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I seem to have missed tasting the 2002 vintage of this wine but no matter, it was not such a strong year in Rioja anyway and I’m looking forward to the 2004.

An interesting and quite complex mix of smells - black cherry and red fruits, pepper, pencil, vanilla, earth and surely a bit of a smoky bretty character. It’s quite full bodied in the context of Rioja with red fruits and a bit of black cherry, plenty of pepper and spice, a damp earthy character, some dried herbs and vanilla oak. It has coarse open weave grainy tannins and quite tart acidity. Good slightly tannic finish of spicy red fruits and dried herb. Not a smooth operator like the 2001, it’s more rustic and rugged, although still very enjoyable nonetheless.

Other vintages : 2001

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This is a blend of Grenache, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah and it delivers exactly what I expected of a sub $20 Spanish wine. And that’s a bit of character, good fruit and thigh slapping drinkability.

It smells perfumed and pretty with cherry, raspberry, Redskin lollies and a fair shake of pepper. On the palate medium bodied with light, dry and very refreshing tannins. It has juicy cherry and raspberry fruit, a sort of Redskin lolly character that is sweet and appealing (not sickly or confected) that’s balanced out with a tart cranberry dryness and a few dried herbs. Finishes dry and clean. A really attractive weekday table wine with good deal of character.

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I was browsing through a retailer at lunch today and the thought popped into my head that I needed to drink a few inexpensive Spanish wines. Not sure why, it’s not like I need more wine, but I grabbed a few odds and ends anyway. I like a change of pace. I passed by the French, the interesting Cannonau (that’s Grenache) from Sardinia and quite a few other tempting little imports. This is from the DO Catalyud which is in the bigger region of Aragón.

It smells of red fruits, minerals and earth, a little pepper and smoke with a sweeter baked rhubarb character. On the palate distinctly warm and slippery with berries, rhubarb, dried herbs and spicy flavours. Sweet but still quite dry - in part due to the fairly dry sandy tannins. There’s something a bit artificial here that I can’t quite put my finger on and it detracts from my overall enjoyment. Still a nice enough wine - but no better than a local Grenache at the same price point.

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Interesting wine this one. It comes from the D.O. of Jumilla and I’d say it makes for a pleasant change of pace if you are looking for a robust weekday sort of wine.

Strong dark colour it smells of cherry jam, boysenberry, pepper, baked earth and dried herbs. On the palate medium to full bodied with a mix of sweet jammy fruit and more spicy earthy flavours with a certain bitter dried herb edge adding interest (at least for me). It has some warmth from alcohol, fairly gritty rustic tannins and a sweet and slightly bitter finish. It’s the sort of wine to drink you could happily quaff from a tumbler whilst tucking into a bit of roast pork. Thigh slapping and bawdy conversation is optional.

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Well well well…a screwcapped wine from Spain..and lets not muck about this Grenache dominant blend (with a bit of Shiraz) from D.O. Montsant is the perfect sort of bistro wine for unscrewing and slurping down. Taint free. Beautiful.

Good to smell with raspberry, cranberry, raw meat and a pretty violet fragrance. On the palate light to medium bodied with flavours of juicy red fruit, a bit of Redskin lolly, spice and some meaty and minerally characters. It’s quite lightweight but has a high drinkability courtesy of fresh clean acidity and light grainy mouthcleansing tannin. Good clean raspberry tinged finish too. Lovely wine - it would be perfect with pasta (or in fact any Mediterranean food) and drinks like a champion. A fine example of function beating form.

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This is made mainly from the Verdejo grape and comes from the D.O of Rueda. Interesting wine in many ways, not least because Sam Connew from Wirra Wirra was at the controls for this vintage.

Has a fair bit of sulphide over fresh fruit salad (with plenty of diced apple), some spice and a floral lift. Punchy and fruity. On the palate medium bodied with spice, apple and lemon fruit and minerally sulphide characters. It has a dryish chalky texture with a bit of phenolic grip, a loose slightly-flabby-coarse-low-acid-easy-going sort of charm and a lemony apple skin and spice finish of good length. Really easy to drink and one of those wines where reaching for the bottle to fill up your glass is far more important than how high it scores. I could drink a lot of this.

