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A Wine Lover's Weekly Guide To $10 Wines - A Ribera de Guardiana (Spain) Termpranillo

By Levi Reiss

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Published: 06Oct2009
Word count: 462
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In this article I taste a Spanish red wine based on Spain's signature grape, Tempranillo. The Extremadura region of southwestern Spain is a volume producer of wine. Actually, most of its grapes end up in Sherries. I believe that this is my first wine from Extremadura, if I drank any previously they didn't make a great impression on me. My office mate suggested the wine but didn't enjoy the second bottle as much as the first.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Campobarro, Ribera del Guadiana (Spain) Tempranillo, 2007 13% alcohol about $8

Let's start by quoting the back label. The appellation RIBERA DEL GUADIANA is located in the south west of Spain. We produce great wines at very affordable prices. This tempranillo of Campobarro had a beautiful dark red and violet overtones color. It has very good aromas, with lots of fruits (raspberries and plums). The taste is wonderful, very well balanced and it's a good wine for any occasions. Combine with beef, pork, veal, or poultry. And now for my reactions.

I first tried this Tempranillo with a beef stew accompanied by carrots and potatoes. The wine was very long, round, and fruity with melt in your mouth tannins. There were dark fruits and a good length. At this price, I would have expected a harsh wine, but such was not the case. The wine was not very subtle. I definitely tasted some cherries, dark cherries.

The next meal was a Middle-Eastern specialty, ground meat in ground bulgar and semolina jackets with a peppery tomato sauce. I tasted dark fruits. The wine was very refreshing and nicely acidic. On the downside it seemed thin. Yet I liked it, it was simple and uncluttered.

My final food pairing involved commercially prepared barbecued chicken thighs with the paprika skin on, accompanied by potatoes roasted in chicken fat and green beans. The wine was acidic and cut through the grease. It was refreshing. The fruit, mostly black cherry, maintained itself.

I ended the bottle with two local cheeses. In the presence of a white Muenster the wine tingled a bit. While refreshing it didn't have a lot of taste. Once again, the main taste was black cherry. With a yellow Cheddar this Tempranillo became somewhat more acidic and tasted of tobacco. There seemed to be no tannins and the wine was short.

Final verdict. This wine started off well but went downhill a bit. Would I buy it again? Yes, if I weren't doing this column. I know there are better wines in this price range, but for something refreshing with a simple meal you could do worse. Think of this wine as an $8 refreshment.

Levi Reiss authored or co-authored ten computers and Internet books, but prefers drinking fine German, Italian, or other wine with the right foods and people. He teaches computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com features a weekly review of $10 wines and new sections writing about and tasting organic and kosher wines. Visit his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com.

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