Spanish Wine Country

In search of wine, food, and other delights in Spain

Spanish Wines and Best Bargain Wines of 2017

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Spanish Wines and Best Bargain Wines of 2017

Best Wines of 2017 selections are out. Have you seen the lists for the bargain wine category?  Once again, 2017 Best Buy lists feature several Spanish wines.

Check these links below to learn more about the Spanish wines on the top bargain wines of 2017.

So many Spanish wines are below $20, and they are excellent and delicious. Spanish wines offer the “biggest bang for the buck.”  

Please tell us if you see Spanish wines listed on other wine publications and magazines.

Guide to Spanish Wines

Spanish Wine Regions

Tapas Bar in the Napa Valley – Zuzu

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Tapas Bar in downtown Napa - Napa Valley

Tapas Bar in downtown Napa – Napa Valley

Zuzu in the Napa Valley – authentic Tapas Bar

There are many Tapas Bars in the United States. Zuzu in the old town area of Napa, California is excellent.  It is located at 829 Main Street. Each year the owners travel to Spain to discover new recipes for the Tapas Menu at Zuzu. They use fresh ingredients from local purveyors.  The prices are reasonable for the Napa Valley. A couple can dine there for less than $100 and that includes a bottle of wine. We dine at Zuzu whenever we are in the area. Our last visit we had these four Tapas.

Calamari

Calamari

Paella

Paella

Tortilla Español

Tortilla Español

Queso Fresco

Queso Fresco

Discovering Albariño Wines

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We blind tasted six Albariño wines

We blind tasted six Albariño wines

Give Albariño Wines a Try

Several years ago we had the good fortune to visit the land of Albariño. The Albariño grape is grown in the Rias Baixas, the Galicia region of Spain. Rias Baixas is next to the Atlantic Ocean and therefore a very cool and wet climate. The center of this wine region is the village of Cambados. Cambados is a lively town that celebrates this wonderful wine.

In the United States, the popularity of Albariño wines has been steadily increasing over the past ten years. It is widely stocked on the shelves of good wine shops and some of the better supermarkets. One can always find an excellent tasting Albariño wine from Spain for under $15.  Several California wineries also produce an Albariño, but typically these wines are more than $20. Labor and land are very expensive in California and hence the higher cost for Albariño.

We tasted five Albariño wines from Spain and one from California. We rated them using a wine scorecard from WineCountryGetaways.com. This is how we scored the wines.

  • Paco & Lola 2014 – Wine.com $18; sometimes found at Costco for $15
  • Ramon Bilbao Valinas 2015 Wine.com $17
  • Pazo Cilleiro 2015 – Wine.com $19.99
  • Highlawn 2015 – Table Wine Merchant in Pacifica $22
  • Turonia 2015 – $20 – not available in U.S at this time
  • Laxas 2015 – Costco  $10.59 

The best bargain wine was the last place wine, the Laxas 2015. Costco in the San Francisco Bay Area is selling this wine for $10.59. The only reason it scored last was the color was not as bright and straw like as the others. But the aroma, character, and flavor were outstanding.

Photo Gallery – Land of Albariño Wines

The Martin Codax Bodega – A cooperative winery

Harvesting the Albariño grapes

The well-traveled Ruta Do Viño in Rias Baixas

The trellis system keeps the grapes from the wet soil

 

Janelle, in the village of Cambados.

Wines of Catalan

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Catalan wine tasting
In San Francisco, California, the Wines of Catalan presented a tasting of select wines from seven DO’s, or Denominaciones de Origen. “Denominaciones de Origen” are what wine appellations are termed by the Spanish government. Most Spanish wine enthusiasts know about only a few wine regions of Catalan, namely Cava, Penedes, the Montsant, and the Priorat. This seminar and wine tasting introduced the guests to smaller and lesser-known wine regions of Catalunya.

