To give you a tribute without breaking your budget
Use this game of Anglophile words to discover some very affordable wines behind which are wineries that produce some of the critically rated labels … and for the market. Of course, you may not be able to afford those mythical wines, but these, even if it is to give you a whim , surely yes.
LEGENDE BORDEAUX SAINT EMILION 2016
The family Rothschild , financial and banking businesses apart, is one of the best-known dynasties in the world of wine, and his surname is behind many labels whose price has four figures, such as Chateau Lafite either Château Latour , tops of Bordeaux belonging to different branches of the dynasty.
But if these wines give a barely immutable prestige, the rest of those produced in their domaines are more diverse in prestige and price, and the basic ones, produced in larger quantities, serve to to finance , among other things, to those great wines.
That is why it is worth starting to get to know Bordeaux with one of the reds that bears the Rothschild seal, and its price is in two figures: Legend Saint-Émilion , a purebred Bordeaux with two of the emblematic grapes of the French region, Merlot and Cabernet Franc . A red with a serene balance where Merlot rules, balsamic, round, enveloping, elegant. And it is that to have class class you start from the bottom. Its price?: 25 euros.
MANDOLAS 2016
And from a European saga, to the most mythical warehouse of bull skin: Vega Sicily , a house whose wines from Ribera del Duero they are auctioned in the best wine auctions in the world and that sells its bottles by quotas.
Well, if Ribera is its mother house, the vegasicilieros tentacles have spread throughout Spain from its original homeland, where they also have Alion , of a more modern cut, until Bull (where they have the warehouse Pintia , which produces a single wine) and Rioja , here in a successful joint venture with another branch of the Rothschild.
But, beyond our borders, Vega Sicilia has cultivated the prestige of its wines also in Tokaj, Hungary , where he acquired the warehouse Oremus in the 90s and where it has innovated with the first dried tokaj of history
It's this white seducer, called Mandolas , the most affordable of a range that exceeds several hundred euros , if we talk about their legendary labels, like the Unique . But that care in the details, that neatness in the elaboration that characterizes Vega Sicilia, can already be found in this mineral, spicy and wild white. and for some 20 euros you can have it at home.
PATHS OF THE PRIORAT
Alvaro Palacios is the star winemaker in Spain, a nice guy with a talent out of the ordinary to find exceptional vineyards and produce wines such as the exceptional The Hermitage of Priorat , which today is an unattainable red that exceeds a thousand euros per bottle. EITHER the pharaoh , one of the last and applauded "100 Points" Parker, surname that has raised this unique (and delicious, it must be said) mencía del Bierzo to the top of the podium of great Spanish reds.
Palacios is a wise man, and anyone who likes wine must know his work: beautiful wines, defined, precise, that tell things. That's why, if your pennyless pocket can't afford any of his tops (which cost a little more than the minimum wage in this country, that's nothing), the Palacios stamp can be drunk in your Priorat roads , a red conceived in the style of the priorats of the late eighties that brought this beautiful region of Tarragona At the top: Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Cariñena and Syrah in a balanced Mediterranean blend, powerful, which by less than 20 euros, It allows you to taste that seal of elegance that Palacios cultivates in all of his wines.
PSI
Surely by now you have heard of pingus , that unattainable wine that a very talented Dane makes in the Ribera del Duero. Pingus has possibly been one of the modern wine myths that has made the most noise in international forums, and that now sells part of its harvest in advance, that is, the deal is closed with the buyer while the wine is still in the barrel (a procedure imported from the sales en primeur of prestigious Bordeaux wines ), so it becomes, even more, an object of desire due to its shortage.
But if Pingus is a wine that many can only wish for, PSI , even if it is with micro-financing between friends to buy it (it costs a few 30 euros ), is an attainable luxury for almost every self-respecting wine lover. a red that not for beginners , which is resounding and complex, but tremendously seductive , and opens the door to that conquering Ribera del Duero with character, that Ribera from which you will want to drink more and more.
WHITE PREACHER
The enfant terrible of Rioja is called Benjamin Romeo , a free and meticulous viticulturist who has achieved the feat of “ 100 parkers ” in two consecutive vintages of his wine Counter , a red do not suitable for all audiences That depleted as soon as it hits the market as if it were Dulceida's last look. But, fortunately, for the common mortals, Romeo, oh, Romeo!, makes a white which is around 20 euros and is a smart purchase where they exist.
The grounds of Bodega Contador
Is named white preacher and it is made up of Garnacha Blanca, Viura and Malvasía that the Riojan selects from his vineyards, a fresh, exciting wine, with lots of white fruit, fresh, wild grass, one of those that dare to finish the bottle (sharing it, please) . Also, I'm going to tell you a little secret: the 2017 harvest contains part of the grapes from the plot with which Romeo makes one of my favorite whites (and one of the best Rioja whites), how nice cackled (it costs about 40 euros, almost double) … I'll leave it there.
ARANA VINEYARD
Up-to-date Rioja classicism is in fashion, and La Rioja Alta and its great (or very great, depending on how you look at it) reserves are a must for every wine lover who wants to earn the respect of their loved ones. Wines that exceed or around one hundred euros and that they are a magnificent resource as senior gift or as reds to enjoy those days of self tribute.
But for something more everyday, discover a classic and impeccably made Rioja like Arana Vineyard it's all luck, a red that never fails and, best of all, you will like it more every time you open a bottle. Vintages like 2009 are an unbeatable start to get to know a traditional Rioja style with a modern Review, the one to return to for its nerve and its fruity and vibrant character. Also, does not reach 15 euros , not bad for a reserve from Barrio de la Haro station.
RECAREDO TERRERS
Recaredo is considered by critics and fans as the great house of cava in Spain (despite the fact that not even a month has passed since it has announced its ** departure from the Denomination of Origin,** so it will not be able to put "cava" on its labels), thanks above all to a sparkling wine like its Turo D'en Mota , perhaps the most precise liquid statement of the philosophy of this winery: Xarel•lo from the estate, from a single vintage and with a looooong time of rest in the bottle that has earned it not a few faithful.
The Turó earns the respect of those who are lucky enough to drink it each of its vintages. But as there is not something for everyone, it is best to opt for wines such as terrestrial , its “basic” made with the trilogy of cava grapes (Macabeo, Xarel•lo and Parellada, the first two almost 50%, with a small contribution from the latter) , refreshing but complex, with texture in the mouth, the result of a looooong aging process that is around 60 months.
Five years of waiting for a wine that is around 20 euros , which comes from a biodynamic vineyard and is made with a loving craftsmanship that is the signature of the house. You're late to try it.
Terrers, a good buy