Spanish Wines

This year has been the year of Spanish wines for me. I spent time in Ribera del Duero tasting all kinds of Tempranillo, then headed to the wine regions of Catalonia (most notably Priorat and Penedes) to taste bubbly Cavas and elegant Garnachas.
A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to visit Spain's most popular wine region, La Rioja. here wines are classified by their aging requirements. *Generic (Joven) Riojas - Young wines, no aging requirements, easy to drink, casual *Crianza - Require a minimum of one year of oak aging, bright food flavors *Reserva - These wines undergo three years of aging. At least one of those years has to be in an oak barrel. I like to describe these as silky. *Gran Reserva - Minimum of five years of aging, make about 1-10% of production. Aromas of leather, tobacco, and spice. This one is right up my alley!
Grapes: Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Graciano are the most common varieties you will see blended. This small group of wine loving, luxury travel advisors had a chance to taste all of these styles! We had a wonderful day planned by Spain Unspoilt which ended with a delicious meal. I could have eaten that whole plate of lamb chops. Email for details on this fun itinerary!