The wine tasting group continue their search for international wines of interest
and select a country to explore every month. Sunny Spain was the country of
choice at our March meeting. We would like to share our findings with you and
hope that you enjoy them:
Toro Bravo Tempranillo – Jack Markham
Merlot, DO Valencia, Spain
Medium Bodied & Fruity
James Rayner and Jack Markham had chosen this medium bodied and fruity wine
for our March 4th wine tasters gathering, and both found to be very
satisfying to their palates. In addition to a 13% alcohol content, it is a truly fruity
wine with aromas and flavours of cherries, dark chocolate, black berries and the
taste lingers on to the finish with cocoa powder and black earth, figs and
tobacco. It can be enjoyed with a rack of lamb. The Toronto Star for March 9th
gave it a score of 94 and stated that for a price of $8.25, it offers a better value
than most wines under $15.00.
Monasterio de Las Vinas – Gran Reserva (2013) – Timothy Sulisz
I chose this Spanish red wine due to all of its accolades: it was rated a 94 by
the Toronto Wine Columnist, Carolyn Evans Hammond, who described it as
shockingly good value, and it won a Gold medal at the Concours Mondial in
Brussels in 2019. The wine was produced in 2013, and comes from Carinena,
Spain. It contains a blend of different Spanish grapes: Garnacha, Tempranillo,
and Carinea, along with Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a dry wine that contains
13.5% alcohol that has been aged for 24 months in an oak barrel. It costs
$18.95 and is in the vintages essential section.
Monasterio de Las Vinas is described as bold, dry, and slightly acidic and
tannic, with an opaque purple colour. I found that it has a rich full flavour that is
quite delicious. Carolyn Hammond describes it as “having a heady aroma and
flavours of roasted dark fruit such as cherries, damson plums, and blackcurrant
infused with vanilla, fresh cream, and a touch of toasted tobacco. It is a
complex wine with a long, slow, finish of dark chocolate, cigars and black
peppercorn”. It goes well with beef, pasta, veal, and even poultry according to
the vivino website.
This was the first time that I tried this wine. I will definitely buy it again because
it is so flavourful and is such good value, and it may become one of my
favourite red wines.
Paco & Lola Albariño – Mary Mulligan
Alcohol 12.5%
Price: $20.95
This is a lively, zesty wine. Created by a co-operative of 428 growers that was
formed in 2005, it’s characteristically floral, with citrus, peach and pear notes. A
good option as a sipper or for pairing with summer salads or seafood
Craig Haynes rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:
A beautiful bouquet defined this Albarino from Spain’s Rias Baixas appellation.
Floral, kiwi and saline notes emerged from my glass to announce a medium
bodied palate marked by delicious citrusy notes and subtle stoney minerality.
Featured an elegantly textured mouth-feel, too.
Probus Club of Kingsway-Islington 