Conde de Valdemar

Spanish wines are rapidly becoming a regular at my table.  They are consistently good, value-priced and food-friendly.

Rioja, of course, is the most talked about region.  Still to some, a Rioja label can be a bit confusing.  If you're in the market for a red wine from Rioja, the following jargon can help you interpret the label:

Crianza - the wine has been 'pre-aged' two years; at least six months in oak barrels (the Spaniards typically use American Oak instead of French Oak.  American Oak is less vanilla/clove/caramel and more savory spice)

Reserva - the wine has been 'pre-aged' three years; at least one year in oak and the other two in the bottle

Gran Reserva - the wine has been 'pre-aged' at least give years; 2 yrs minimum in oak and the remainder in the bottle - usually the cream of the crop

Bodegas Valdemar is a great place to start for taking your nose & mouth for a tour of these three Rioja wine quality levels.  Give these a try:

Conde de Valdemar Crianza, '00 ($10)
Conde de Valdemar Reserva, '98 ($16)
Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva, '96 ($23)

The major grape varietal in these little jewels is Tempranillo

Comments

[Gregor Weber]

pls send me more information about conde de valdemar and the price.
thanks
Greg