Tempranillo Tastes Good

There is something to be said about a nice wine that doesn't break the bank. Actually, there are a lot of things to be said. I'm just not sure if I'm the person to say them. I will, however, say that I always get excited when I run into a wine in the $10 range that I not only like but really enjoy and want to share with others. It's a guilt-free pleasure. I never have to think to myself while walking to the register at the wine store "Should I be buying this bottle? Sure it's good and all, or at least I HOPE it's good, but aren't there better things I should be doing with my money, like paying rent?". The highly enjoyable $10 bottle, however, never poses such a moral dilemma. I can open a bottle on a Monday evening to enjoy with dinner and if I can manage to finish it, either the same night with the help of an eager dining companion or the next night if alone, the cost per glass comes out to a whopping $2.50. What's not to like about that? Even if I only mange to finish half the bottle before it is transformed into something horrid through the tireless efforts of our good friend Mr. Oxidation, the per glass cost is still a manageable five bucks. Which is nothing to complain about. We've all had our share of crappy $10 and up glasses of wine while dining out.

Good, inexpensive wine makes me happy. With that in mind last week I opened a bottle of the 2004 Sumarroca Tempranillo. I first tried this wine after picking up a bottle at Crush Wine & Spirits during my first visit there a few months back. If you live in New York City and haven’t yet swung by you certainly should. Not only do they have a huge, gorgeous, waving wall of wine that greets you as you enter the store, but they have a wonderfully friendly and knowledgable staff. Which of course is the best part about visiting. They are bonafied wine geeks who are more than happy to discuss any wine in the store you may be looking at and wondering about.

The Sumarroca was one of the wines they had featured on the floor. The description sounded like I would enjoy it so I picked it up, took it home, popped it open and went "yum!" when I tasted it. I had it with Indian food that evening which turned out to be a not very good combination. The character of the wine changed considerably. It grew harsher on the palette, losing the silkiness that I enjoyed in the half glass I drank before transforming my taste buds with palak paneer and samosas. So maybe there really is something to all this talk about food and wine pairings after all. I suspected that there might be, and now I had witnessed it first hand in my mouth. Luckily once my taste buds had some time to rest the wine returned to the charming personality I had been introduced to earlier in the evening with the added benefit that it had some time to open up.

As I'm still working on my tasting abilities, at least in terms of being able to identify and describe the various flavors and aromas emanating from the glass so I can describe a wine to someone in a meaningful sense, I'll rely on the Professor to convey her sense of the wine:

"A superbly enjoyable red, with soft, jammy fruits and a smooth finish. Very soft tannins. Goes well with earthy vegetarian ragu, mild cheeses, roasted fall squashes, and roasted meats. Exceptionally pleasant for a wine under $10 (in fact, better than many bottles twice or three times that price). Drink now."