Wines with a Hispanic flavor have been showing up on our shores with more frequency in recent years.
We recently had an opportunity to sample some and will admit to being pleasantly surprised with one and reunited with another.
The pleasant surprises were the wines from Martin Codax from the La Rioja wine-growing district of Spain, which is located north of Madrid in central Spain - the quality wine basket of the country.
In past years, Spanish wines were not quite on an equal footing with the wines of the rest of the world. Spanish wines suffered from the refusal of the grape growers and vintners to adopt the modern grape-growing and winemaking techniques. Slowly but surely, the necessary refinements were accomplished, and now Spanish wines are rated with the best the world has to offer.
One of the leaders of the new wave was the Martin Codax winery.
Martin Codax 2010 Rioja Ergo Tempranillo ($14)This wine, like most of the Rioja red wines, is made from the indigenous tempranillo grape. The amazing thing about wines made from this grape is they are capable of incredibly long lives.
This is a dry, clean wine that displays a dark red color, and the flavors and aromas of strawberry, raspberry, vanilla and oak.
This is what can best be called the “typical Rioja,” as it best displays what a true Rioja should be like in its youth. It is a very nice wine that can serve as an introduction to the wines of Rioja and will pair well with any food that calls for a red wine.
Martin Codax 2009 Rias Baixaz Albarino ($15)This wine is made from a white grape, the albarino, which in the past was notorious for its very finicky behavior.
Again, it was modern farming that has tamed and tempered this grape and has resulted in an exceptionally fine wine in the true Spanish tradition.
This wine displays the elegant aromas of citrus, white summer fruits and the sensation of fresh cut flowers. The flavor is ablaze with apple, peach and pear, backed by a noticeable citrus aftertaste. The finish is long and fruity, ending with a note of lemon peel.
This wine is an excellent way to update your wine horizon.
Alamos 2010 Seleccion Malbec ($20)The other Hispanic wine comes from Alamos, one of the top wineries in Argentina. As we have often said, Argentinean wines are special because of the mineral-laced irrigated water that runs from the snow-capped Andes Mountains. It is that water that gives Argentinean wines that "certain something" that sets them apart from the rest.
The Alamos 2010 Seleccion Malbec is a pure Argentinean masterpiece.
The deep violet color alone says you are in for something different, and you will not be disappointed.
The wine is alive with the flavors of plum, blackberry and cherry, with coffee and vanilla dancing in the background. Here is another red wine that can accompany myriad red meat dishes, as well as many Italian or Spanish dishes.
The Alamos 2010 Seleccion Malbec is an interesting sidestep from the traditional red wines and worth a try.
Alamos 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon ($13)To find a decent cabernet sauvignon for under $20 is a rarity, and for it to be really good, a virtual impossibility.
The Alamos 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon has achieved the impossible; the wine is superb.
Here again is a perfect example of what can be gained from the water of the Andes.
This deep ruby, medium-bodied wine presents a clean and open aroma of spice, black currents, vanilla and soft oak. There are no harsh tannins in this wine, so it is ready to be enjoyed right now without any further aging. Another quality point is the finish, which is moderately long and very fruity.
This wine is a true gem and should not be missed.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and helps manage ArticlesOnWine.com with his wife, Sheila. He can be reached at frojhe@suddenlink.net.[[In-content Ad]]
