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Summary: Looking for the best Rioja Spanish wines? Get tips for picking the best white, red, and rose Rioja wines from a professional sommelier in this free video.
Views: 186 | Tags: wine, white, tasting, red, spanish, wines, pairings, vineyards
About the Expert
Mark Middlebrook Mark Middlebrook sells and writes about wine for Paul Marcus Wines in Oakland, California. When he's not in the wine shop, he's often picking grapes, tying ... read more
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Questions & AnswersHi, I'm Mark Middlebrook, and I'm here in the Paul Marcus Wines Warehouse. And in this segment I'm going to talk about some of the Rioja producers who's wines I love to drink. Probably my favorite is Lopez del Aria. A staunch traditionalist. Their bodega their winery is an essentially a working wine, wine museum. They do everything super traditional ways. And make absolutely beautiful wines that age for many decades. They make a full range of white. Amazing Rose wine that's aged for quite a long time in barrel and in bottle. And then a range of reds. The Crianzas, the Reservas and the Gran Reservas. And they really typify that spicy, gamey, leathery, more earthy style of Rioja that really flips my boat. Ramirez de Ganuza is certainly a more modern style producer from Rioja Alavesas. Wines have a little more richness, a little darker color, a little more modern feel to them. But still great elegance. Wonderful wines to have at a special dinner. This is their 2001. A great vintage in Rioja by the way. And then this is Vel Foucro. A super modern producer. One of the interesting things about this wine is it is mostly Ganacha or Grenache. Unlike Tempranillo. These other wines that you're based on Tempranillo as most red Rioja. He uses quite a lot of oak on the wine and find when I first open this, it can seem a little oakey and a little simple. Little kind of like one big bright flavor. A very good flavor, but not very complex. And then as the wine sees some air, breathes either in a decanter or swirling it around in a glass like this. Really those more complex flavors come out. It's not a very typical Rioja. But I find it a completely satisfying wine. As are these in their own way.
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