TAPAS is one of my favorite events of the year, and while I love tapas style (small plates) dishes, TAPAS actually stands for Tempranillo Advocates Producers and Amigos Society.   Tempranillo is a Spanish grape varietal, but many California winemakers are starting to grow it since the conditions in CA are well suited to the grape.

Some of my favorites…

2009 DARE by Viader Tempranillo – I’m a big fan of Viader’s cabernet, and was surprised to see Viader at the tasting since I wasn’t aware that they produce Tempranillo.   And it is a great one – berries and flowers on the nose, ripe strawberry and spice finish.

2007 Six Sigma Tempranillo - berries, spice, smells a little sweet in a good way!  Dried cherries and fig on the smooth finish.   I tried the 2009 as well, and think that in a year or so the ’09 will surpass the ’07 – it was really intense!

2010 Riaza Wines Albarino -  ripe citrus, lotsa grapefruit, bit of banana on the finish. Really refreshing…  a great summer white!  Riaza’s tempranillo was pretty nice as well!

2011 Baiocchi Wines gb Neophyte Rose – after tasting lots of reds (not surprising given it was a tempranillo event), I was happy for another light, refreshing wine.   Juicy strawberry and rose petals on the nose, crisp palate and finish.   I wanted to order some for the summer, but it is SOLD OUT… bummer.

2009 Odisea Temporary Insanity – I loved the name and label on this one.   Can wine cause temporary insanity?   Smells like:  chocolate, fennel, raspberries.   Thyme/rosemary mouthfeel, ripe & earthy finish.     

Fans of Paso Robles wine, look up this winery - http://www.crwines.com/    I am very excited about the wines Crooked Road was pouring, especially the 2010 Resurrection.  Sweet tobacco and strawberry on the nose, ripe berry midpalate, finish was nice and robust!   I purchased this bottle at the event because I enjoyed it so much!

Next up… Pinot Days!  

Before moving to California, I had never attended a wine walk.   Here in the Bay Area, several towns invite wineries to pour their wine in the downtown shops in an effort to bring customers in as well as give the wineries an opportunity to introduce their wines to hundreds of people.   Tank House Winery was pouring their wine at the Los Gatos Wine Walk, and their Zinfandel was part of the lineup.   The winery is located in Gilroy, but the fruit in the Zinfandel is from Lodi.  Clove and nutmeg on the nose, juicy raspberry on the midpalate.   The finish is spicy with lingering blueberry and raspberry notes.   This is a lighter style of zin, juicy and spicy rather than jammy and sweet.   

$18/bottle

Double

I was lucky again to have the opportunity to select the wines for John Harrison’s photo open house.   John is a very talented photographer, and his photos capture the beauty of Yosemite…  I usually tell people Yosemite is more beautiful in person when showing my own photos, but John’s photos actually make you feel like you are there!    See for yourself on his website - http://www.jharrisonphoto.com/

Many of John’s clients are wine fans, and like to be able to find the wines they have tried at the open house so I chose wines that are all available at Bevmo.   The favorite of the bunch was the 2010 Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir.   This pinot is a blend of coastal fruit from Monterey, Sonoma, and Santa Barbara.   Juicy cherries and baking spices are some of the nice characteristics in this pinot, and at $20 it is an excellent value.

The 2009 Terra d’Oro Zinfandel from Amador County was another favorite.   The fruit in this zinfandel is ripe and round, not very jammy but big on the berries.   The raspberry notes in this wine helped it to pair amazingly with dark chocolate (Truffle Gateau Double Decadent Dark Chocolate – www.trufflegateau.com).

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is a great summer white wine.   My favorite region is Marlborough and the Sauv Blanc from that area has exploded in popularity.   The 2011′s I poured (Nobilo and Starborough) both have the signature Marlborough characteristics –  fresh cut grass and citrus on the nose with a slightly sweet mouthfeel and grapefruit on the finish.

Surprisingly, very few people asked for chardonnay.   The biggest reason I noted was that chardonnay is too oaky and buttery.  I personally prefer a chardonnay that has touched some oak but not so much new oak that you can no longer taste the fruit. Schug makes an excellent Carneros Chardonnay, it does touch oak barrels but you can still taste apple and pear.   The oak just helps to add the vanilla and spicy notes.   This is not a buttery style of chardonnay, and I recommend it to anyone who isn’t a fan of the “butter bombs”.

All of the wines that were poured were under $20, and highly recommended for BBQ season!

Adastra Winery is located in beautiful Carneros, right near Napa.   The tasting room is in a 150 year old barn, surrounded by vineyards and gardens.   It is easy to miss it because the sign isn’t huge, and you can’t even see the winery from the road.   A must visit if you’d like to avoid the crowds and soak up some gorgeous scenery!