Here is what you should know about the wines of Catalan

  • Catalan is one of 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain. Think of it as one state or province
  • There are 12 wine regions (Denominaciones de Origen) in Catalan
  • Catalan has a wide geological range. From the coast at sea level, to the Pyrenees at 10,000 feet
  • Catalan is a region with its own cultural background, traditions, language, cuisine, and lifestyle
  • The history of wine in Catalan dates back 2300 years ago.
  • There are 850 wineries in Catalan
  • 70 to 75% of the grapes are white varieties
  • The biggest demand for white grapes is Cava for the production of sparkling wine
  • There is a large variety of red grapes including Ull de Llebre, Garnacha, Carblah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Many of the smaller D.O.’s in Catalan are planning to export wines to the U.S.  Many are sold for under $20.
catalan wines

Lucas Payá, sommelier and wine buyer for Restaurateur José Andres, leads the seminar

How to shop for the wines of Catalan

A good place to start is the Spanish Table’s wine Website. The Spanish Table has three stores in the San Francisco Bay Area. Supermarket stores and big wine shops, like Total Wines and BevMo, are not likely to have a wide selection of wines from Catalan. Find a local wine shop and ask the proprietor to suggest wines from this region. Stock your cellar and begin to discover what this great wine and food region has to offer. The next step is to head to Barcelona and tour the area. The easiest regions to visit are the Penedes, and the Priorat and Montsant regions.

A lovely white wine from Catalan

A lovely wine from Catalan

Wineries and Denominaciones de Origen represented at the Catalan Wines seminar and tasting

  • Can Descregut – DO Penedès & DO Cava
  • Canals & Munne – DO CavaCastell d’Or – DO Cava and DO Penedès
  • Castell d’Or – DO Cava and DO PenedèsCava & Hotel Mas Tinell – DO Cava and DO Penedès
  • Cava & Hotel Mas Tinell – DO Cava and DO PenedèsCeller Ronadelles – DOQ Priorat and DO Montsant
  • Celler Ronadelles – DOQ Priorat and DO MontsantDe Muller – DOQ Priorat and DO Tarragona
  • De Muller – DOQ Priorat and DO TarragonaForward Gourmet – DO Penedès DO Cava
  • Forward Gourmet – DO Penedès DO Cava
  • Heretat Montrubí – DO Penedès
  • Julià & Navinés – DO Cava and DO Penedès
  • L’Olivera – DO Costers del Segre and DO Catalunya
  • Nadal – DO Penedès & DO Cava

For additional information go to this link at the Catalan Wines Website

Wines of Catalan

Wine blogger Joe Becerra enjoys the walk-around tasting

Paella in Spain Made in Many Cooking Styles

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Roger Felip Ibara, chef & owner at Mas Trucafort

Roger Felip Ibara, chef & owner at Mas Trucafort

Paella de Catalana

Paella in Spain takes on many styles depending on the region of Spain. Even within a region, Paella is made in various ways. This Paella de Catalana is the specialty of Roger Felip Ibara, chef & owner at Mas Trucafort, a B&B and restaurant in the village of Falset in Catalonia. The recipe for this special Paella can be found in the cookbook, Rustica: A Return to Spanish Home Cooking” The one common element in every Spanish Paella recipe is Spanish wine. The Paella is traditionally served with the wine from that particular region. In this case, when the Paella was served to us, we had a selection of Priorat red wines to drink. What a feast!  Roger used a special rice to prepare his Paella. It is only available in Catalonia. One can substitute Bomba or Valencia rice. He also collected snails from his garden to add to the Paella ingredients. Interestingly, Roger did not add the spice Saffron to the Paella dish. Saffron is an essential ingredient in Paella dishes. The one thing that made Roger’s Paella unique was the smoky flavor.  As you can see from the photos, the Paella was cooked on a screen, and the fire was fueled by vine prunings. This was done inside a small structure with smoke filling the area. The smokiness made its way into the Paella dish.

Paella cooking

Fire fueled by vine twigs

Paella de Catalan

The finished product

Paella cook

The cook relaxes with a glass of Priorat wine

Wines that match well with Paella

Selecting wine that pairs with Paella is an easy choice. A medium-bodied red will always work with traditional Spanish Paella. The Spanish Chorizo used in many Paella dishes is mild in spice or heat. A good Tempranillo is our favorite with Paella. If the Paella is totally fish based or vegetarian a white wine like an Albariño is an excellent choice.  A light Garnacha is also a perfect match in a red wine with a fish Paella.

More about Paella

Cellar Capçanes in the Montsant

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This is a guest blog post by Anna Rovira who produces the Cellar Capçanes newsletter. After reading the description of this wonderful winery, you may wish to visit on your next trip to Spain.

