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WINE OF THE WEEK: Finest Ebeia Ribera del Duero 2018, Spain

Dec 23, 2020

WINE OF THE WEEK: Finest Ebeia Ribera del Duero 2018, Spain

£12, Tesco I'm posting this a day early in case anyone is still looking for a red wine for Christmas Day. I've chosen a full-bodied, approachable, barrel-aged Spanish red that could accompany beef, lamb, pork or game, as well as goose, turkey or duck, or vegetarian dishes such as mushroom and chestnut Wellington and vegetable and cheese pies and gratins. It could also stand alongside hard cheeses such as cheddar and Manchego, but I would spare it the stilton. It's made from T

WINE OF THE WEEK: Finca Constancia Entre Lunas Organic Tempranillo Moon Wine 2017, Castilla, Spain

Feb 6, 2020

WINE OF THE WEEK: Finca Constancia Entre Lunas Organic Tempranillo Moon Wine 2017, Castilla, Spain

£8.50 on offer, Sainsbury's The name of this wine is so long I couldn't fit in its designation, Vino de la Tierra, but that's what it is: a Tempranillo from an estate in the Vino de la Tierra (IGP in eurospeak) of Castilla, south of Madrid. As well as being certified organic, the vines are cultivated biodynamically – the various vineyard tasks timed according to the phases of the moon (hence Entre Lunas – 'between the moons'). It's a full-bodied, velvety red that has been age

A Rioja legend in its own lifetime: Roda's 30th anniversary tasting

Aug 13, 2019

A Rioja legend in its own lifetime: Roda's 30th anniversary tasting

Clams and Galician blond breed beef (Rubia gallega) at Asador Etxebarri, where everything is grilled over wood fires, using different woods. Roda owner and founder Mario Rotllant isn't afraid to serve his red wines with fish and seafood. Or, for that matter, with desserts The text of this article was first published in The World of Fine Wine issue 60 Three decades is both a long time and a short time in the life of a wine producer starting from scratch and aiming for the star

WINE OF THE WEEK: Cosme Palacio Rioja Vendimia Seleccionada 2016, Rioja, Spain

May 9, 2019

WINE OF THE WEEK: Cosme Palacio Rioja Vendimia Seleccionada 2016, Rioja, Spain

£14, Sainsbury's This has been aged in oak – and not any old oak but "lightly toasted, hand-cleft French new oak barrels from the very best cooperages in France," according to the bodega – but as it spent only eight months in the barrels it isn't either a Rioja Crianza or a Reserva, both of which have to be at least a year in oak. It's certainly none the poorer for that. What the oak provides here is a lightly oaky backdrop and polished texture to support the glossy blueberry

WINE OF THE WEEK: Ramón Bilbao Rioja Edición Limitada 2015, Rioja, Spain

Nov 29, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Ramón Bilbao Rioja Edición Limitada 2015, Rioja, Spain

£12.95, Great Western Wine There are some Riojas that wouldn't be up to Christmas lunch, but this has what it takes – and not only to stand up to the cacophony of trimmings and accompaniments that cascades around the traditional turkey but to stand up to a rib of beef with creamed horseradish (more cream/crème fraiche than horseradish, please) or a multi-cultural vegetarian or vegan fest. With roast goose I prefer more mature reds (my matching wine to goose principles are her

WINE OF THE WEEK: Sierra de Toloño Rioja Alavesa 2016, Rioja, Spain

Sep 27, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Sierra de Toloño Rioja Alavesa 2016, Rioja, Spain

£14.95/£13.50, Lea & Sandeman At the annual tasting last week of The Bunch group of six independent wine merchants, of which Lea & Sandeman is one, most of the 60 wines had been made by women: it was this year's theme. I could have chosen any number for this slot, and no doubt will in the weeks to come, but this one, made by a woman, Sandra Bravo, wasn't one of the 60 (how contrary can I be?). Another of her Riojas was shown, the glorious 900-bottle Camino de Santa Cruz, but

WINE OF THE WEEK: La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Rioja Reserva 2009, Rioja, Spain

Jul 19, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Rioja Reserva 2009, Rioja, Spain

£25–£29, Laithwaites, Swig, Armit Vina Ardanza is one of the true classics of Rioja. It's been around for 76 years and each vintage has the same overarching style – generous, inviting, elegantly oaky and spicy – but varying according to the growing season. 2009 was a hot, dry year, which isn't necessarily a good thing, but in this case September rains came at the right time to slow the pace of ripening and give succulent, sweet, spicy red fruit, nutty roundness and polished t

