Wine & Words

Muga Rosado 2008 (Rioja, Spain) 
Bodegas Muga, with its production facility in the historic old town of Haro, in the heart of Rioja, is best known for its premium bottlings – Torre Muga and Prado Enea Gran Reserva. These wines consistently receive scores in the mid-90’s from the wine experts and sell for around $100 a bottle. Indeed, last spring, a poll in Wine & Spirits magazine last spring, Muga scored as the most recognized Spanish wine available in restaurants in the U.S.
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Basa has long been one of our favorite wines for summer, but even though those hot days seem far off in March I wanted to add it to the Featured mix this week because 1) we didn’t want to have an all-Tempranillo lineup and leave our white wine drinkers out, and 2) we tasted this latest vintage in Wilmington on Monday and were mightily impressed. The wine is 50% Verdejo, 40% Viura and 10% Sauvignon Blanc, a blend that gives it soft fruit in the middle of your mouth, followed by a crisp burst of acidity.
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Tempranillo, Spain’s Noble Grape

Tempranillo is Spain’s quintessential, indigenous “Noble Grape”. Jancis Robinson says in the Oxford Companion to Wine, that it is “Spain’s answer to Cabernet Sauvignon.” It is a “classic” quality grape variety and responsible for making some of Spain’s best wines.

Talk about bargains! I ordered a new supply of this one for our Feature just to make sure the price hadn't gone up like everything else. Nope. Still $8.50 a bottle from the makers of the stellar Tres Picos Garnacha that wins awards every year and sells for around $20. I've said it before…I love Garnacha (the grape that originated in Spain and was appropriated by the French, who call it Grenache). It's soft and grape-y and very easy to drink.
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