<\/b>Rioja was the wine of the evening and not always as we know it!\u00a0 There were 8 wines for us to try chosen from two of Rioja\u2019s regions.\u00a0 This\u00a0included a Tempranillo Blanco to start the evening\u00a0and a Rosado Rioja\u00a0as well as some great reds.<\/p>\n
Jeremy Sandham<\/strong> from Sandhams Wine Merchants of Caistor<\/em> presented this evening alongside Loren Hardwick<\/strong> from Richmond Wine Agencies<\/em> who have been established since 1822 and are based in Middlesex.\u00a0 Both were knowledgeable\u00a0\u00a0about the chosen wines and\u00a0provided a very\u00a0informative evening.<\/p>\n The Tempranillo Blanco was discovered in 1988 and is a mutation of the red Tempranillo grape.\u00a0 However the Blanco was only permitted to be made in 2007.\u00a0 In my opinion the wine which we tasted \u2013 Fincas Azabache Tempranillo Blanco 2015\u00a0was a little\u00a0sharp\u00a0and\u00a0acidic. As\u00a0 it is the first vintage of this particular co-operative (which was established in 1955) I look forward to seeing how this will develop.\u00a0 This was priced at \u00a310.99.\u00a0 For me the Ramon Bilbo Rosado Rioja was a pleasant alternative to some rose wines I\u2019ve tasted previously.\u00a0 This 2015 vintage had a good year with temperatures reaching 50 degrees C.\u00a0 The wine is salmon pink in colour and it had a subtle fruit flavour and was\u00a0delicate and stylish.\u00a0 The maker of this wine has been quoted as saying \u201cWine making is like painting.\u00a0 You can take a big brush and a big pot of one paint to produce something bland and uninteresting, or you can take a small brush with lots of different pots of paints to create something with character and complexity\u201d and this is what he\u2019s done!\u00a0 This wine comes with a very reasonable price tag of \u00a39.25 per bottle.<\/p>\n The first red we tasted was a Ramon Bilbao Crianza Rioja from 2012 priced at \u00a39.98\u00a0 This is the wine of choice in Spanish restaurants and it is easy to see why.\u00a0 It is a\u00a0fruity modern Rioja made from 100% Tempranillo sourced from around the region, fermented separately, then blended and aged in new oak for 12 months and in bottle for 12 months.\u00a0 It was very smooth with hints of spice and deep red fruits.\u00a0 A very easy drinker indeed.<\/p>\n The three reds that followed were all very different indeed from their blends, where sourced to fermentation and ageing.\u00a0 These were Ramon Bilbao Reserva Rioja 2010 priced at \u00a313.28, Ramon Bilbao Vinedos Altura Rioja 2012 \u00a311.95 and Ramon Bilbao Gran Reserva Rioja 2008 \u00a316.95.\u00a0This\u00a0particular wine is aged in oak for 30 months and then in bottle for 36 months before release.\u00a0 It has won 4 gold medals including the\u00a0International wine challenge!<\/p>\n The final wine of the\u00a0night was the evenings winner with a score of 6.\u00a0 This is the Ramon Bilbao Mirto Special Cuvee Rioja 2010.\u00a0 This is 100% Tempranillo produced from 40 year old vines.\u00a0It has spent 24 months in new French oak and will certainly age for a few more years yet.\u00a0 Only 3000 cases were made of this vintage and it is priced at \u00a337.58 per bottle.\u00a0 I really enjoyed this tasting and thanks goes to both Jeremy and Loren for bringing some great wines for us to try.\u00a0 I\u2019m already looking forward to see what April has to offer!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rioja was the wine of the evening and not always as we know it!\u00a0 There were 8 wines for us to try chosen from two of Rioja\u2019s regions.\u00a0 This\u00a0included a Tempranillo Blanco to start the evening\u00a0and a Rosado Rioja\u00a0as well … Continue reading