Capçanes cellarsCapçanes is a village hidden away in the Priorato hills inland from Tarragona, and is the source of many fine wines today with a long wine growing history. Capçanes is also the name of the cooperative that started making wine at 1933. During the early part of the 20th century grapes were picked in the vineyards and taken to the local farmhouses for vinification. The Masias offered fairly basic resources for fermentation and storage and limited both the quantity and quality of wine that could be produced. Prior to phylloxera, at the turn of the 19th century, Capçanes was densely planted. After the devastation caused by this insect, only about 1/5th part of the original vineyards was replanted mainly with garnacha, which represents sixty per cent of the total varieties, but lots of foreign ones were also planted, such as cabernet S., Merlot… it is changing. Carinyena represents nowadays the thirty per cent of the total, and only 10% are white and foreign varieties.

In 1933, to compete in the wine market, five families from the village established the cooperative that would handle large quantities of grapes economically and efficiently. Soon the foundation of the cooperative led to a change in the commercial prospects for Capçanes; they could offer large volumes of wine at competitive prices for bulk sales. However, the real changes began in 1995 when winegrowers realized the quality of the grapes they were growing. The impetus for the change came about when the Jewish community of Barcelona asked Capçanes if they could produce a kosher wine.  This demanded the installation of new equipment allowing the winemakers to identify, isolate and vinify under controlled “Lo Mebushal” conditions, small parcels of high quality fruit. The ground was laid for production not only of Kosher wine but also limited quantities of a range of fruit driven wines. The Kosher wine was a success and the Capçanes brand called Flor de Primavera, enjoys a reputation amongst the highest in the world. While Capçanes was one of very few producers of kosher wine in Spain, and its production accounts for around 5% of Capçanes total capacity, it is the other 95% that has created a reputation around the world and it was the following year, 1996, that first commercial releases were made.

Cellar where Kosher wine is made

Cellar where Kosher wine is made

Following this event Capçanes has not looked back. Vast investment has taken place and the whole winery has been completely restructured and modernized with the new aging cellar of 1500 barrels being completed in 2001. The investment in the winery has been underwritten by the 80 members, each of whom provided collateral for the banks in the form of their vineyards. At the end of the 90’s, also as a kind of contra- movement against the foundation of the all Catalunya covering head- appellation Catalunya D.O., Capçanes and all in the former D.O. Tarragona/ Falset subzone located producers decided to create its own D.O. to differentiate from the high-yielding more easy drinking wines from the wide intensively planted plain area at sea level around the city of Tarragona, this tiny mountainous subzone of less than 2000ha succeeded in 2001 getting its own D.O. called Montsant. Nowadays the political District of Priorat has two recognized wine regions: D.O. Montsant and D.O. Priorat, both well known for its powerful Red wines.

Capçanes produces roughly 1000 000 kg of grapes from 250ha of vineyards of which about 60% is Garnacha, 30% Cariñena and 10% divided between Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, and white grapes as Garnacha blanca and Macabeu. The vineyards range in altitude from 150 meters at the bottom of the valley to nearly 600metres for the highest terraces where the oldest Garnacha vines grow. Soil in the lower vineyards is deep rich and fertile while the higher vineyards and all terraces and slopes are on poor, mineral, stony soil based with some granite and slate. This difference in altitude, terroir and the wide range of varieties means that harvesting can last from the end of August till the end of September. Each vineyard parcel is harvested separately at its precise moment of optimum ripeness and given the development of the winery, each parcel can be vinified separately as well giving the opportunity to make single vineyard wines like “Costers del Gravet” or “Vall del Calàs”.

town

Winery Tour and Tasting

Come and enjoy a leisurely tour around the winery and hear its special story.

Learn about the art of kosher winemaking, and Flor de Primavera, one of the world’s top kosher wines.

We won´t let you go thirsty. The tour will culminate in a tasting of 3 wines from the Celler de Capçanes range, bringing you the flavors of the village.

