In a letter Ernest Hemingway, the original “Most Interesting Man in the World”, once called Spain “the last good country left”. While that may be debatable, (I can see my Italian friends in a fit of rage now) what is not debatable is that Spanish wines are certainly earthy and true to their roots – the Tempranillo grape.
TORRES CORONAS TEMPRANILLO
LCBO 29728 | Price: $ 13.25
CATALUNYA
Description – Catalunya is nestled between Barcelona and France – a great wine region. The first sniff is dry but swirl it in the glass to get the aromas of fruit. This wine is spicy with strong tannins, dark berries, and a longish finish. My brother in Spain tells me that a good Spanish wine should taste like a hot, dry summer – this one does. If you don’t think so then take it up with my brother. It is great with caper-stuffed olives as tapas.
Pull the cork 
January 20th, 2010 at 7:42 am
For those who live in Guelph, you can get a small tin of caper stuffed Olives at Market Fresh downtown.
January 20th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
That’s right! A hot dry summer! I’ll have a look for this red. I might be able to find it here.
FYI I ate at Botin on Thursday in Madrid (Guinness says it’s the oldest restaurant on the planet. . . I assume they mean this planet.) Hemingway loved the place. Their house red is a Rioja Crianza. . . who serves a crianza as a house wine? Proof positive that this is that last good country left!
Brother in Spain
January 20th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
I meant to ask – how much does a Heming weigh?
Also, do you remember that Shelley at the Red Brick Cafe had a Gran Reserva as her house wine when she opened – Crazy! Both Ernest and Franco would have approved.
January 22nd, 2010 at 4:05 am
I’m in Italy and not offended! I’m only just learning about these wines – mostly through you. I never drank much wine prior to being here. You are breaking me out of my beer-only mold for sure. I’m likening this whole experience to the guy I once met at Starbuck’s when I had given up drinking coffee for most of my Moody Education. I was drinking tea like a fiend in those days. He saw me ordering a Grande Tazo Zen with 2 tea bags, (still my favorite tea) and proceeded to congratulate me on my purchase. He then said that drinking tea is that “acquired taste giving that mellow buzz that just comes on slowly, lasts much longer, and doesn’t give you that sick feeling afterwards.” I found a friend in drinking tea, and now I have a friends in drinking wine. Keep up the good work and I’ll keep reading.
March 9th, 2010 at 11:57 am
Finally found the Torres Coronas. Was yours a crianza? All that I could find was the crianza so I bought it.