The Navarra: Fruit, Spice and Everything NIce

We're going on an Italian hiatus this week and taking a short jaunt over to Spain to discover the Navarra. Spain has always been a top country selection for me in terms of value along with Italy. I was introduced to these wines by my blogger friend Susannah of Avvinare that is partnered with the Navarra DO so I was fortunate to sample through an array of wines including white and red wines. 

The Navarra is located in northern Spain between Madrid and San Sebastian. The Pyrenees are found to the north and it's also in close proximity to the Ebro River. There is such a variety of topography between the Pyrenees, the Bardenas Reales desert and the Bay of Biscayne to the south. There are even 3 different types of climates as well including continental, Atlantic and Mediterranean. These are all major influences on the Navarra as a winemaking region. 

The Navarra DO was established in 1933. About 11,000 hectares are under vine and a small portion of those are vines are 30+ year old. The wines of this region are primarily red totaling about 60% with rose' wines coming in at 30% and whites only at 10%. This area had always been known for it's rose' production. Majority of the wines produced (70%) are native grapes including garnacha and tempranillo mostly as well as others including viura, graciano and carinena. The other 30% are international grapes including cabernet sauvignon and merlot mostly with syrah, chardonnay and pinot noir.

Age Levels of Navarra Wine

Reading wine labels in another language can always be tricky. Here are some terms that will help you determine the aging of the wines:

• Cosecha – a young wine
• Tinto Roble – minimum of 90 days in the barrel
• Crianza – minimum of 24 months aged with 9 months in the barrel
• Riserva – minimum of 60 months aged with 12 months in the barrel
• Gran Riserva – minimum of 60 months with 18 months in the barrel
• Dulce Natural – sweet wine

Wines of the Navarra

2015 Bodegas Nekeas Vega Sindoa Tempranillo

• Located in the Valley of Valdizarbe this wine is made of 100% tempranillo. An easy drinking wine with fresh blackberries, a hint of licorice and spice. SRP $9. ABV 14%

2015 Bodegas Camilo Castilla Moscatel

• Located in the town of Corella in the Ribera Baja this wine is produced with moscatel de grano menudo grapes, or easier said moscatel. Pale yellow in the glass this wine had a very aromatic nose. It was clean, enjoyable wine with notes of peaches. ABV 12.5%

2013 Castillo Monjardin La Cantera Old Vine Garnacha

• Ruby in color. A medium bodied, dry wine with baking spices, vanilla, cherries and plums with a decent finish. ABV 13.5%. SRP $9

2015 Bodegas Principe de Viana Graciano Roble

• Deep red in color this wine is made of 100% graciano. It's a soft wine with rich fruits of plums, cherries and currants paired with some black pepper and a hint of minerality. ABV 13.5%.

2015 Bodegas Principe de Viana Garnacha Roble

• 100% garnacha. Deep ruby red with lots of fresh red fruits with notes of vanilla. Easy drinking and a moderate finish. ABV 13.5% SRP $13

2015 Bodegas Ochoa Tempranillo/Garnacha

• Made of 70% tempranillo and 30% garnacha. Purple tinge demonstrating a younger wine. You get the tannin from the tempranillo and the ripe berries of the garnacha. SRP $15. ABV 13%.

Food Pairings with Wines of the Navarra

The Navarra DO recommends pairing these wines with the abundance of vegetables produced in the region including white asparagus and fire roasted piquillo peppers. Game, meats and lamb are a good selection for the hearty reds as well as foie gras, charcuterie, and shepherd cheeses of the region (roncal and idiazabal). 

Between the variety of soils, landscapes and microclimates there are a variety of wines for everyone to enjoy from this region and at great price points that won't break the bank. And if you need another reason to visit this region they are known for the running of the bulls in Pamplona. Now that would be a site to see!

*These wines were received as samples, but opinions are my own. Information and pictures sourced from the Wines of Navarra and Bodegas Ochoa.

Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe  

Celebrating Garnacha Day & Its Many Styles

My heart and soul lays with Italian wines, but it doesn't mean I don't like all wines. When I'm offered the opportunity to explore other grape varietals from other countries I'm all about it. Nothing makes a better wine drinker than an educated wine drinker with a diversified palate.

