Drink Wine With Me » Spain

Ergo Tempranillo at Ventanas

Admin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:47:52 +0000

Last night I was surprised with dinner at Ventanas in NYC. Ventanas is a new Spanish tapas restaurant located in the very fashionable Meatpacking district underneath the Highline. Following in the footsteps of it’s two sister restaurants that I also love to frequent, Flor De Sol and Son Cubano, it successfully offers a wide variety of delicious small plates and oozes with romantic atmosphere. Our wine choice was a bottle of Ergo Tempranillo Rioja 2009 from Martin Codax. We have found that you simply cannot go wrong with wines from the Rioja region of Spain especially since they are known for producing the best Tempranillos. This medium bodied red was dark ruby in the glass and gave off aromas of dark fruit. The flavors of black cherry and plum gave way to a hint of spice and the smooth tannins made each sip a wonderful experience. The Ergo Tempranillo really paired well with all of the tapas dishes we selected. We sampled many but our top favorites were the camarones al ajillo (shrimp in garlic), frituras de queso de cabras (goat cheese fritas), and the empanadas espinaca (spinach and manchego empanadas). The plates were reasonably priced between $10-$22 and our wine was under $40. A word of warning that one bottle may not be enough. This wine was so good the bottle went very fast and we ended up ordering an extra glass each! Ergo Tempranillo is an excellent choice for Rioja lovers and is available in stores for under $14. If you are in the NYC area and are looking for a great place for date night or a fun place to go with a group of friends I highly recommend Ventanas.

La Rioja Alta Vina Alberdi Reserva 2003

Admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:59:36 +0000

Last night I took my boyfriend to STK in the Meatpacking District to celebrate his birthday with a melt in your mouth steak and some fabulous red wine. Being that his all time favorite wine is rioja, I was very pleased to see a selection on the wine list that wouldn’t break the bank. The question was would it be good and would it stand up to his current favorite Marques de Riscal? The chosen wine was La Rioja Alta Vina Alberdi Reserva 2003 from Rioja, Spain. It is composed of 10o% tempranillo grapes which are native to Northern Spain. It was a dark, vibrant red in the glass and had a delicious, earthy aroma with hints of red fruits and spices. From the aroma in the glass I knew we had made the right choice. There was a strong cherry taste that was slightly sour in the first pour but that wasn’t a detractor in the flavor. For us it just gave it more of a complexity and a different flavor profile than what we normally drink. There were undertones of vanilla, spice, and a hint of woodsmoke present as well. As the wine opened up the sourness lessened and the wine became more smooth and balanced on the palate. This rioja had a nice acidity to it as well as slight tannins which made for a great presence in the mouth and gave way to a lingering and tasty finish. It was a perfect accompaniment to our filet mignon with parmesan truffle fries and made the entire meal all the more special. This medium bodied red is 13% alcohol and the average retail in stores is $20. This wine has been rated 90 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Wined Up!

Admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:29:58 +0000

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Wined Up which is one of my favorite wine bars in NYC. It is located above Punch Restaurant on Broadway and 21st Street. The spot is quiet, cozy, and romantic with an impressive suspended wine wall holding 3000 bottles of wine. This gives way for a great variety of wines from all the main regions but one of the reasons I keep going back is the affordable bottle options from Spain and South America. Many bottles are well priced at $40-$50. There is also a decent selection of wines by the glass. We chose a Nerola 80% Syrah, 20% Monastrell from Torres. This spanish red has a firm body with light fruit flavor and is aged in french oak barrels giving it toasted cocoa and vanilla notes. The wine had a slightly spicy finish and paired well with all of the food we ordered. My favorite accompaniments at Wined Up are the La Tur (Italy) and Scharfe Maxx (Switzerland) cheeses, thick sliced proscuitto, and the mixed olives marinated in cabernet and herbs. A delicious ending to a hard days work!