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November 17, 2018 Circulation: 675,940

3 Red Wines to Pair with Your Thanksgiving

By Hvwinegoddess When I think of Thanksgiving wine I usually think of white or Pinot Noir, but recently I’ve begun to think outside of the box. I’m getting bored with the originals. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but I like to try wines that are different, perhaps a new grape to me, new region or country and see where they fit with my pairings.I got introduced to the Cariñena region recently during #Winestudio where we tasted through their Granacha. But did you know that Cariñena is a region as well as a grape? That grape makes a great wine for your Thanksgiving table. It’s light bodied, smooth tannins with flavors of red and black fruit.

The Region D.O.P Cariñena is located in the heart of the Ebro Valley in the northeast region of Aragon. The Pyrenees region and France are to the north and the Catalunya region is to the east. The vineyards are planted at high altitudes between 1,300 feet and 2,600 feet.

The Grape Cariñena as it’s know in Span is known as Carignan in France and other parts of the world. It is a black skinned native to the Aragon region of Spain. The grape grows as a bush vine and is hand harvested. As a late ripening grape it prefers a warm and dry climate. The flavor characteristics of this grape tend to be dark red and black fruits, spice, licorice, pepper and earthy flavors.

The Wine Paniza Cariñena 2016 100% Cariñena grapes fermented in stainless steel tanks. Nice ruby red in color and light on your palate. Flavors of red raspberry, hint of cranberry and spice.

3C Cariñena 2016 Grandes VinosSourced from 45 year old vines this wine had nice acidity and light soft tannins. Light bodied, layered black and red fruit with a burst of blackberry and spice on the finish fading with a tingling of acidity.

Particular Cariñena 2016 Bodegas San ValeroAromas of blackberry, plum, ripe red berry and anise lead to a smooth soft palate, nice acidity with red fruit and red licorice on the finish.Any or all three of these red wines will go great with your Thanksgiving meal.

November 15, 2018 Circulation: 1,110,000

Off the Vine: Drink wine from a sippy cup? Blasphemy!

By Al Vuona If you’re a true wine lover, here’s one hard and fast rule that you should follow: Never, ever drink wine from a sippy cup. Why am I so worked up about this? Because it drives me utterly insane to know that some people find it perfectly acceptable to drink good wine from plastic cups, a child’s sippy cup no less.

In my opinion, this diminishes the entire wine-drinking experience.

Friends and relatives often ask advice about wine and I’m happy to oblige in any way I can. Rarely if at all do these same people ever bother to ask about the proper glassware to use, as if it doesn’t matter, which by the way it does. This became an issue recently when my next-door neighbor Dave purchased some very nice wines and then proceeded to drink one of those same wines from a sippy cup - that’s right, a toddler’s sippy cup. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Here was a rather knowledgeable wine lover doing the unimaginable.

It seems all his glassware had suddenly vanished and the sippy cup was the only thing close at hand. To make matters worse, his youngest child just started college so the days of the sippy cup had certainly come and gone.

By the way, the wine, a 2016 vintage Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet, with a suggested retail of about $65, is a terrific wine, one that deserves better than a plastic cup. What on earth was he thinking? Like a sleuth I immediately opened the dishwasher looking for glassware. As I suspected, he was just being lazy - right there before my very eyes were several long-stem wineglasses that simply need a quick washing.

If my suspicions are correct, this wasn’t the first time he’s used that sippy cup to drink wine. By now many of you are probably asking, What business is it of yours? To be honest, it isn’t. But the man has been an avid wine lover for years now and certainly knows that in order to enhance the overall drinking experience, one must have proper stemware.

In a properly designed glass, the wine’s aromas are released as the alcohol volatilizes from the surface of the wine. In addition, the shape of the bowl helps to enhance both the aroma and flavor by releasing various compounds and nuances, all of which are readily detected on one’s palate. Plastic, on the other hand, may impart flavors that leave you with a rather negative opinion of the wine.

So as you can see, using the proper glassware is a must when it comes to drinking wine. And no, it doesn’t have to be extremely expensive hand-blown crystal; a well-made, everyday set of glass stemware will do the trick. In fact, Dave owns several stemmed wine glasses by Riedel, a well-respected Austrian glassmaker. For those of you who are not familiar, Riedel has been making quality wine glasses since 1756, so they know something about glass. Today the company is still run by the same family, where their motto is “The pleasure of consuming wine starts with the proper glass.” I couldn’t agree more.

