellfish, razor clams, octopus and whole grilled fish. One of the region’s delicacies is the Percebes or “goose foot barnacle.” It’s a prehistoric, scary looking type of shellfish that I’m glad I tried, but won’t be having again. With lunch we drank a ton of really great Albarino wine. Galicia is Albarino country – it’s what all the locals drink, given how well it pairs with seafood, giving credence to the “what grows together goes together” adage. I visited a few wine shops, and really, all they sell is Albarino with maybe a few red Mencias, a wine made inland in the mountains from the grape of the same name.

The Galician regional delicacy Percebes, or “goose foot barnicle,” with Nick’s empty glasses of locally-grown and made Albarino.

Later in the day we visited the beautiful Lagar de Condesa winery, where lots of the Albarino wines are made. The Kentia was my favorite, super fresh, vibrant and lively. At de Condesa they are experimenting with giant egg-shaped fermenting tanks that many high-end, cutting edge wineries all over the world are using. Many winemakers feel it’s the perfect vessel in which to ferment because the shape of the egg makes the wine naturally convect, continually stirring the lees on its own, not mechanically. It allows for more skin contact with the juice and produces wines with more body and complexity. Really cool. 

Nick next to the egg-shaped fermenter at Lagar de Condesa.

Next we drove southeast to the desert region of Zamora. I felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. Zamora is the giant all encompassing zone that includes the famous wine region of Ribera del Duero. Here we drank some great Tempranillo, Mencia and also a “Prieto Picudo” which is an obscure grape from Zamora that I’ve never seen stateside. It’s a bit Dolcetto-ish but juicier.

But the most interesting bit about Zamora is its desert landscape! It’s amazing how anything can grow in such arid conditions, just unbelievable. With no irrigation! Here we went to one of Juan Gil’s oldest vineyards where the vines are over 100 years old, growing in sand. It was the weirdest thing. I felt like we were on a sand dune. The wines produced from these ancient vines and in these rusty, red-ish brown soils were outstanding. Really rich and concentrated. The stand out wine of the day was Rejon Tempranillo grown on 130 year old vines.

A 100+ year-old vine growing in Zamora’s sandy soils.

We later visited another of the Juan Gil winemaking facilities in Rueda, which was about an hour’s drive from Zamora. It was a little less arid here, and the soil was made up of larger grains very much like gravel. One of the stand-outs here was the Shaya Verdejo, which is partially sourced from 110 year old vines. It was a delicious, very typical Verdejo – medium bodied and a bit more lush. We finished that day in a town called Segovia. One of the prettiest cities I have ever been in. The town is cut in half by a giant Roman aqueduct. Stunning. 

Verdejo growing in the gravely Rueda soil.
The Roman aqueduct in the ancient city of Segovia.

The next day we were off to Jumilla in the extreme southeast, so the opposite corner of where we started and home to the Juan Gil headquarters. We’ve carried the Juan Gil wines in store in the past to great success but I honestly have a new appreciation for them after visiting the vineyard. It’s an amazing place full of beautiful contradictions. In this rocky, barren landscape there’s a garden with several 900 year old (!) olive trees. Yet inside the winery, which is underneath a large mountain, is one of Juan Gil’s massive, cutting edge, state of the art wineries, which houses four-story high fermentation tanks.

900-year old olive trees at the Juan Gil headquarters in Jumilla.

The modern, steel fermentation tanks at the Juan Gil winery.

While there, we also got to see a vineyard where their Monastrell is grown. Again, super extreme growing conditions here, which they allude to on their label. It’s really hard to believe wine can be made in this region! The soil and terrain is a desert of jagged sharp stones, rocky cliffs, plateaus and canyons. On the front label of the Honoro Vera Monastrell there’s an image of a vine growing through a white rock. When the vineyards that produce these wine were planted over 100 years ago, the farmers had to remove about a meter of these jagged rocks, until they hit a slab of chalk/limestone. They then had to drill a hole through the limestone to plant the vines. They did this so that the roots could get nutrition and water. The wines all have this hard but delicious mineral edge to them because of the influence of the limestone. It was really cool.

Later in the day we drove to the region next door called Almansa. Here we toured Bodegas Atalaya and met Pepe. Pepe was certainly a highlight of the trip. This round, jovial, amazing man gave us a tour of the rocky vineyards and desert landscape in his old Land Rover Defender. What a day! Atalaya mostly works with the Alicante Bouchet grape which in this region is called Garnacha Tintorera (due to EU laws). Alicante is a black skinned grape and one of the only grapes that produces red juice when crushed.

