Behind the Cork™ - Vega Sindoa Cabernet Sauvignon

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2015 Bodegas Nekeas Vega Sindoa Cabernet Sauvignon ($10)

If you think that the only good Cabernet Sauvignon is from California, think again. This Vega Sindoa from Bodegas Nekeas is quite nice. And, at the price, you’ll be hard pressed to find one better.

This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the Navarra region of Northern Spain. The area is filled with native varietals, such as Tempranillo and Garnacha, but, with its proximity to France, wine growers have also been heavily influenced to grow French varietal such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

This Cabernet Sauvignon is wonderfully delicate with good fruit on the front, nice chocolate notes and a very easy and long finish. There’s just enough tannin in this one to give it structure without being harsh. This is attributable to being fermented in stainless steel before being transferred to a combination of new to three-year old French oak barrels for 13 months of aging.

I was very pleasantly surprised with this one. It’s quite tasty and a super value. If you find this one, pick up several. Cheers!

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

Ever Wonder How Rosé is Made?

Spring-time is a great time to start enjoying Rosé. It’s bright fruit flavors and wonderful acidity makes a nice chilled rosé very thirst quenching. And its bright pink hue just seems to go with all the beautiful blooms of the season. But, you may wonder how the color of this wine is achieved.

Rosé is made from red wine grapes.  But, it's made in the traditional white wine making process. Hence, the process can be a bit confusing. 

So, first, realize that all juice from wine grapes, whether from red grapes or white grape, is nearly clear. And, all the color in a finished wine comes from the skin of the grapes, not from the juice.

With that in mind, rosé wines are made in a couple different ways.

Maceration is the most common method used. The word 'Maceration' literally means to soften by soaking. And in the case of rosé production, it means to allow the grape skins to soak in the grape's juice. For rosé, the red wine grape skins spend limited time (2-24 hours) soaking with the juice. Just enough to give it its pink color.

The Saignèe ("San-yay") method allows the grapes to be crushed under their own weight and the 'free run' juice is collected.  Since this juice spends such little time in contact with the red grape skins, the resulting color is light pink.

Regardless of the method used, rosés can be dry or sweet. Typically, rosés with alcohol levels around 8 or 9 percent are going to be quite sweet.  In the 11 to 12 percent range, they will be mid-range between sweet and dry. And, above 12 percent it's going to be dry. So, check the label. The alcohol level must always be shown.

And, remember, with rosé wines they should be enjoyed young (within two years of its vintage) while they still have their bright fruit flavors and crisp acidity, and they should be served cold.


Behind the Cork™ - Bodegas Ochoa Calendas Rosé

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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!

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™ - Cune Rosado

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2018 Cune Rosado ($13)

This wonderful Cune rosé is from the Rioja region of Spain and is made from their famous Tempranillo.

The bright red color of this Cune rosé is spectacular. And, hence, it’s big Maraschino cherry and ripe strawberry flavors are no surprise.

These grapes are handpicked and placed in stainless steel tanks at low temperature to delay the onset of fermentation. During these 24 to 48 hours, the must develops this bright red color and then is drained from the vat. Fermentation then begins but it is maintained at 16-18C to preserve the bright aromas and fruit flavors characteristic of this Cune rosé.

Serve this one nicely chilled and enjoy! Cheers!


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

Sample Provided by Donna White of Donna White Communications





Ever Wonder? - The Solera System of Winemaking

Last time we learned that Marsala wine is not just for cooking. It’s actually a fortified wine that is sometimes made using the Solera system.

A Solera is a system used for blending wines and is a way of keeping a consistent style of wine for years.

The diagram illustrates the system as a stack of barrels with the oldest barrels of wine on the bottom and the youngest barrels of wine on top.

Wine is bottled from the barrels on the bottom, but these barrels are never drained more than part-way. After being partially drained for bottling, the bottom row of barrels is refilled with wine from the row above, and those are filled with the wine from the barrels above them. And so on until the newest vintage enters the top row and begins its aging journey down through the system, being blended each year by the winemaker.

Since the barrels are never completely drained, the oldest barrels on the bottom always contains some of the original vintage used in the Solera.

The Solera system is not only used for Marsala wines, but also for other fortified wines such as Port. And, this can also be used in the production of non-vintage sparkling wines. So, if you’ve ever wondered how a winery can produce such a consistent non-vintage product year-after-year, they may be using some form of this system.

Cheers!