Here we have a Vino de la Tierra from (more or less) the middle of Spain. For those clamoring to know what "Vino de la Tierra" means, first off, stop your clamoring! All it means, as perhaps you already know, is that this is a "country wine," not quite up to the standards of a Denominacón de Origen Spanish wine. So like a French Vin de Pays or an Italian Indicazione Geografica Tipica. These can be good wines, I assure you.
Now, to this wine. The grape in the bottle is Tempranillo, which Spanish wine lovers will recognize as the essence of many a delicious Rioja. Of course, the greatness of those wines depends in part on barrel aging, a feature you'll not get with the Saludas. This is not to say that this is a bad wine, just that it's a young wine, one unacquainted with oak. It's an earthy red that features muted sour cherry meshing quickly with the short, slightly rough tannins.
You can buy so many bad wines for ~$3 a bottle - well, less now than in earlier days, thank God - that it's a pleasure to recommend this wine. It's a simple red, sure, but it has the taste of a grape (Tempranillo) that actually comes from a place (central Spain). That's not nothing these days.
Score
Drinkability: 6.5/10
Price: 5/5
Total value: 11.5/15
Another take on this wine by the Goddess of Wine: goddessofvino.blogspot.com
ReplyDeletethis hits the mark for me , its a affordable every day red table wine, very nice.
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ReplyDeleteI lived in Spain for many years, and the red and rose take me back to many meals in country restaurants with a house wine that complemented the meal, not became the center piece. This wine is not for snobs, but for those who like good food and good wine at a good price. I haven't tried the white, but I suspect it is OK, too.
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