Nat Saywell of MS Walker, Atalaya’s Pepe and Nick, prior to touring the vineyard in Pepe’s Defender.

On day 5 of our trip we drove up the coast to Montsant and Priorat, closer to Barcelona. The landscape was incredible. We visited the Cellars Can Blau which sits in this bowl surrounded on three sides by mountains. Here we had what was probably the best meal of our trip: A chef brought to our table a huge cast iron skillet full of sunnyside-up eggs. In the middle of it was a mountain of truffled potatoes. He placed it on the table and began tossing. Unbelievable. It was served with Blue Grey Priorat and the Can Blau wines. Big, stunning wines grown in sandy mountainsides. Just beautiful.

The skillet filled with egg and truffled-potatoes. It was mixed tableside prior to being served.

We finished the trip with a day in Barcelona. What an amazing town. The Sagrada de Familia church (a World Heritage Site), Gaudi Park, the famous outdoor market La Bouqueria and Flamenco. A great way to end a trip I’ll never forget.

Join us on Saturday, August 27th, as we taste several of Nick’s favorites from his trip, including Blue Grey Priorat, Kentia Albarino and Shaya Verdejo.

This Season’s Rosé, Part Two

It’s finally arrived!

East Coasters are finally enjoying the warmer, delightful weather that most people call Rosé Season. We at Bottles drink the pink year-round but it is an undeniable fact that longer sunny days and spring blossoms go hand-in-hand with bottles of chilled, crisp rosé.

This week, we explore the middle of the rosé spectrum. They’re the wines that, while still dry, are a bit more fruity, aromatic and floral. This style is for you if:

-you start your day with a bowl full of juicy fruit salad, and eat your weight in watermelon each summer.

– your fridge is usually stocked with new-world sauvignon blancs and other aromatic whites, or your go-to reds are medium bodied blends like Chianti and Cotes du Rhone.

These wines sing when paired with rustic, grilled foods such as mediterranean lamb, grilled fish and pork, and herbal sauces (think pesto).

Buyer Beware! Due to the significant supply and demand issues, availability of each bottle changes daily. If you find one you like, buy multiple bottles because it may not be in store on your next visit. And if it isn’t, don’t fret! Bottles will be your rosé HQ this summer so visit often for a rotating selection of delicious fine rosé wines.

Here are our favorite light-medium & floral rosés style from the 2015 vintage:

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Gobelsburg, Austria
A staff favorite, the Gobelsburg is elegant and crisp with flavors of wild cherries and fresh berries.

Bridge Lane, Long Island
Made in Long Island, this rosé is perfect for the beach. It’s full of ripe red berries, guava & peach and has a lovely, lively, dry finish.

Zestos Rosado, Spain
Eminently drinkable, this Spanish beauty is brisk and refreshing with flavors of strawberry and watermelon.

Banshee, CA
One of our best-sellers, the Banshee screams with vibrant Mandarin orange and peach skin flavor and is accented with ripe  n’ tangy strawberry notes.

 

Drink Pink!

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Four Reds for Easter and Spring!

Last week we gave you Bottles’ top Spring picks for white and rosé wine. Today we share our favorite reds that will pair beautifully with lamb, ham, and other heavier dishes you’ll have on your table this season.

primariusPrimarius, Pinot Noir, Oregon
A rich, luxurious pinot from Oregon with bold fruit and an interesting mineral/graphite element that makes it a no-brainer pairing with lamb. It’s also gentle enough for fish.

guerraArmas de Guerra, Mencia, Bierzo, Spain
One of our favorite values in the store! It’s made from grapes from super old vines (50+ years!) and is studded with energetic aromas and flavors of sappy black fruits and fresh violets.  A perfect springtime wine!

bruniBruni “Poggio d’Elsa” Red Blend, Maremma, Tuscany, Italy
A “Super Tuscan” 50/50 blend of sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon that over delivers for the price.  Rich, dry and brooding with a softness and a gorgeous depth of flavor that will pair well with roasts and richer meat-based dishes on your Easter table.

secatursAA Badenhorst “Secateurs” Red Blend, Swartland, South Africa
Our favorite wine (at the moment) from South Africa.  A perfect blend of grapes usually found in the South of France, this wine typifies the terroir of South Africa: minerally, juicy and bold. Terrific with grilled or roasted pork.

Happy Spring!

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