Friday September 16^th was Garnacha Day and like many around the world folks were opening bottles in celebration with many chit chatting online about the Garnacha in their glass. It's easy to remember as it's always the 3^rd weekend in September. I was fortunate to receive some samples from Snooth and invited to join an online chat with many of my fellow wine bloggers that was hosted by Snooth and moderated by Master of Wine Christy Canterbury and Master Sommelier Laura Maniec of CorkBuzz. Lots of great buzz and laughs and if you ever have the opportunity to jump in on a virtual tasting don't be afraid to do so. You don't have to be drinking what those online are, but many you can be sampling another bottle of the same grape that is being discussed or just jump on and join the chat. There is lots to be learned in the wine world for all.

Garnacha is the 3^rd most planted grape in Spain. It's the same as Grenache that you'll see in French wines and Cannonau in the wines on the island of Sardini, Italy that I've previously written about. What makes garnacha unique is that you can find it as a red wine, rose' and white wine and there are a large variety of styles having always been a blended grape to single bottlings of 100% garnacha. This was a first for me sampling a white grenache. There is such a large variety of price points that it can be found at so there is something for everyone. According to Christy, garnacha has been around since 1513, but there have also been tracings since BC.

The wines I tasted were the following:

• 2015 Cellers Unio Clos Dalian Garnacha Blanca (Terra Alta region)
  • Based in Catalonia, Terra Alta, meaning high lands, is named after the high altitudes of where this eastern wine region is located. It's a fairly newer region that was established 1982. This wine is packed with citrus (lemon), minerals, high acidity with a good finish. It's a software wine with good flavor compared to the next one that has more body. Stainless steel. 12.5% ABV. $10 SRP.
• 2013 Vinas del Vero La Miranda de Secastilla Garnacha Blanca (Somontano region)
  • Located in the foothills of the Pyreenees Mountains and another region rather new established in 1984. Laura compares this wine to a chardonnay or viognier. Aged 4 months in French oak that gives it the vanilla notes. A wine with nice aromatics, citrus (lemon), apples and a creamy texture. ABV. $10-12 SRP $16.
• 2014 Castillo de Monseran Garnacha (Carinena)
  • Christy describes the Carinena region as the birthplace of Garnacha and is “windswept, rustic landscapes with ravines and castles perched on mountains. Located in the western portion of Aragon. A wine with a deep, dark color. Easy drinking with ripe red fruit, herbs and baking spices. ABV. $10 SRP.
• 

  2015 Altovinum Evodia Garnacha (Calatayud)
  • Also located in the western portion of Aragon. Very old vines (in Spain can be about 40-50 years old per Christy) at very high altitudes. Another wine with deep, purple hues. A very perfumed wine of violets and dark cherries on the palate. 15% ABV. $10 SRP.
• 2014 Cote de Hayas Centenaria Garnacha (Campo de Borja)
  • Located up in the mountains with a continental climate. The wines are produced from vines that are at least 50 years old. This wine is aged in French oak. A complex wine with notes of orange ending with a long finish. $13-15 SRP.

My top picks from the tasting were the 2013 Vinas del Vero La Miranda de Secastilla Garnacha Blanca and the 2014 Cote de Hayas Centenaria Garnacha, but that definitely doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the others. What's interesting is the Cote de Hayas Centenaria was also a top pick for me last year amongst the others tasted then. 

The biggest take away from this tasting was the value with all bottles having an SRP (suggested retail price) under $15. That is one thing I have always realized with Spain is that there are great values when it comes to their wines and this tasting was additional proof. Have you tried Garnacha or other versions of it and what are your thoughts? I love to hear from my readers!

Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe

Garnacha and it's relation to Cannonau

This past weekend I broke out again of the Italian wine shell and ventured into the world of Spanish wine celebrating Garnacha Day that falls on the third weekend of September annually. Wine bloggers, wine lovers and sommeliers all over the world participated in a number of different events and online chats via #GarnachaDay. I had the honor and privilege to receive 5 different kinds of garnacha from Snooth and attend a live virtual tasting hosted by Master Sommelier Laura Maniec and the Best Spanish Sommelier of 2014, Guillermo Cruz. Laura is the owner of Corkbuzz and Guillermo is a sommelier at one of the top 6 restaurants in the world, Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain.

Garnacha Day with Snooth

Get ready for your palates to salivate as we not only talk about the wines of the tastings, but I included some suggestions of those on the live chat to consider.

