On June 18, we hit the road again, this time transporting ourselves to several regions of Spain. The first stop was the Rioja region, which is a couple of hours NNE of Madrid, where we sampled a 2003 Marqués de Riscal Reserva from Rioja (14% alcohol). Then we headed west to the Toro region along the Rio Duero to try a 2003 Oro by Bodegas Mähler-Besse (13.5% alcohol). The last leg of trip then took us way east to the surroundings of Barcelona for a taste of a 2007 Priorat called Onix (14.5% alcohol). With Spain, like France, we refer to wines by region, so that’s what we’ll do here.

Read what we recorded in our Travel Journal after the jump.

This is what’s recorded in our travel journal:

We had a very traditional introduction to Spanish reds with the Rioja, made from the tempranillo grape. Marqués de Riscal is a venerable bodega (no not a corner grocery; that’s the Spanish word for winery), although it is connected to a Frank Gehry designed hotel which makes a striking statement on the landscape when you first see it a couple of kilometers away. The wine, a reserve, meaning it has spent at least 18 months aging in the cask, had a distinctly plum color that diffused around the edges, creating somewhat of a halo effect. It had a lower viscosity or lighter body than the other two wines judging from its legs. We first noted a vanilla scent until more herbal, grassy tones came through, particularly oregano. What made this seem more traditional or Old World was the balance of tannins, herbs, plums and mustiness like light Bordeaux. (Indeed, that was the competition when this winery came into being.) We liked this with the Manchego cheese that we had at the same time.

The Toro, made from the tinto de toro grape, which is very similar to the tempranillo, had a bit more body than the Rioja and was clearly the inkiest of the three wines we tried. The smell smacked of gravel and earth or perhaps a sandy beach with a hint of ocean air in the background. It seemed a bit bolder in that not only did the fruits – blackberry and black plum – come through more strongly, but also one could really taste the terroir, funky or moldy like decomposing hay. Moreover, it had quite a tannic mouth feel. We thought we’d prefer this wine with a juicy steak or a hearty paella valenciana.

We expected even more body and boldness from our third wine, the Priorat. (Not a Spanish looking or sounding name? Try Catalan.) In fact while it was purpler in color than the Rioja, it was not quite as inky as the Toro. You could see the color in the legs, though. This wine had very rich aromas of black cherry or even a fruit compote while at the same time giving off floral scents. All of the smells (except the shoe polish that one person caught) showed up again in the taste. It had a greater fruit flavor that even reminded some of us of maraschino cherries. At the same time it seemed silkier and smoother than the other two wines reflecting a style less balanced by tannins. Perhaps because of the high alcohol content, it tasted clean and dry. Several people thought this wine was quite drinkable on its own.

On preferences, we were pretty evenly split among the three, but we managed to finish every last drop through dinner.

We decided to stay in Spain in July to explore a variety of white wines. On July 16, we’ll first trip down south to Jerez in Andalusia to taste a Tio Pepe Palomino Fino Extra Dry Light Sherry (no vintage, 15% alcohol – should get us off and running quite nicely). Then we’re off to the Rias Baixas region in the far northwest province of Galicia for a 2008 La Cana Albariño (13% alcohol). Then we’ll finish up our tour back by Barcelona in the Penedes region with a sparkling Freixenet Cordon Negro Cava (12% alcohol). If you want to review Spanish wines, check out pages 251 through 257 and 290 of Andrea Immer Robinson’s book Great Wines Made Simple.

See you all for our next class on July 16 around sevenish!!

Suzy Marquard