Behind the Cork™ - Bodegas Ochoa Calendas Rosé

Bodegas Ochoa Calendas Rosé ($12)

This is another wonderful offering from the Navarra region of Spain. This rosé of Garnacha (70%) and Tempranillo (30%) is bright cherry red in color and has a beautifully soft mouth-feel.

This rosé is produced by maceration, or “bleeding” of the grapes where the grape skins and flesh is left in the juice (must) for just six hours. Then, without pressing, the must is drained off and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats.

While the bright cherry red color of this rosé suggests a big, bold flavor, what you get is a delicate wine with soft flavors of strawberry and raspberry.

At 13.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) this is a dry rosé with little to no residual sugar. The only “sweetness” comes from the ripe fruit flavors.

As usual, this Ochoa Calendas rosé is a great value for such a bright, flavorful wine. Chill this one down and enjoy. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this wine at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Rebekah Polster, Navarra Media Consultant, 401 West Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2016 El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa Old Vine Garnacha ($14)

This wine is from the Valley of Valdizarbe, D.O. Navarra, in Spain. One of Navarra’s most historical viticultural areas. The grapes are from vines planted over 80 years ago.

After the Garnacha grapes were lightly crushed, they were cold macerated before fermentation. It was then transferred to French oak barrels for malolactic conversion. Finally, it was aged five months in new French barrels.

This is a very delicate Garnacha with flavors of red cherry and raspberry. It’s light on the tannin with moderate acidity. A nice easy wine that you don’t want to overpower with bold foods. Enjoy this one all by itself or with light fare.

Yet another wine that fits the bill to be featured in Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week as a great value for such a nice wine. Enjoy!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this wine at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Rebekah Polster, Navarra Media Consultant, President 401 West Communications.

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2016 Inurrieta Mimaó Garnacha ($18)

The northern Spanish wine region of Navarra is known for its beauty and diverse terrior, with vineyard filled with Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and beyond. This Garnacha is just another fine example from this region.

This wine is cold soak for eight days at 5°C to heighten its aromas and texture. It is then fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve its bright fruit flavors. Malolactic conversion and refining were performed in slightly used French oak barrels for seven months. This results in cohesiveness of the aromatic intensity, as well as finesse, elegance and freshness of this wine.

This Garnacha exhibits deep, lively, and intense color with floral and fruit aromas. Its highly attractive aromas meet you upon entry while the mouthfeel is lively. Its wonderful red cherry flavors are mature yet fresh. The finish is long-lasting, with minerality and bright fruit. This is very typical of fresh, ripe Garnacha from the Navarra region.

The wine notes state that this is “… a voluptuous wine, fresh, round, fruity and slightly spicy, it is the perfect companion to vegetables, meats, roasts and even lightly aged cow cheese.” It’s as good as it sounds! And, it’s a great value. Enjoy!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this wine at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Rebekah Polster, Navarra Media Consultant, 401westcomm.com

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2017 Bodegas Castillo de Monjardin La Cantera Garnacha ($12)

This Garnacha is from the DO Navarra region of northern Spain that is known for its beauty and diverse terroir.

It is sourced from 70 year-old vines on the estate’s “La Cantera” vineyard, meaning ‘The Quarry.’ It’s appropriately named as the vineyard sits at 1500 feet in a vineyard of poor rocky soil. But, these old vine’s roots run deep and seem to thrive in this terrain.

This Garnacha is hand-picked, fermented in stainless steel and aged for six months in second-year French oak.

This wine even has 15% Cabernet Sauvignon to give this fruity, bright Garnacha some extra depth and structure.

This one’s young and bright. It’s light red in color and full of red and black fruit flavors with amazing acidity.

And, once again, this “Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week” is a great value. Enjoy. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this wine at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Rebekah Polster, Navarra Media Consultant, President 401 West Communications.

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2010 Viñas Del Vero Secastilla Garnacha ($40)

The vineyards in the Secastilla valley are located in the north-eastern part of the Somontano region in Aragon Spain. The name Somontano means "under the mountains" which is appropriate since the region sits in the foothills of the central Pyrenees mountains. This region is located just 35 miles south of France.

The grapes are selected from old vines in the Guardia Miranda vineyard, de-stemmed before fermentation. It underwent malolactic conversion in French oak barrels and remained there for 10 months.

The vineyard’s elevation leads to the fruit ripening slowly, leading to it fresh features.

This Secastilla Garnacha exhibits nice cherry and black berry flavors, is wonderfully gentle mid-palate with distinct tannin and has a nice long finish.

The SRP is outside of the typical wines featured in Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week, but hunting around turned up some very nice prices on this wine. So, indeed, it fits as an affordable, attainable wine that’s well worth seeking out.

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this wine at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Rebekah Polster of Donna White Communications

This wine is imported by Gonzalez Byass.