Here are the wines that we sampled at the virtual tasting. Luckily I enjoyed them throughout the weekend because God knows I can't throw back 5 bottles in a night.

• 2014 Clos Dalian Garnacha Blanca – crisp, refreshing, good acidity, minerally, lots of tropical fruit (banana). Some suggestions of swordfish, shrimp ceviche, and grilled fish were discussed. Retail $10.
• 2014 Beso de Vino Old Vine Garnacha – Meaning “fall in love” with a catchy label, ripe raspberries and cherry aromatic nose with blackberries on the palate with a slight tartness. Medium bodied. Retail $8.99.
  
   
• 2013 Las Rocas Garnacha – One of the first garnacha wines I ever had this wine showed ripe fruit, plums with herbal notes and some white pepper. Pairing suggestion of pulled pork. Retail $10.99 
  
  
  
• 2013 Coto de Hayas Garnacha Centenaria - A hint of spearmint on the nose with some nice spice on the palate, dark fruit and hints of cedar. Full bodied with a nice length on the finish. Retail $14.99 

• 2010 Vinas del Vero Secastilla Garnacha– Anise on the nose. A more complex, full bodied wine with ripe dark fruit, savory, good structure and spice. Retail $28.

*average prices from Snooth

The favorite of the night?

What seemed to be the favorite of the night for myself and others was the final wine, the 2010 Secastilla. Saved the best for last right? The 2013 Coto de Hayas was my runner up. For value you can't go wrong with some of the other wines at that price point.

Selection of the night

2nd runner up

How does garnacha relate to Italian grapes?

Even though we're talking about garnacha from Spain there is a connection to Italian wine. Garnacha is the same as the grape in Italy known as cannonau and also in France as the grape grenache. Within Italy it's most commonly grown on the island of Sardinia. Why so many different names? There are many clones of grape varieties throughout the world and even within Italy you'll find the same grape known under different names within different regions. The grape nebbiolo in Piedmont is known as spanna in the northern part of the region. Trebbiano, the most commmon white grape throughout Italy is also known as procanico in Umbria. The list goes on. What makes these grapes different from country to country is the terroir. This includes the soil, climate, topography, etc. According to Guillermo, Sardinia and Corsica are great places for this grape to show its best expression outside of Spain.

Have you had Garnacha or maybe any of its clones throughout the world?

Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe

Cannonau di Sardegna with Sardus Pater

Who is ready for some wines from Sardinia, in Italian as Sardegna?  First time covering this region on Vino Travels so let’s get started.   If I say Cannonau do you know what it is?  You might be surprised you may be familiar with it because Cannonau is a red grape also known as Grenache or Garnacha.  And to think you may have overlooked it in the store wondering what is Cannonau?  That’s what this blog is all about and glad you’re here.

Sardinia, Tharros Beach by Chris

Sardus Pater, founded in 1949 and meaning “Father of Sardinians”, is a wine cooperative comprised of over a couple hundred members located on the region and island of Sardinia, west of Italy.  Sardus Pater is actually specifically located on an even smaller island part of Sardinia, but to the west, called Sant’Antiocco.  The island of Sardinia is surrounded  mostly by the  Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean Seas and is the 2^nd largest island in Italy next to Sicily.   

I recently tasted the 2012 Sardus Pater Foras Cannonau di Sardegna with their export manager, Antonio Cabibi, at the Grand Portfolio tasting with Masciarelli in Boston.  I had fun with this tasting as they had a lot of grapes that folks aren’t super familiar with.  Cannonau is a widely grown grape in this wine region of Sardinia.    There is a DOC in Sardinia named the Cannonau di Sardegna D.O.C.  The 2012 Sardus Pater Foras Cannonau di Sardegna is a full-bodied balanced with rich fruit on the nose and palate along with some sweet spiciness and some notes of vanilla.  I enjoyed the mild tannins and pretty nice finish.    

A wine to seek out from Sardus Pater that is one of their prized wines is the Carignano del Sulcis.  It’s made from the Carignano grape on vines that are around 80 years old. 

There was a book written by Dan Buettner called “Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest” and in this book the Sardinian people and culture are one of the groups mentioned.   Maybe it’s because of the Cannonau grape?  Find out for yourself.  One of the very few regions I have been too so would love to hear about your travels there.

Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe