Spanish wines are growing in popularity in America for two very good reasons. Firstly they represent extremely good value, but equally important, they have an authenticity, an earthiness, a sense of place that one rarely finds in New World Wines.
There’s a lot of experimentation going on in Spain. Experimentation in terms of what is grown, how it is grown and where it is grown. These are not all unvarnished successes – too many wines out of Spain today are suspiciously New World in style.
But the successes are impressive. They retain a distinct Spanish personality while employing impeccably up-to-date viticultural and winemaking practices to produce charming, and inexpensive wines like this week’s Five Star Nick’s Wine of the Week, the La Miranda de Secastilla, Vinas del Vero Garnacha 2007 ($15).
It comes from Somontano in the Pyrenean foothills. Grapes have been grown there since antiquity, long before the arrival of the Romans, but it only received official DO (Denominación do Origen) status in 1985.
The vines are located at over 2000 feet, planted in stony, arid soil. At this altitude the temperatures are reasonably cool, especially at night, which preserves freshness, and the stony soil forces the roots deep resulting in more intensely flavored wines.
Vigorous and bright, La Miranda has no rough edges. It’s brimming with Spanish sunshine, redolent of the aroma of strawberries and blackberries, tinged with smoke and a hint of spice. In some Spanish Garnachas these spicy notes can be distractingly aggressive but here they serve as a pleasing accent.
La Miranda can be enjoyed as an aperitif in addition to working well with food – one evening I drank it with a stinky soft French cheese, the next with rack of lamb, and it was equally at ease with the humble cheese as it was with the aristocratic lamb.
A delightful, modern, authentic Spanish red to ease the monotony of endless me-too California Cabs.
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To find this wine near you try Wine Searcher.
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