Spain, La Mancha
50% Merlot, 50% Tempranillo
$7.99 from Claymont, DE Total Wine & More
Generally, if we’re drinking a Spanish wine, it’s one from Rioja. In this case, though, we decided to try one from the La Mancha region, the largest wine-making area in Spain. At $7.99 a bottle, it was a low-risk venture. The La Mancha region is in central Spain (main city is Toledo), and the predominant grape variety is Tempranillo, also known in this region as Cencibel.
We had this wine over two nights, first paired with pizza and then with chicken BBQ and grilled fresh vegetables. Not surprisingly, it paired poorly with the pizza, but was perfect with the chicken.
The wine was a little smoky on the nose, with dark fruit aromas predominating and a touch of eucalyptus in the background. On the palate, it delivered with a variety of red fruits, including strawberry, cherry and some black currents.. The wine finished tannic and short, but pleasing and with a hint of dark chocolate right at the end. According to the label, this wine sees about 6 months in two-year old American oak, and this gives just a subtle hint of oakiness in the finish.
Overall, this wine wasn’t overly complex, but well balanced and enjoyable nonetheless, and quite a value at $7.99. Although a little too heavy for something like pizza, it complemented the BBQ chicken very well, and would pair nicely with any type of grilled meat or medium to strong cheeses. I gave it three out of five stars in my log.
50% Merlot, 50% Tempranillo
$7.99 from Claymont, DE Total Wine & More
Generally, if we’re drinking a Spanish wine, it’s one from Rioja. In this case, though, we decided to try one from the La Mancha region, the largest wine-making area in Spain. At $7.99 a bottle, it was a low-risk venture. The La Mancha region is in central Spain (main city is Toledo), and the predominant grape variety is Tempranillo, also known in this region as Cencibel.
We had this wine over two nights, first paired with pizza and then with chicken BBQ and grilled fresh vegetables. Not surprisingly, it paired poorly with the pizza, but was perfect with the chicken.
The wine was a little smoky on the nose, with dark fruit aromas predominating and a touch of eucalyptus in the background. On the palate, it delivered with a variety of red fruits, including strawberry, cherry and some black currents.. The wine finished tannic and short, but pleasing and with a hint of dark chocolate right at the end. According to the label, this wine sees about 6 months in two-year old American oak, and this gives just a subtle hint of oakiness in the finish.
Overall, this wine wasn’t overly complex, but well balanced and enjoyable nonetheless, and quite a value at $7.99. Although a little too heavy for something like pizza, it complemented the BBQ chicken very well, and would pair nicely with any type of grilled meat or medium to strong cheeses. I gave it three out of five stars in my log.
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