As for Dave, he promises never to use a sippy cup again. I suspect what he really means is that he hopes never to be caught again. In the meantime, if you don’t have proper wine glasses, treat yourself to a set you’ll thank me later. Cheers!

Wine of the Week: Bodegas San Valero, 2016 Particular Carinena, Spain. Deep red in color with aromas of ripe fruits and spice. Good acidity and structure with ripe red fruit flavors. Medium-bodied and wellbalanced with a surprisingly long, flavorful finish. $10

September 11, 2018 Circulation 10,120,000.

52 Wines in 52 Weeks: Welcome to Planet Chardonnay Amy Glynn

Corona de Aragon Macabeo-Chardonnay (Aragon, Spain $10) Bright lemon-drop tone, great acidity in the “mouthwatering” range. Palate tends toward lemon, lime and pineapple. Don’t age this one. Crack it open with Thai takeout.

Bodegas San Valero Particular Chardonnay (Carinena, Spain $10) A “centrist” Chard, neither pronouncedly austere nor pronouncedly voluptuous. Modest, moderate, and for this, potentially a crowdpleaser at parties and less of a specialist’s bevvie. Decent acidity. Array of citrus-peel and green melon aromatics and flavors. Medium finish.

Agoston Viura and Chardonnay (Carinena, Spain $13) This wine is technically under 50% Chard; there’s a Viura majority, but I couldn’t leave it out just because it is so fun and tasty. Chardonnay has a tendency to be a bit on the heavy and serious side but this is a great example of an expression where it’s youthful and cute-also proof that it plays well with others and not just in Champagne. Greenish hue, crystalline minerality, jasmine and lemon nose, lime and melon on the palate. A little residual sugar so if you like them a bit on the sweet side, you’re in luck.

August 14, 2018 Circulation 210,000

#CoolDownwithCariñena #Wine: “Crafted in Stone” Todd Godbout Cariñena is not only the second oldest region in Spain, but is also home to its own varietal and appellation.

Cariñena (Carignane) is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) located in the Ebro Valley of Aragón midway between Barcelona and Madrid that was designated in 1932 although it's winemaking traditions can be documented as far back as the early 15th century. In fact the region's vines survived the devastating European Phylloxera epidemic because the lousy mite that caused the disease couldn't survive the soil's stoney and sandy nature and a marketing mantra “Crafted in Stone” is now utilized. Grape quality is not only maintained from these well drained soils but also the large diurnal temperature swings due to the region's elevation, proximity to the Ebro River and the Cierzo winds. These factors help the Garnacha, Cariñena, Mazuelo, Tempranillo, Viura, Chardonnay, and Parellada grapes develop character and retain acidity. Today the Cariñena wine region boasts 1,600 growers; 35,000 acres of vines; with many of theses small growers belonging to cooperative wineries. I recently received two white wines and a rosé that the refreshing nature of wine from this region as well as a Cariñena Regional recipe. It's time to #CoolDownwithCariñena. Cheers.

2017 Corona D Aragon Garnacha Blanc D.O.P. Cariñena - includes some Chardonnay - lemon and fresh pear on the nose, stronger grapefruit and shades of minerals, before finishing with a fresh finale.

2017 Paniza Viura-Chardonnay D.O.P. Cariñena - this is a 50-50 blend of the two grape varieties that provides citrus, cream, and softness before leaving with a lingering and lively finish.

2017 Bodegas San Valero Particular Garnacha Rosé - is all berries throughout the experience, depth and minerals, and lively refreshing acids.

July 1, 2018 Circulation: 67.000

The Birthplace of Garnacha

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Offers the World Distinctive New Wines Cultivated From Old Vines

Carinena

Comes of Age Master Sommelier Bob Bath crouches among Garnacha vines of Bodegas Paniza in the highest and most remote part of southwestern CariĂąena, where slate-laden soils dominate most of the hillside vineyards.

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by Bob Bath, MS / photos by Miguel Vincente

here’s something wonderfully unique about Spanish wine, and, in my experience, it’s impossible to fall in love with a particular grape or wine: You fall in love with the entire region.

My most recent affair is with Garnacha and its home region of Cariñena, located in Aragón in northeastern Spain. Though it lacks the notoriety of regions such as Rioja or Ribera del Duero—despite being the country’s second oldest DO—its connection to the Garnacha grape makes Cariñena a noteworthy experience based on its history, current winemaking, and future prospects.