Price per person: 8 €
Maximum: 25 people
Duration: 1 hour
Important: Booking is compulsary minimum 2 days before the visit
Tel: +34 977 178 319 (Winery)
E-mail: cellercapcanes@cellercapcanes.com/ v.diaz@cellerdecapcanes.com

Opening hours (winery shop): Monday- Friday 9.30- 13.30h/ Saturday 10- 14h/ Sunday 11- 14h

The tour normally starts at 12h, but must be booked in advance.

 

 

Do you know Tempranillo Blanco?

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Tempranillo blanco

Tempanillo Blanco is used in this white blend from the Rioja winery Vivanco

Tempranillo Blanco

There are not too many in the world of wine who know about Tempranillo Blanco. That is because Tempranillo Blanco is a recent grape. In 1995 a vineyard farmer spotted very different grape clusters in his Tempranillo vineyard. One of the vines had shoots with white grapes. The University of Rioja Enology department was summoned. The university tested the vines and grapes and determined this was the result of a natural genetic mutation. In 2008 the grape received its official authorization and the name Tempranillo Blanco. Today there are many small plots of Tempranillo Blanco in Spain. In this particular bottle of white wine in the photo, there is a small amount of Tempranillo Blanco. It adds acidity and a floral component to this blend. I purchased this bottle of wine from KL Wines in San Francisco. The price was $12.99. This is a great price for a white wine blend from the Rioja wine region of Spain. The producer is Bodegas Vivanco. Bodegas Vivanco has about 30 acres planted with Tempranillo Blanco.

Try this wine with any type of seafood Spanish Tapas dish. I made up a batch of these Piquillo Peppers stuffed with a tuna salad mix. The Piquillo Tapas and the Rioja white wine were a perfect match.

The recipe for the stuffed Piquillo Peppers 

stuffed-peppers-rioja1

Winemaker and winery Owner Rafael Vivanco on Tempranillo Blanco

How to make Paella on a Paella Burner

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joes Paella

Joe’s Paella for 12

I have been making Paella for many years. Today I am making a Paella for 12 people. I will be cooking the Paella outdoors on my Paella Burner. My Paella pan is 21 inches in diameter measuring from the top edge of the pan. This size pan should feed between 8 and 12. It is my experience that the amount of rice plus other ingredients always feeds more people than indicated. I bet when we are all said and done for this group I will have plenty left over. Here is how to make Paella, step by step.

How to make Paella on a Paella burner

Figuring out the exact liquid needed must be accurate. You blow your ratio of liquid to rice and the Paella dish is not likely to be pleasing to your crowd. I use Spanish Bomba rice. Figure one third cup of Bomba rice per person. Bomba rice requires three times the amount of water. This means for every person I need one cup of liquid to go with the 1/3 cup rice. I need to measure out 12 cups of chicken broth for this dinner.  Other Spanish rice for Paella, like Valencia, uses a 1/2 cup of rice to a cup of water per person.

I make a sofrito for the Paella a day or more before. It takes two hours to make a good sofrito. There are plenty of sofrito recipes on the Web. I use one that I found in César’s Cookbook: César: Recipes from a Tapas Bar. It calls for four white onions, four cups of diced tomatoes, 4 garlic cloves, and a teaspoon of saffron. Caramelize the onion in 1/4 cup of olive oil for one hour using low heat. Add chopped garlic and cook another 15 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and saffron, cook another 1 hour. This makes two to three cups. I freeze whatever I do not use. A Spanish chef once told me that the sofrito is the key to a fragrant Paella.

The Ingredients for a Paella party of twelve

  • 24 chicken drumettes*
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 whole garlic bulbs, unpeeled
  • 6 Spanish chorizo sausages, sliced across 1/4 inch thick
  • 4 cups of Bomba rice
  • 1 cup of sofrito
  • 12 cups of chicken broth
  • 2 TBS smoked paprika
  • 2 TBS salt
  • 36 jumbo shrimp
  • 36 clams
  • 36 mussels
  • 1 medium bag frozen peas
  • 2 cups of artichoke hearts, rinse.
  • 1 jar of Piquillo pepper, sliced long about 1/3 of inch for garnish
  • 3 lemons quarterd for garnish and squeezing on servings

* My local meat shop special orders a meaty size drumette for us. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  I cook the drummettes in the oven on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 375. They will finish cooking in the Paella.

