I’m still struggling to say “Spanish Rosé”. It’s kind of like saying “british sausages”, and my experiences of the three rosés I drank this weekend were as far different as cumberland and black pudding. Having said that, compared to the sad continental crap you get at holiday breakfast buffets (still on sausages here sorry), they definitely had a consistent quality and style about them.
I was up in Lincolnshire helping my Mum and Dad with their roof this week. I struggled to get the wines that I recommended to you all earlier on in the week. Not a huge problem, but we managed to get enough to constitute a selection. The missus and my mum managed to come back from the shops with some Valdepenas Garnahca, some Rioja Tempranillo, and a bit of Catalunyan blend.
Everything kind of went as you’d expect. We started with Contenda Valdepenas Garnahca. It was full on strawberry jam. The smell, the taste, the aftertaste, all of it. It verged on off dry, and with a low 11.5% alcohol content then you’d expect a bit of residual sugar left over. Not a huge finish, but pleasant and balanced.
The Vina Sol blend from Cataluyna was a bit funky. There was no grapes on the label which kind of gets you guessing a tad. I was guessing at Monastrell, only cos I ‘d had a few rosé cavas in Bracelona from Monastrell. The strawberry and raspberry tastes, the slight spritz and the slightly higher acidity was pleasant, but it wasn’t 100% balanced at the end with the 13.5% alcohol.
The Baron De Lay Rioja was top drawer. The balance was great, the smells of red fruit were great, and the price of £7 was unbeatable. The thing was, like all of the three that I drank, the body was full and worked great with the barbecued meat that we (I say we as we were taking it in turns to flip the chops!) made.
My tip is to get the barbecue out and crack open a few spanish rosés. They work sooooooo bloody well!
Cheers
Other Posts In #NWTW Week 26:
#NWTW Week 26: Rosado From Spain (Part One)
#NWTW Week 26: Rosado From Spain (Part Two)
