We had two spanish wines this weekend.
Wine #1. Medium ruby red. Nice nose of red (mostly raspberry) fruit and a little heat. Nice mid-palate with a tannic nip and a bit of alcohol heat to go with the red fruit. Good balance. Medium finish for a medium bodied wine.
We had this wine with salisbury steak with mushroom gravy and it was an good match, especially with the gravy. It even went well with the mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy. However, I think it was the mushroom gravy that brought out the fruit in this wine in both cases.
Wine #2. Deep ruby red. Wonderful nose of red raspberry and strawberry fruit and a hint of oak. The mid-palate of this wine was a full-bodied caress of silky tannins overlaid with sweet raspberries and a hint of cherries with a lovely acidic core that just sings of great balance. The finish was just as sensuous with the sense of fruit lingering with nice acidity to keep it going long enough to really feel like your tongue was being pampered.
We had this wine with grilled t-bone that had been marinated in garlic with lemon. This match that was just right as the fruit and acidity of the wine was brought to a nice focus. The grilled portabella mushrooms (also marinated in the lemon/garlic combo) also matched nicely with the wine and brought out the fruit and a bit of earthiness in the wine.
Wine #1. Mas Donis, Montsant, 2003, 14% abv. Overall impression: good wine that matches up nicely with food.
Wine #2. Muga Rioja Reserva, 2001, 13.5% abv. My Spanish Delight. Previous discussions on this board about this wine involved Otto who speculated on the potential spoofulated quality of the wine a couple of years ago when it was a bit of a fruit and tannic monster. The tannins have now been integrated and the wine is drinking really well and has lived up to its potential. I think this wine may be peaking and should be good for another couple of years but I will have trouble keeping my hands off my last two bottles. My wife, who is mostly a white drinker asked me if this was her favorite red wine? Since that is the first time she ever asked me that question, I guess the answer is yes!
Being cooped up in Finland for so long is unbearable....