Method

  • Prepare sofrito one day ahead
  • Heat broth in separate pot and add the paprika to broth
  • Pour olive oil over the whole surface of Paella pan
  • Add garlic to the pan
  • Saute chorizo for 2 to 3 minutes
  • Add rice and mix with chorizo and oil
  • Add the sofrito, mix with the rice, spread over the pan
  • Add the salt
  • Add the hot broth
  • Add chicken in a circular arrangement around the pan
  • Bring broth to a boil and then turn to a hard simmer – no stirring after this point
  • When rice begins to swell, tuck in clams and mussels
  • Add peas and artichokes
  • Lay shrimp around and push down slightly
  • Turn over the shrimp when the top side turns color
  • When rice is done, garnish with the Piquillo peppers and lemons
  • Let Paella sit for ten minutes before serving

Paella burner wind shield

Strong winds or a breeze with blow out the flame on your Paella burner. On a windy day, you must have a wind shield for your Paella Burner.

You can buy these on the Web but it is just as easy to make your own. I purchased the flashing in the photo below at Home Depot. I used duct tape to attach the flashing metal to the Paella burner. Total cost $20.

Paella wind protector

Home made Paella wind protector or shield

 

Back of Paella burner with homemade wind shield

Back of Paella burner with homemade wind shield

As you can observe, nothing fancy but it works and costs just a few dollars to make.

Grow Padron Peppers

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grow padron peppers

I will attempt to grow Padron peppers in a container. Yield should be in 45 days.

Grow Padron Peppers

One of the great Spanish Tapas is Padron Peppers or Pimientos de Padron. When one travels to Spain, Pimientos de Padron will commonly be found on any good Tapas menu. In California, especially the wine country scene, Padron peppers are becoming very popular on restaurant appetizer menus. Most of the restaurants that serve Padron peppers grow them in their vegetable gardens. Padron peppers need full sun and warm temperatures. They can be grown in the ground, spaced about 24 inches apart, or in containers. In the photo above, I planted one Padron pepper in a pulp container. Since I do not have a full sun spot in my yard, I have the container on wheels. I will move it to the sunny locations of my yard. According to the tag on the Pardon pepper plant, it will yield peppers in 45 days. I will report back in 45 days or sooner perhaps to give you an update of my Padron pepper progress. I purchased the Padron pepper at the Golden Nursery in San Mateo, California. Once the Padron Peppers are ready, you can cook them up in various ways. The most common way is to fry them quickly in olive oil and then douse them with some coarse salt. I encourage you to grow Padron peppers for a fantastic appetizer. Best wine to have with Padrons is, without a doubt, the lovely and crisp Albariño wine.

Padron Pepper Details

A wine from Yecla – Bodegas Castano Solanera Vinas Viejas

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I recently tried this amazing and delicious Spanish wine, Bodegas Castano Solanera Vinas Viejas. The wine is a blend of 70% Monastrell, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Grenache. All the grapes are grown in the tiny wine region of Yecla. Yecla is in the southeast corner of Spain. The Yecla D.O. is surrounded by Murcia, Jumilla and Almansa, all larger and more famous D.O.’s than Yecla. Until I purchased this wine, I had not heard of the Yecla wine region of Spain. I will have to learn more about Yecla and put it on my list of wine regions in Spain to visit. It sounds exciting. The principle grape of Yecla is Monastrell.

Yecla wine region

A delicious wine from Yecla

Yecla’s Bodegas Castano Solanera Vinas Viejas

I purchased this wine for $13.99 at my local wine shop. Big sign on the display, 94 Points from Robert Parker! I tasted the wine and found that is was truly a wonderful wine and such a value at the price of $13.99. It is a spicy wine and medium bodied. It has great red fruit flavor, especially red cherry. I think this is one of those red wines that is the perfect food wine and will go with salmon, poultry, pork and Paella. Eric Solomon is the importer of this wine. Eric brings in many Spanish wines to the U.S. especially from the Priorat and Montsant wine regions. This is definitely a good choice and I rate it at 89 Points. Use the Wine-Searcher to see if this wine is available in your area. If you have tried this wine or others from the Yecla region, please write your thoughts in the comment section below.

Spain’s Wine Regions

Cava, Priorat & Montsant, Rias Baxias, Ribera del Duero, Rioja, Toro