Since spending time in Spain, one tends to do as the locals do and sip a glass of wine and watch the world go by....just like in France. But what to drink?
Being new arrivals to Spain, the need to explore the the wines seems like an important task - because it is! The only Spanish wines I knew were Freixenet Cava (sparking wine) and Rioja wines, from the NE section Spain. However, Spain is large country and many areas produce wine:
Jerez (sherry), Rioja, Ribera de Duero, Jumilla and Rueda just some of the regions I've sampled so far. With more than 70 wine producing regions, there's a whole lot of sampling that still needs to be done!
Rioja Wine - Some of these vines came from Bordeaux region of France (read the label on a bottle of Rioja wine from wine maker Marques de Riscal). The Rioja wines are an excellent alternative to Bordeaux wines. These are full bodied red wines and I absolutely love them!
Try:
Marques de Caceres, Campo Viejo, Juan Gil and Ramon Bilbao - all under $20 a bottle
For something I thought was a little lighter, I enjoyed the Marques de Riscal Proximo.
But red wine isn't the only wine made in the Rioja. The region produces beautiful white Rioja wines, too. Well worth trying these dry wines; served chilled, it is perfect for enjoying alone or with a meal.
And Rioja isn't the only region to make whites! Countless other wine regions throughout Spain make delicious whites. For example, the Verdejo grape from the Rueda region makes a great refreshing, dry white. I rather much enjoy the whites from Rueda! Again, the cost for these are very easy on the wallet and very tasty on the palate!
Of course, many of us know the sparkling wine (Cava) Freixenet. This winemaker makes several varieties of the "fizz" and they just keep getting better and better! There's Cordon Negro (Brut=dry),
Cordon Negro Rose' and Carta Nevada (Brut)....great sparkling wines to celebrate anything and everything!
Wines in Spain are rated as follows:
Classification:
DO covers about 70 regions
DOC only the two regions of Rioja and Priorat
Aging:
Vina de Mesa (table wine) and Vino de la Tierra (country wine)
Crianza - aged minimum of 2 years (with a minimum of 1 year in oak barrel)
Reserva - aged minimum of 3 years (with a minimum of 1 year in oak barrel)
Gran Reserva - aged 2 years in oak and 3 years in the bottle
Try:
The Campo Viejo Gran Reserva is about $22 a bottle
Muga Especial Reserva is about $35
Take a trip down the Spanish wine aisle of your local wine shop. Our "Total Wine" shop carries a great selection of Spanish wines, so it makes it real easy to try new varieties and enjoy a lazy afternoon! Hope you have the chance to try some of the suggestions!
Enjoy!
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Woodstock.....not USA but UK!
During the summer I had the pleasure of meeting up with our mates in England. Each year, our "hosts" pick a place for us to visit. This year it was Oxford and the University of Oxford with an overnight at a B&B in Woodstock.
We started with our visit to Oxford - the University is the town! It was mid-August and it was filled with thousands of students arriving before the fall semester. The student population was very international - it was so cool to see all the different nationalities and hear all the different languages. Their energy filled the streets as they went from bookstores and shops to cafes and fast food eateries.
As we entered various colleges and campuses, the history was amazing. Oxford is the oldest university in the English speaking world and the second-oldest surviving university in the world! (http://www.ox.ac.uk) We walked through one particular lecture hall that reminded me of Harry Potter.
There is so much history there; the architecture is magnificent and over the centuries these buildings have seen more students that one can imagine and the alumni list is formidable. The lawns, meticulously cared for, have these majestic trees offering shade for students: some sit with friends, others enjoy an afternoon snack while some are taking in a few minutes of quiet rest.
We walked and walked, turning down cobble-stone streets, narrow little lanes and passed along a waterway where a many were enjoying a day of punting. (http://www.oxfordpunting.co.uk)
Afterwards, we headed back for the short, but lovely, drive to Woodstock. We arrived to our B&B, "The TownHouse" (http://www.woodstock-townhouse.com). It was charming, spotlessly clean and the most gracious of hosts. After a short rest and freshening up, we went to our friends room for a bottle of "fizz" (sparkling wine) as a start to the evening. After that refreshing "fizz" we headed out to walk around tiny, but charming, Woodstock in search of a place for the evening meal. We peered into windows, walked into adorable courtyards filled with colorful flowers, scanned posted menus all in search of dinner. We took a turn onto a lane, and as it curved around, it seemed a bit quiet with all but one little restaurant that stood out: The Kings Head. We looked at the menu, "looks good", checked out the bar, "seems busy", and figured we'll stop here and have a little glass of wine and decide where to eat. Well, The Kings Head is a local place and one by one, the locals came over to say we had made a great choice for a meal. Hmmmm, we hadn't decided yet..... But as our glasses went empty, and the place became busier at both bar and dining room, we thought we hit upon a good place! And it was! We had an incredible meal with great service and a very gracious host.
Next morning, our B&B hosts awaited our arrival to the table where a full English breakfast was cooked to order right in front of us! They were a charming couple and it is no wonder that they had a full house! They run an exceptionally nice B&B; much success to them.
After that hearty breakfast, we did a second visit to Oxford to visit the (free, but donations accepted) Ashmolean Museum (http://www.ashmolean.org). We spent a few hours going through the various collections; well worth the visit. Afterwards, we headed back to the car for a drive back to our friends' home. We had an incredible time...check out the short video:
We started with our visit to Oxford - the University is the town! It was mid-August and it was filled with thousands of students arriving before the fall semester. The student population was very international - it was so cool to see all the different nationalities and hear all the different languages. Their energy filled the streets as they went from bookstores and shops to cafes and fast food eateries.
As we entered various colleges and campuses, the history was amazing. Oxford is the oldest university in the English speaking world and the second-oldest surviving university in the world! (http://www.ox.ac.uk) We walked through one particular lecture hall that reminded me of Harry Potter.
We walked and walked, turning down cobble-stone streets, narrow little lanes and passed along a waterway where a many were enjoying a day of punting. (http://www.oxfordpunting.co.uk)
Afterwards, we headed back for the short, but lovely, drive to Woodstock. We arrived to our B&B, "The TownHouse" (http://www.woodstock-townhouse.com). It was charming, spotlessly clean and the most gracious of hosts. After a short rest and freshening up, we went to our friends room for a bottle of "fizz" (sparkling wine) as a start to the evening. After that refreshing "fizz" we headed out to walk around tiny, but charming, Woodstock in search of a place for the evening meal. We peered into windows, walked into adorable courtyards filled with colorful flowers, scanned posted menus all in search of dinner. We took a turn onto a lane, and as it curved around, it seemed a bit quiet with all but one little restaurant that stood out: The Kings Head. We looked at the menu, "looks good", checked out the bar, "seems busy", and figured we'll stop here and have a little glass of wine and decide where to eat. Well, The Kings Head is a local place and one by one, the locals came over to say we had made a great choice for a meal. Hmmmm, we hadn't decided yet..... But as our glasses went empty, and the place became busier at both bar and dining room, we thought we hit upon a good place! And it was! We had an incredible meal with great service and a very gracious host.
Next morning, our B&B hosts awaited our arrival to the table where a full English breakfast was cooked to order right in front of us! They were a charming couple and it is no wonder that they had a full house! They run an exceptionally nice B&B; much success to them.
After that hearty breakfast, we did a second visit to Oxford to visit the (free, but donations accepted) Ashmolean Museum (http://www.ashmolean.org). We spent a few hours going through the various collections; well worth the visit. Afterwards, we headed back to the car for a drive back to our friends' home. We had an incredible time...check out the short video:
Hope you enjoyed this short visit! Until next post, happy travels!
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