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This wine almost caused a bit of a domestic the other night while we were out at dinner. JP declared on first sniff and that this was an outstanding wine, packed with personality and interest. ‘Pah’, I snorted, ‘typical hot vintage robbish’. So I gave baby Charles a sniff and he said ‘Aaarrp aarrp’ which (at least to my mind) clearly translates as ‘Quite correct Dad, this is Junk, so don’t even think of serving me this sort of baked Grenache based wine from Castilla Y León when I am old enough to drink.’ Clever boy.

Smells baked and ripe with raspberry liqueur (Framboise), brandy snaps, dried herbs, rolling tobacco and spice. On the palate warm and earthy with brandied red fruits, chocolate and spice. It feels rugged and a little ragged with chunky gritty tannin and warm alcohol. Full bodied and simple, but not without sort of rustic gap toothed charm. Decent finish with baked red fruit, dried herb and a hearty slap of tannin to close. In the end it’s bonhomie nature won me over just a little and anyway… I don’t want no trouble.

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I grabbed this just before going out to dinner, not knowing where we were eating, but on the premise that Rioja is one of the most versatile of red wines. We ended up at a local Thai place which could have been a wine match disaster (not that I care overly about these things) but was not. It went perfectly with my lightly spiced grilled lamb chops and not too shabbily with some BBQ Octopus either. It is a blend of Tempranillo, Grenache and Graciano from the Rioja Baja D.O.

Sweet cherry and red fruits (slightly jammy) and smoky beef pepper jerky. On the palate medium bodied with juicy red fruits, some meaty savoury flavours and a bit of pepper and spice. It has gritty gravelly tannins and balanced acid providing ample structure and backbone and a nice juicy spicy finish of good length. Dangerously easy to drink. A wine of integrity and real character that also hits the fun bullseye bang on.

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The lovely JP bought me an assortment of Spanish and Italian wines for my birthday and I am now onto the Spanish section of the box. This is a very successful wine for a 2003 vintage, and although it does show some of that trademark raw tannin, I really like it.

Aromas of sweet cherry, cassis, roast herbs, ash, mineral and toasty mocha oak. Rich, ripe and satisfying to smell. On the palate full bodied with lashings of sweet cherry and berry fruit, dried herbs, chocolate and a certain minerally earthy crushed rocks (don’t mind me..best I can do) sort of character. Ripe, open and fruity, it really floods the mouth. It has good acidity and plenty of slightly coarse chunky loose knit (but sweet) tannin and very good length finishing with a cherry and dried herb aftertaste. Top wine, excellent now, most likely even better later.

Other vintages : 2001, 1995, 1994

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This is a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Carignan and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon from old vines (average 40 years old) and is a small make of around 150 to 300 cases (depending on vintage). Enquiries to marcus@cesoirwine.com

Aromas of raspberry, mineral, dried herb, cocoa and spice with well integrated oak. On the palate medium bodied with fine balance and a firm texture courtesy of lightly sandy tannins and fresh acidity. It has flavours of raspberry, dried herb, mineral and chocolate and a really good long warm chocolatey finish. Lovely wine that is both balanced and highly engaging, although not exactly bargain priced.

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Take 3, and at last a good bottle. Blackberries and blueberries, crushed quartz, spices and earth. The palate is luscious and sweetly fruited, dark cherries and red cherries with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and old black peppercorns. Though for all the juicy fruit, there is some savouriness. The tannins are soft, and slightly grainy, and the finish is sweet. Needs a couple of hours to come out of its shell, and appears sweeter as time passes. Nicely balanced too.

Other vintages: 2006

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When guests pop round offering a glass of ‘Sherry’ is always the polite thing to do and it’s a pity that practically no one ever takes me up on the offer. They tend to just look at me sideways. So I just drink it myself. Poor fools.

Intense and punchy aromatics offering salted almond, flowers, tangy orange and star anise. On the palate plenty of flavour with almond, salty licorice, chamomile and a light honeyed orange overtone. Fairly bursts with flavour, feels fresh and clean, and closes long and briny with a slightly aniseedy aftertaste. Fabulous Fino. It is what all the people with good hair are drinking this summer.

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This is 55% Garnacha and 45% Cariñena (Carignan) and is the entry level offering from La Perla. I’ll be working my way up the range where optional extras include a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon, new French oak and older vines. This is another wine from the portfolio of Ce Soir wine importers. Enquiries to marcus@cesoirwine.com

Aromas of cherries, mineral, dried herbs, ash and dark chocolate. On the palate medium weight with flavours of brandied cherry, liquid dark chocolate, dried herbs and a light mineral character. Warm but not heavy - it feels quite light in the mouth and has fine lightly raspy tannins and good drinkability. Finishes with a chocolate and herb aftertaste. Quite different but really very appealing.

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This comes from the Alicante DO and I tasted it alongside a 2005 Syrah from the same producer. I am not very big on the Syrah (and we do that well enough locally anyway), but do fancy this Monastrell (Mourvedre) quite a bit. It is a much better wine and has has interest and personality to boot. Imported by Ce Soir Wine Importers.

Aromas of dark cherry, blood plum, Provençal herbs, earth, spice and ashtray. A little wild but quite engaging. On the palate medium bodied with blood plum and cherry, dried herb, spice and meaty slightly rubbery flavours. It has dry slightly coarse tannins married to attractive well rounded fruit. It feels rustic but has good balance and plenty of charm. I like drinking this and at the price it makes for a champion BBQ wine with a bit of interest.

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What a good grape albariño is. I love it. I would like it even more, however, if it came closed with a screwcap.

Bright and juicy with fruit salad (some of it tropical), ginger and white flowers. On the palate medium bodied with fruit salad, grapefruit, a sprinkle of green herbs and a little spice and mineral. Sweet fleshy fruit but with a dry texture. It has crisp but well rounded acidity and a good long fruity finish. A wine that bursts with fun and enthusiasm.

Other vintages : 2004

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I love Fino and Manzanilla. It is the perfect drink (and possibly best) to have of a warm summers night. I have tested this theory in Sevilla and also obtained equally good results in Sydney. A few of these, a quick beer, a few more cooling sherries, a cheeky beer, another sherry. Magic. This stock is bottled Aug07, and as with all Fino and Manzanilla, freshness is of paramount importance.

Aromas of sea spray, yeast, almonds and chamomile. So tangy and invigorating that the mouth starts to water in anticipation. Clean and fresh on the palate with briny salted almond and yeasty flavours and again with that lovely mouth perfume of chamomile. Finishes dry and salty leaving the mouth refreshed and ready for action. One of the best things you can drink.

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This comes from the Alicante DO which is known for being a bit of a Monastrell/Mataro/Mourvedre region. Imported by Ce Soir Wine Importers.

Quite pruney and meaty but also has some sweeter plum fruit with a bit of green tobacco and dried herb. The palate is a step up and is medium bodied with plum and prune, roast coffee bean and dried herb flavours. Firm fairly rustic drying tannin. Finishes with some tannin and roast coffee flavours. This would be excellent with a nice bit of fatty lamb. Good solid wine at a very fair price.

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From Ribera del Duero. A rich red in colour, with splashings of deep purple. It just makes me what to sing a couple of verses of “Highway Star”. The nose is complex and alluring, like the sirens of the sea, showing blackberries and sage, coffee grounds, smoke, minerals, and some creamy and nutty characters that dissipated with time. The palate is smooth, with blackberries and blueberries, and tannins that I am in awe of, ripe and meltingly soft, finishing with nutmeg and cinnamon spices. It is supple and concentrated, drinkable, too drinkable, and my head does say it’s boozier than my palate thinks it is. Strangely, it closed down after 5 or 6 hours. Probably needs time given the pedigree of the producer.

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I’ve been trying to write a tasting note on this wine for a couple of weeks now. My first bottle was corked, cheerfully replaced of course. This bottle was also faulty, well certainly compared to shaggy’s review on tinto y blanco. I will try again next week, but for the moment, this is my impression. Raspberry cordial, cherries, soapy, light with smoky stalks. The palate shows minimal red fruits and stalk, holllow in the middle, sappy and stalky on the finish. Another disappointment. I would certainly like to see a few Diams thrown into wines like this. Another review will follow soon I hope; a more positive review.

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At first I thought this was corked, but it was just a dusty glass. Phew. And it opened badly, very much like the English in the last Ashes series. Though this is where the similarities end, because it turned out to be a lovely tipple. On the nose, raspberries, red cherries, red liquorice, old leather and dried meat. The palate showed red fruits and liquorice, minerals, a bit of animal hide, dry and savoury, smooth and broad across the palate, very flavoursome. More sweetness emerged with time; a lovely drink for those less serious occasions.

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