Tom and Melody's wine blog » Spanish wines

Pico de Aneto

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:34:09 +0000

I had to work late tonight so Tom made me dinner tonight. The salmon was delicious! I am so appreciative of Tom cooking for me. He never cooked, ever, (except to open a bag of pretzels) but I asked for his help. And, I come home to this wonderful dinner. How lucky am I?

This Spanish Tempranillo is really nice and delicious. Extremely fruity with smooth tannins. I am enjoying it immensely.

Castaño Monastrell (2008)

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 01:28:14 +0000

This Castaño Monastrell 2008 is a great value for a delicious Spanish wine. A dark cherry taste and chewy texture with a spicy finish.

This went very well with a stir fry of chicken, broccoli, and pasta.

We’re coming off a great weekend seeing the family. Our parents are settled in here as Chelsea residents now, and Tommy is back from Australia. All’s good…

El Bombero Cariñena 2009

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 19:27:29 +0000

We had this El Bombero Cariñena 2009 from Spain with goulash that Melody made. The wine was very nice: tasty, soft, not super tannic, very drinkable. Very much a Spanish table wine. It would be excellent a little chilled as a summer wine.

I just got back from Florida and Melody is off to San Antonio in a couple of days. Busy times, but all good. Our sons should be together right about now in Fremantle, Australia, so we’ll be on the lookout for news.

Venta Morales Tempranillo

Sun, 02 May 2010 23:47:31 +0000

It’s an early-May Sunday evening. It’s been raining on and off but it is very warm for a spring night in Michigan. We have our windows open and can hear the birds, the frogs and the trains.

I am finishing this bottle of Tempranillo that I purchased at the Plum Market in Ann Arbor. I really, really like this wine and may purchase a case, actually. Although I like to have a lot of variety for my blog, I also like to stock up on the wines that I really enjoy and this is definitely one of them.

I have chicken in the oven for our dinner tonight. I brined the chicken for about 2 hours (in salt water) and then rinsed and coated with bread crumbs and spices. I am also making sauteed carrots (I have a lot of carrots to use up from my food co-op), spinach (also from the food co-op) and potatoes. And, a salad. Meanwhile, we are reading the paper and working half-heartedly on Friday’s Wall Street Journal crossword puzzle.

This Spanish Tempranillo is luscious with a color of ink in the glass. It is bursting with black fruit. The aroma is fresh cherries and a bit of smoke. You can sink your teeth into these tannins.

Venta Morales Tempranillo

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 23:30:35 +0000

It is Sunday night and we had a great weekend. I was able to “play” outside a lot today with my new toy. . .Land Roller skates! It was so much fun. I am not the best skater, by any stretch of the imagination, but I am practicing. I was able to take Trigger for a walk and I finally got the nerve to skate down my driveway (instead of walk on the grass) and over the crack onto the street! Woo hoo! Really fun. My neighbor, Alex, who is 9 years old, came over and talked me through a lot of moves and then finally put his skates on. We had fun.

So. . .now it is relaxation time. We worked a bit on our Wall Street Journal crossword puzzle. . .had a martini. . .now we are sipping this Spanish wine that Tom purchased at our local Meijer’s grocery store. For dinner, I sliced two sizzler steaks that were in the freezer (from the cow that I purchased as part of the food co-op to which I belong). Then, I whisked together soy sauce, chopped garlic, brown sugar, pepper, and lemon juice. I will start by cooking the steak in a hot cast-iron skillet, then adding onions and broccoli and the sauce for a stir fry. This Tempranillo is perfect for our dinner. I wouldn’t have expected this wine to be so delicious, but it really is. . . worth buying more, for sure. Lots of ripe fruit. Tom just said, “Big, but dry fruit; it’s big but it is not at all a fruit bomb. It’s very dry and tannic, but still fruity.” I agree. It’s tight and structured. Delicious. We are putting this on our list to get more.

Gran Bombero Garnacha (2006)

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:58:59 +0000

It’s Monday night. I took the day off after a busy weekend of work-related events. The day was beautiful–sunny and unseasonably warm for an early-March day in Michigan. I did some crocheting; I went for a run; and I spent time in the kitchen making spaghetti and meatballs (and coleslaw) for dinner.

This Spanish wine has a rich purple color. The nose is licorice and plums. It tastes deliciously spicy and the finish is surprisingly creamy — but, just when you think it might be a touch on the bland side, a spicy bite on the finish saves the day.

Don Elias Garnacha (2008)

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:45:07 +0000

This Spanish wine was cultivated in an area of Spain known for its low production capacity. This results in an intensely-flavored wine. My first sip was quite intense — it was verging on bubbly. However, with time to breathe, the bubbly intensity has dissipated and what is evident is a tasty mixture of fruit, wood and thyme. The finish is spicy.

A delicious choice for our Tuesday night. For dinner, I am reheating the bean soup that I made this weekend. We also have a half loaf of the whole wheat bread that I baked on Sunday. A very easy, yet comforting, dinner for a very cold winter evening.

Opera Prima Tempranillo (2008)

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:05:05 +0000

I purchased this Opera Prima Tempranillo 2008 at Whole Foods on my way home from work tonight. I had stopped to pick up some chicken spicy italian sausage and whole wheat orzo for our dinner tonight. I am making a skillet dish with the sausage and onions, orzo, asparagus, a diced shiitake mushroom and chicken broth. I thought a tempranillo would be the perfect choice for dinner.

This is a very good value. I only paid $4.99 (and picked up a Cabernet, also, for the same price). It’s interesting. Initially there wasn’t much of a nose, but 30 minutes after decanting, I detect raspberries on the nose. The taste is very fruity — not complex — but juicy and delicious. The finish is sufficiently long with a distinctive flavor. I would highly recommend this wine, especially if you want a full-flavor red at a very reasonable price.

Gougenheim Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 and Lan Rioja Crianza 2005

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 01:16:40 +0000

Melody and I spent a wonderful Christmas in Asheville, North Carolina.

On Saturday we had a great lunch at Carmel’s (a fun place with excellent service) that included some very nice wines.

Melody had a Gougenheim Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 with an aspargus-and-shitake-mushroom-and-basil pizza. The Gougenheim was an excellent big red — tannic, dark fruit. It complemented the pizza beautifully.

I had a Lan Rioja Crianza 2005 with a turkey club. The Lan was a simple, light table wine that actually went very well with the sandwich.

Orovales Rioja (2007)

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:23:52 +0000

It is Monday night at the Werner household. I have prepared a tuna casserole and it is in the oven. We both had rather hectic days at our jobs and now we are relaxing, reading the paper, listening to music, staring out the window, feeling the breeze. What a great way to rejuvenate after a demanding day at the office.

Looking out the window, I see nothing but bright blue sky. It is a beautiful summer night in Michigan. The grass is green, the trees are green and the sky is bright. I really love Michigan.

This Spanish red Tempranillo is delicious. It’s fresh and lively yet complex and spicy. The palate is full of concentrated fruit flavors with a vanilla and oak finish. Love this; a definite reorder. . .

I am going to serve our tuna casserole with fresh tomatoes and green onions from my garden along with garlic toast and green beans. (The casserole has elbow macaroni with celery, cream cheese, a white sauce, onions, dry mustard. The topping is Grape Nuts in melted butter [for crunch]).