Feliz Miércoles you thirsty little lurkers. While you were all busy burning your overly sensitive retinas staring directly at “Mr. Golden Sun” and slurping up your tiny glasses of “moon juice,” we were “hard at work” guzzling our weight in cheap Spanish zeus juice as research for today’s post. (YOU’RE WELCOME)
You’ve probably heard of Cava (Spain’s “answer” to Champagne), and maybe you’ve even curled your trembling little digits around a shiny bottle of Rioja in your day, but how much attention have you given “the other guys”?
In previous “installations” or our Tannic Panic wine “journey” we’ve “showcased” some of the premier Tempranillo producing regions of Spain (Toro, Rioja and Ribera Del Duero). While the beloved Tempranillo grape is a staple of Spanish wine, today we're angrily wandering beyond the classic “Tinto Fino” to explore two other “prominent” red wine varieties in Spain: Monastrell (also known as Mourvèdre) and Garnacha (or Grenache). These grapes are key players in the realm of Spanish "value reds" and a great place to look if you’re scraping together your last few coppers for something to sip on.
Why is Spain a great source of value red wines?
One of the reasons that Spain can be a such good source of value, is that in spite of being one of the most prolific wine producing nations in the world, it has a much smaller market share in the United States compared to other wine powerhouses, like Italy and France. Its lower level of popularity means that it is undervalued and therefore cheaper in general. LUCKY YOU!
The highest prices come from the more famous or prestigious regions, like Priorat, Rioja and Ribera del Duero (the latter of those can offer great value too for the same reason), but lesser known regions, like Jumilla for example, or even more broad designations like “Vino de la Tierra,” (Spanish equivalent of the French “Vin de Pays”) are a great starting place on your search for discount bottles that don’t lick utter and complete gizzard when it comes to quality.
Jumilla
The Jumilla wine region in Spain is known for producing good quality value red wines, with the Monastrell grape variety playing a central role. The hot, dry growing conditions in Jumilla allow the Monastrell grapes to develop concentrated, complex flavors, while the region's long winemaking history and established infrastructure help keep production costs down.
Many Jumilla wineries are now focusing on showcasing the potential of Monastrell, crafting both single varietal Monastrell wines, as well as red blends that incorporate other grapes such as Tempranillo, Syrah, Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon to add additional layers of flavor and structure.
The combination of high-quality Monastrell grapes, efficient winemaking, and affordable pricing has made Jumilla a go-to region for Spanish value reds.
If you squint really hard, you might be able to find the regions we’re talking about today!
Monastrell
Also known as Mourvèdre or Mataro, Monastrell is a red wine grape variety with deep roots in Spain (LIKE ME!). It has been a staple grape in Spanish viticulture for centuries and it thrives in the hot, arid climate of southeastern Spain.
Monastrell wines are known for their deep color, high tannins, and intense flavors of ripe black fruits, gamey notes, spice, and earth.
While Monastrell is the primary name used in Spain, the grape is also “affectionately” referred to as Mataro in Catalonia and Mourvèdre in France, where it is widely grown in the Rhône Valley as part of southern Rhone blends (with Grenache and Syrah), and in Provence, where it is used to make single varietal Mourvèdre red wines in Bandol AOC.
The versatility and distinctive character of Monastrell (LIKE TODAY’S YOUTH) have contributed to its rising popularity in Spain as well as its increasing presence in New World wine regions, like California & Texas, where winemakers are finding “great success” with this noble Spanish grape variety.
Garnacha
Garnacha is well-suited to the hot, dry conditions found in many Spanish wine regions and can produce excellent single varietal wines, such as those from the Calatayud, Cariñena, and Campo de Borja regions of Aragon. The Calatayud region in northeastern Spain (where one of the bottles we reviewed “hangs up its boots at night”) is home to some of the oldest Garnacha vineyards in the world. These gnarled, low-yielding vines produce small quantities of intensely flavored grapes, resulting in red wines with remarkable concentration, richness and complexity (UNLIKE ME!).
Spanish Garnachas often display notes of ripe red and black fruits, spice, and a distinctive minerality. Many of these wines are fermented and aged in concrete or neutral oak, allowing the pure expression of the garnacha grape and terroir to shine in the absence of significant “wood influence.”
Profile: Cherry lifesaver, spiced plum, black pepper, violet, vanilla, brine
Palate: Dry, medium+ body, medium+ tannin, medium acidity, medium- finish
This wine was pretty fruit forward and had surprisingly prominent tannins for a Garnacha. It featured some spice notes and a little briney character. The structure was nice, but the aftertaste was a bit bitter.
In our blind group tasting there were mixed reviews, and though this scored among the worst, at least one person really enjoyed it. If you are more familiar with New World or French examples of Grenache, this will completely defy expectations.
How to proceed? Try it and see what you think — worst case you’re out $10.
86+ points.
(AGAINST ALL ODDS James Suckling found it in his tiny little heart to award this one 90)
Profile: Strawberry, plum, red cherry, rhubarb, raspberry, black pepper, mint
Palate: Dry, medium body, low tannin, medium acidity, medium finish
This wine is dominated by red fruits and subtle spice. The good news is that it doesn’t taste like cheap supermarket wine and there are no winemaking flaws, but this isn’t particularly complex or inspiring either.
Profile: Ripe red fruit (baked strawberry, cherry, raspberry), plum, mocha
Palate: Dry, medium+ body, medium tannin, medium- acidity, medium- finish
This is a very smooth, simple wine, with surprisingly low acidity for a Monastrell. It features ripe red fruit characteristics and good balance. The finish is not particularly long, and I find myself wishing it had more structure and complexity, but all in all it is a pleasant wine to drink.
87 points
(Again, our dear buddy JS slapped a 90 on this and called it a day)
Profile: Black cherry, prunes, baked strawberry, red vines, vanilla, nutmeg, leather, chocolate, cola, pen ink, slate
Palate: Dry, full body, medium tannin, medium acidity, medium finish
This wine is extremely ripe and rich with almost port-like ripeness (15% ABV). For our politically “correct” palates, this wine is lacking in the structure or complexity needed to score higher. That being said, if you (LIKE TODAY’S YOUTH) are really into ripe fruit-forward wines with a “big mouth feel” and a humble buzz at no extra cost, you may find that this wine is exactly what you and your thirsty little “amigos” ordered.
88 points.
(Also of wholesome noteworthiness: Vegan, organic AND 93 points Robert Parker!!?? LOL!)
These bottles may not have earned the 90+ rave reviews we sometimes (too often 😬) award our selections of the week, but each one of them had something unique to offer, and gosh darn it look at those price tags (THE GOOD KIND!).
Indeed, one thing you’ll find consistently with the value reds from Spain is that the price is right. And what’s more, they usually don’t suffer from manufactured wine syndrome (LIKE MANY OF THEIR “VALUE” CALIFORNIA COUNTERPARTS), so even if you don’t hit a home run, you’ve got something that’s both interesting (hopefully), categorically wine (extra hopefully), and not all that big a loss if you ultimately decide your drain needs cleaning.
What’s more, there’s such a variety of flavors and styles out there that pretty much every palate can be pleased.
Until next time, HAPPY DRINKING PEOPLE.
Cheers! Isaac & Zach
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Old vine Garnacha, doesn’t get much better than that