WINE OF THE WEEK: Taste the Difference CVNE Rioja Gran Reserva 2011, Rioja, Spain

May 3, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Taste the Difference CVNE Rioja Gran Reserva 2011, Rioja, Spain

£12 (on offer), Sainsbury's Textbook Gran Reserva from CVNE, one of Rioja's most admired bodegas. Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (you can see why it's known as CVNE, pronounced 'coonay') has long since perfected a style that blends modernity with the best of classical approaches: in this case, combining ripe, dark fruit with two years' ageing in French and American oak barrels followed by three years in bottle. The result is a balance of sweet, velvety fruit with cream

WINE OF THE WEEK: *finest Viña del Cura Rioja Gran Reserva 2011, Rioja, Spain

Nov 30, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: *finest Viña del Cura Rioja Gran Reserva 2011, Rioja, Spain

£11, Tesco (25% off when you buy 6: £49.50) Wire-wrapped bottles divide Spanish red wine drinkers into those who run a mile and those for whom they beckon invitingly. If you’re one of the runners, I'm with you. Much as I try not to have preconceptions, I can't help associating wire-nets with old-fashioned, oak-dominated reds. How wrong can I be? This is an oaky Rioja – it's a Gran Reserva, matured in oak for two years – but it’s also a dark, plummy, full-bodied Rioja made by

WINE OF THE WEEK: Running With Bulls South Australia Tempranillo 2014, Australia

Sep 7, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: Running With Bulls South Australia Tempranillo 2014, Australia

£7.99, Co-op Running With Bulls is one of the new breed (excuse the pun) of Australian wines made from non-traditional grape varieties. Across Australia, winemakers have been trying to get out of the Shiraz-Cabernet-Chardonnay straightjacket for a decade and more – not least because of climate change – but planting new vineyards or replanting existing ones takes time wherever you are – and money. The added obstacle in Australia is that imported cuttings have to go through yea

WINE OF THE WEEK: Finca Carelio Tempranillo Barrica 2014, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla

Jul 13, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: Finca Carelio Tempranillo Barrica 2014, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla

£7.99 in a 6-bottle mix This was so nearly a £15 red, but someone at the winery felt inspired to add some grapes from outside the designated Toro region to give the wine a bit of extra freshness and someone decided to send it outside the region for bottling, neither of which is an option for DO (denominación de origen) wines. So it has ended up as a bargain Vino de la Tierra. It has the power of a Toro, the chocolaty spice and smoothness of maturation in oak barrels and a hea

WINE OF THE WEEK: Rioja Vega Crianza Edición Limitada 2013, Rioja, Spain

Jan 19, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: Rioja Vega Crianza Edición Limitada 2013, Rioja, Spain

£12.95, FromVineyardsDirect This week’s wine is a comforting, oak-matured red for wintery weather and warming food. It’s a limited production from two of Rioja Vega’s oldest vineyards (mainly Tempranillo planted more than 50 year ago) made in a deliberately modern, full style to bring out vibrancy as well as richness – dark, glossy black fruit shot through with liquorice, spice, dark chocolate and toasty oak and a seductive cappuccino creaminess. While it’s a good match for r

WINE OF THE WEEK: Beronia Rioja Reserva 2011, Spain

Sep 8, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Beronia Rioja Reserva 2011, Spain

£9.99, Waitrose until 20 September (then £13.49); £9.99 for 6 bottles, Majestic; £14, Tesco and Ocado The winemaker of this multi award-winning Rioja Reserva says that it could be cellared until 2024, but it’s so deliciously drinkable now you would need to be impressively self-disciplined, or buy a lot of it, to keep it that long. That said, the current special offer price of £9.99 in Waitrose (25% off, until 20 September) and Majestic’s six bottle price (also £9.99) does mak

WINE OF THE WEEK: Definition Viña Majestica Rioja Reserva 2009

Dec 31, 2015

WINE OF THE WEEK: Definition Viña Majestica Rioja Reserva 2009

£12.99, or £9.74 in any 6-bottle mix, Majestic Everything a Rioja Reserva should be and an ideal red with which to greet the new year: full and velvety with sweet berry, coffee, spice and cedar flavours wrapped in oak, but not swamped by it. Background: it was made at La Rioja Alta's Torre de Oña winery in the Rioja Alavesa area where it spent 20 months in oak, 70% of it French, 40% of it new. More importantly, it's a match for almost any roast or grilled meat, duck or game b