Local historical references to Garnacha in Aragón, the birthplace of the grape, date back to 1513 in Gabriel Alonso de Herrera’s Agricultural General. History, coupled with the sheer amount of clonal diversity and mutations of the grape in the region, counter any claims Sardinia has made of being its alternative place of origin. As the third most-planted variety in Spain, Garnacha has never lost its significance in the country. The region of Cariñena is renowned for having the highest density of Garnacha plantings, with the grape representing nearly a third of the entire vineyard acreage.

Local historical references to Garnacha in Aragón, the birthplace of the grape, date back to 1513 in Gabriel Alonso de Herrera’s Agricultural General.

Bob Bath, MS, tastes through a series of Garnacha samples at Bodegas Paneza.

Garnacha reached Sardinia, as well as southern France, likely by way of the Aragón empire. One of Europe’s most powerful regimes from the 15th through the 17th centuries, it spread as far north as southern France and as far south as Sicily. Such expansion explains the presence of Garnacha in regions such as Languedoc Roussillon and the Rhône.

Zaragoza, Aragón’s historic capital, sits halfway between Madrid and Barcelona and is located on El Camino de Santiago. The globally-celebrated road leads to the legendary burial spot of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, and is known as an inspiring pilgrimage for travelers to the region. As you step out of the beautiful Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza, you immediately notice the path of seashells imprinted in the sidewalk, indicating the way.

South of Zaragoza on a large plain in the heart of the Ebro Valley is where you will find the majority of Cariñena vineyards. Rimmed by the Systema Iberico { SOMMjournal.com } 77

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Zaragoza, Aragón’s historic capital, sits halfway between Madrid and Barcelona and is located on El Camino de Santiago. The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza, built between 1681 and 1754, is reputed to be the first church in history dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Mountains to the south and the majestic, snow-topped Moncayo Massif to the north, vines are planted at 1,000 to nearly 3,000 feet above sea level. It only takes a brief visit to the Sanctuary of Nuesta Senora, just outside Paniza, to feel the Cierzo. This chilling wind provides a cooling diurnal shift for the entire region in the summer when temperatures can soar to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Soils in Cariñena vary from orange-brown, iron-laden clays to rounded stones (known as cascajos or cantos) and the fractured schist could lead you to believe you are standing in a vineyard in Priorat. A lack of rainfall after April and the ensuing heat during the summer months means ripening is rarely a challenge; the diurnal swings, meanwhile, ensure bright acidity and a natural balance in Cariñena’s wines.

Old vines dominate the landscape.

Trained en vaso and dry-farmed, Cariñena possesses more old vines than anywhere in Spain. Many 80 years and older, these vines have survived two World Wars and the Spanish Civil War—not to mention the temptation of many producers to plant more recognizable and ultimately more profitable grapes. Although Garnacha is the region’s dominant variety, there are also significant plantings of Cariñena (Carignan), Tempranillo, and even Macabeo.

Cooperatives are the lifeblood of Cariñena, with the largest three (Bodegas Paniza, Bodegas San Valero, and Grandes Vinos) responsible for 80 percent of production. The range of wine styles is impressive: from extraordinary-valued young Garnacha to dramatic expressions from old-vine Garnacha and fascinating Garnacha-based blends.

Bodegas San Valero, established in

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its connection to the Garnacha grape makes Cariñena a noteworthy experience based on its history, current winemaking, and future prospects.

1944, is the oldest of the three major cooperatives. Situated near the town of Cariñena, it works with more than 600 growers spread across 8,600 acres. The Bodegas San Valero Particular range offers excellent value and has helped pave the way in popularizing Cariñena wine in the U.S. Grandes Vinos, the largest of the three co-ops, manages 10,000 acres of vineyards across all of Cariñena’s 14 sub-

districts. A leader in clonal research, the enologists at Grandes Vinos have identified four clones that are now mandatory for replantings in the region. Bodegas Paniza, meanwhile, resides in the most remote and highest part of southwestern Cariñena, where slate-laden soils dominate most of the hillside vineyards. Some of the vines here date as far back as 1906.

Because it represents 400 different growers, one gets the sense that the entire

village of Paniza works for the co-op.

Perhaps the greatest asset of this region is its humility; the growers, winemakers, and export directors demonstrate great pride in Cariñena and its wines. They are driven by a sincere desire to bring the world exceptional wines with a regional distinction: an effort that came to fruition at the Global Garnacha Summit this past April in Napa, California, and will continue in other U.S. markets later this year.

Old vines dominate the landscape at Bodegas San Valero in Cariñena.

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