Garnacha de Fuego 2008

Sometimes, you just blunder into things. You pull a bottle of wine off the shelf and think, oh what the hell, it’s less than $10, if it sucks, I’ll just make a sangria out of it. Then you pop the cork, pour a glass and realize that you’ve stumbled onto a little gem. In this case, it is a gem from the DO Calatayud in Spain.

Much like France, in Spain they identify their wines by region. The DO stands for Denominación de Origen and is a system put in place to help protect the names of regional foods. However, it is a system most often associated with wines. The bottom line is that the DO will inform you of where the wine came from, but not what’s in it.

In this case, the Garnacha de Fuego is made by Bodegas Ateca. This is a relatively new partnership between the Gil family of Jumilla and importer Jorge Ordonez. However, the vines themselves are over 75 years old. Oh and in case you missed it, the wine is made from 100% Grenache (Garnacha in Spanish) juice.

Upon first glance, you see there is something a touch different about this wine. It is a deep garnet in color, something not typical in wines made from the Grenache grape. It has a deep, earthy nose resplendent with plums and blackberry with just the barest hint of vanilla on the end. Upon the tongue, event though it is very opulent and fruit forward, it is still a medium bodied wine. Plums and cherries dominate with just a touch of the earthiness from the nose to finish. Very little tannins and acidity to finish the experience cannot hide the fact this is a very dry red wine.

This is yet another example of some serious value being found in Spanish wines right now. For under $10 a bottle this is something that should be in you rotation for the dinner wine. I would not suggest stocking your cellar with this one though. It is a Crianza and it won’t hold in the bottle for long.