Adastra makes great Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot.   I was pleasantly surprised to see a bottle under $20 on their list – a blend for only $15!  The Ed’s Red is 55% Dolcetto, 33% Zinfandel, and 12% Syrah.   On first whiff – dark fruit, licorice and black pepper.   Huge, hearty, fleshy midpalate and layers of spices on the finish.   The finish is a bit bitter and jammy at the same time.   Ahh, Dolcetto AND Zinfandel, makes sense!   The bottle says to pair it with mammoth (or vegetarian equivalent).  None of my local supermarkets carried mammoth unfortunately, but we did try it with grilled chicken kebobs and the pairing was quite tasty.

$15/bottle

Triple

This uniquely shaped 375ml bottle looked like a bottle of port!   For some odd reason, I thought this bottle looked like it belonged on a pirate ship.   Arrrrrrrrrr!   OK, onto the wine.   The nose on this is so strong and perfume-esque.   Dark fruit, tons of earthiness and spice.   On second sniff, I get some pine and caramel.   The mouthfeel and finish is acidic but tannin is almost non-existant.   The acidity is a bit much on it’s own and food is essential with this wine.   This wine is a bit scary and unapproachable – if someone had never tried wine and opened this as their first bottle, he/she may be scared off from wine for good.  But I can see why a fan of the Rhone varietals may enjoy this.

$7.99/half bottle

Single

Finding an 8 year old Cabernet for $15.99 at Whole Foods is pretty sweet!   I decided to give this bottle a little while to breathe before trying it since it is an ’04.      This smells like blackberries, currant, mocha, pine, and nutmeg.   The mouthfeel is smooth and the finish still has tons of grip and intensity.   I was hoping to get more fruit and not as much tannin and tree bark.   Definitely wondering how this one will taste in a year or two and I may pick up a bottle to try it when it’s turned 10 (in 2014!).   This is a wine that needed food and was a bit much on its own.   If I had some bacon wrapped dates here, I think the pairing would have been very nice!

$15.99/bottle

Double

OK, I will admit that I almost purchased another Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre to try.   But since I just tried one last week, I picked up a Pinot from the Central Otago region in New Zealand.   The wine is light in color, and it smells like raspberries with a bit of smoke and spice.   I didn’t get any heat on the midpalate so I had to check the alcohol content – only 12.9%!   The finish is smooth, juicy and easygoing.   In fact, easygoing is a great way to describe this wine.   It is not very complex, but it also is not boring.

I do like my Pinot with a bit more complexity, but for $15.99 this is an excellent Pinot.   I can definitely say that I haven’t had a another Pinot that I’ve enjoyed as much at the same price point (though the Meomi Belle Glos for $5 more definitely has an edge).   And on the bottle there’s a delicious pairing suggestion – wild mushroom risotto with garlic and fresh thyme.   That sounds amazing!    Currently enjoying this bottle with a wedge of a truffled Italian goat cheese – but may have to try the risotto pairing.

$15.99/bottle

Triple

I am really enjoying Rhone varietals lately, especially the Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre blends.   I’ve tried a few good ones from South Africa, Australia and (of course) California.  This one has a nose of cherries, black pepper, a little smoke, and some stinky dirt.    The midpalate has really tart fruit – lots of sour cherry and the tartness continues on the finish.  I wish the finish would have been more complex.   I definitely like more roundness and ripeness in my wines.   I didn’t feel that this wine lived up to it’s nose, but the acidity was good.   

$12/bottle

Single

I could be sipping a summer white wine on this unseasonably warm February evening, but my sister Jackie and her boyfriend Sean live in Seattle and it happens to be Sean’s birthday – Happy Birthday Sean!   So, when I saw a Meritage from Washington at the store today, I couldn’t NOT pick it up.   

49% Merlot, 44% Cab Sauv, 6% Malbec, 1% Cab Franc.  Quite a blend!   This wine smelled powerful when I first opened it and when I took a sip it tasted pretty harsh.   After about 45 minutes of being open…   rich, powerful dark fruit on the nose.   It also smells like a cigar – sweet tobacco smell and a little campfire too.  Serious plum and cherry jam on the midpalate.   This wine finishes like a Cabernet, and yes, there is cab in it but since it is about half Merlot I expected the finish to be way more mellow.     But tasty nonetheless!   Just be sure to open this 45 minutes to an hour before consumption  :-)

$15.99/bottle

Triple

This is my 100th post, and I wanted to go back to my roots and write about a wine from Spain.   I consumed mostly Spanish wines when I first started drinking wine and still enjoy a nice Spanish vino but being in California it is tough to find a good selection of Spanish wines!   I did find this tempranillo from Ribera del Duero and loved the notes on it.   Can’t resist a good tempranillo  :-)

On the nose… blackberries, coffee, and spicy chocolate.   This wine smells exotic and rich.   The mouthfeel is round and ripe, and the finish is definitely berry-esque with more bite emerging.   The finish has lingering acidity and I think this wine would be great paired with some Spanish tapas (of course!) and pork.   I’m excited to try more tempranillo from Ribera del Duero!

$15/bottle

Triple