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What Working in a Spanish Restobar Taught Me About Buying Wine
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items I spent years working in a Spanish restobar that specialized in wines, liquor, and cocktails. These aren't random bottles — these are the ones I actually recommended to guests every night, the ones that sold out first, and the ones I still buy for my...
Sections
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Tempranillo Journey: From Young to Gran Reserva
Spanish White Wines - From Coast to Mountains Section
My Cava Favorites - From My First Toast to Today
Tempranillo Journey: From Young to Gran Reserva
Tempranillo has 4 levels based on aging.Young = fruity and fresh, no oak.Crianza = 12 months in oak, vanilla and spice.Reserva = 3 years aging with 12 months in oak, smoother and more elegant.Gran Reserva = 5 years aging, only best vintages, most com...
Former Spanish restobar Manager, this was my #1 recommendation for guests who said "I don't really drink red wine." Emilio Moro is a historic family winery in Ribera del Duero, and this bottle is called the matriarch of the winery.
Why it's perfect ...
KWMWine.com
If Emilio Moro is your first date with Tempranillo, this is your second date.
Finca Museum Vinea Crianza 2021 from Cigales is 100% Tinta del País from 40-50 year old bush vines grown at 700m altitude. Because the vines are old and the soils are so p...
KWMWine.com
Old-vine Golden Mile Ribera - elegant and modern From Valbuena de Duero in the heart of Ribera's Golden Mile. Founded in 2001 by Alberto Cobo. 100% Tinto Fino from low-yielding vines, some up to 80 years old. Aged 12 months in French oak plus bottle ...
Bodegas Lleiroso Crianza Ribera del Duero 2022
This is your Reserva bottle - the third step in the Tempranillo ladder. If Young is fruity and Crianza is structured, Reserva is elegant. Beronia Rioja Reserva is primarily Tempranillo with a touch of Graciano and Mazuelo, matured in oak and then age...
Beronia - Rioja Reserva | Spanish Red Wine
This is the last bottle in my Tempranillo section for a reason — this is the top.Beronia Gran Reserva is not about power, it's about elegance. By law, Gran Reserva needs minimum 5 years aging. Beronia does 28 months in French oak + 36 months in bottl...
Beronia - Rioja Gran Reserva | Spanish Red Wine
This is my first wine ever and the reason I understood why people like sweet reds first.Val Conde Crianza Dulce from Utiel-Requena, Valencia is Tempranillo and Bobal. It's a Spanish dessert red but not heavy.On the nose it's intense aromas of dried figs, raisins, caramel and t...
Val Conde - Crianza Vino Dulce | Spanish Dessert Wine
This was the 2nd wine I ever tasted after Val Conde Dulce and the one that made me switch from sweet to dry red.Beronia Tempranillo Rioja is 100% Tempranillo and a lively and fruit forward, this young tempranillo is a leading example of modern rioja for every day drinking.Look: A bold,... fruity but not sweet, smooth, easy to drink. Serve between 15º and 17ºC with pasta, rice dishes, and red meat.
Beronia - Rioja Tempranillo Ecológico | Spanish Red Wine
Spanish White Wines - From Coast to Mountains Section
From my Spanish restobar - white wine in Spain is not just one style. Verdejo is fresh, Albariño is coastal and salty, Godello is rich like Burgundy, and Rioja Blanco is classic. These are the whites I recommended when guests said they don't like red...
This was my go-to when I don't like to have heavy white on a regular day. Beronia Rueda Verdejo is pale yellow with greenish tints and the moment you pour it, it's intensely aromatic — citrus and white fruit with that fennel, herbaceous lift that is ... I paired it with everything simple — fish, white meat, pasta, rice and cheese. If you like Sauvignon Blanc, this is your Spanish upgrade.
Beronia - Rueda Verdejo | Spanish White Wine
This is the wine that made me understand why people talk about Atlantic whites.It's clean, bright lemon yellow with greenish reflections, aromatic with floral notes, peach, pear and lemon.For me it tastes like the coast. Medium bodied and delicate wi...
Martin Codax Albarino Rias Baixas
This one surprised me! I didn't expect a Somontano white to smell like this.Clarión is straw yellow with greenish reflections, and it's a young and fresh wine that stands out for its balance and complexity. Made from Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer.On the nose it's intense, ... Somontano means "at the foot of the mountain" and you can taste that cooler mountain freshness.My personal pairing: rice, appetizers, salads, grilled fish, foie, goat cheese. Best at 9ºC to 11ºC.
Viñas del Vero - Gewürztraminer Somontano
My everyday fridge white from La Mancha.Altozano is 70% Verdejo & 30% Sauvignon Blanc, unoaked. Fresh, light and fruity. It delivers an explosion of aromas on the nose.You get floral, zesty citrus and freshly cut grass notes from the Verdejo, plus exotic fruit, mango and passion fruit from the Sauvignon Blanc. On other days I get physalis, honeysuckle, lime, cherry blo... no oak, just clean fruit. Good for when you don't want to think too much, just open and pour.
Altozano Blanco Verdejo And Sauvignon Blanc Toledo ...
If you're on a budget and drinking white wine for the first time, start here.Castillo de Liria White Medium Sweet from Valencia is Viura and Sauvignon Blanc. It's straw yellow with greenish tones, with aromas of green apple, pineapple and floral note... refreshing and approachable, youthful and fruit-forward with balanced acidity and pleasant sweetness. Fresh, with a pleasant mid palate and an elegant finish that leaves memories of fruit and white flowers.It's not super dry like Verdejo or Albariño,... slightly sweet, easy to like, and perfect to train your palate before you move to dry whites.Serve it super cold at 6-8°C.
Castillo de Liria White
My Cava Favorites - From My First Toast to Today
I bought this at Barcino. My go-to budget bubbles from Barcelona. Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo, aged 18 months on lees. Nose of brioche and fresh bread, taste of apple, pear and citrus with fine bubbles and crisp acidity. Brut but not too sour, easy to drink even for first-timers. Serve ice cold.Why I recommend:... Perfect for gifts and surprise celebrations.
Cava Brut Nature Reserva Vintage | Spanish Sparkling Wine
Also bought this at Barcino — the sweeter one. Blend of Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo, 11.5%. Fresh and clean on the nose with fruit and floral notes, sweet on the mouth but well balanced with acidity, with hints of mature apple on the aftertaste.I...
Vilarnau Demi Sec