As you know from last week’s post, I recently tuned into the wines of Spain. I was so electrified by my discoveries that I knew I had to learn more—and take my local Wine Tribe tasters on the journey with me. Sadly, we couldn’t all pack up and fly to Spain, but we did do the next best thing: We took a field trip to The Spanish Table. Sharon Baden and her husband, Steve Winston, founded The Spanish Table in Seattle 20 years ago and eventually opened three more stores in Northern California. The shops offer Spanish food, cookware and the biggest selection of Spanish wines in the nation.
Sharon facilitated our tasting, selecting five reds for us to try along with delicious Spanish olives, cheeses and other nibbles. As usual, we had a variety of tribe members present, we tasted the wines blindly and we rated them after trying them both with and without food.
The Lineup
Here were the Spanish wines Sharon poured:
* 2013 Bodegas Losada El Pajaro, $14.99: This wine was made with 100% Mencia grapes from the Bierzo region.
* 2013 Bodegas Bernabeleva Camino de Navaherreros, $15.99: Mostly old vine Garnacha with a touch of Tempranillo from the Vinos de Madrid region.
* 2012 Bodegas Recoletas Valdecampaña, $16.99: 100% Tinta de Pais (aka: Tempranillo) from the Ribera del Duero region.
* 2011 Bodegas Muga Reserva, $25: A blend of 25% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 7% Mazuelo and 3% Graciano from the Rioja region.
* 2009 Bodegas Alzania Finca La Moneda, $21.99: A blend of 60% Merlot, 25% Syrah and 15% Garnacha from Navarra.
The Results
I must say that this was a great tasting. Sharon educated us on the wines of Spain, the store environment was lively with eclectic Spanish products (apparently we love drinking and shopping) and we are all now lovers of Spanish wines. As usual, the tribes had their say and each gravitated toward different wines, so before you read on, take our quiz so you know your tribe.
The Accessible Tribe:
Unfortunately, we had no representatives from the Accessible Tribe, but based on what I know of their palate, I’d recommend the Camino de Navaherreros Garnacha. This light, fruity wine tasted of strawberries, sweet tarts and blackberries and was considered too delicate by the other tribes. That’s why I think it would be perfect for the Accessible folks.
The Balanced and Developed Tribes:
Occasionally these two tribes agree on their preferences and this was one of those occasions. The first wine, El Pajaro, was the fave of both tribes, 
with the Alzania La Moneda coming in as a strong second. It’s worth mentioning that the Developed Tribe also had some love for the Muga, but it was too heavy for the Balanced Tribe.
Tasters liked the El Pajaro’s aroma of wet earth, trees, cherry and licorice. They also liked the sensation of this wine (”rich”, “coated my tongue”, “bold”) as well as the flavors of dark berries and plums.
The Alzania La Moneda was a hit due to its scents of honey, juniper and plums and tastes of smoke, dark berry jam and the forest. More than one taster commented on how this wine needed a steak to accompany it.
IMHO, I would crack open the El Pajaro for drinking on its own or with spicy but light foods whereas the La Moneda deserves to be paired with some red meat.
The Complex Tribe:
The Complex Tribe lived up to its name, ending up with a three- way-tie for their favorite between the more muscular wines, the Valdecampa, the Muga and the Alzania La Moneda.
The Valdecampa offered scents of earth, plums and roasted meats with rich flavors of Italian plum and wood. Tasters noted that this wine was more tannic than the others (tannins lead to a sensation of dryness in the mouth), which is something the Complex Tribe digs.
They also liked the Muga (a personal favorite of Sharon’s). You could definitely tell that this wine had spent some time aging in oak (three years in fact), as our tasters smelled warm cedar, nutmeg and oak and tasted smoke, figs and spice.
Finally, the Complex also liked the Alzania La Moneda, especially with food. They commented on flavors of pepper and wild cherries and a sensation of acidity, which helps explain why it’s so food friendly.
No matter what tribe you’re in, Spain has a wine to please you–and usually at a great price point! Why such value? Apparently land in Spain is relatively inexpensive and in many cases has been handed down for generations, which helps explain why the wines are less expensive than those of similar quality from elsewhere.
Go try a few bottles, incite your passion and let us know your favorite. Gracias mi amigos!