Value from Spain

I, like most wine lovers, can recall the bottle that pushed me over the line from being a casual wine drinker to being a complete wine enthusiast - the '03 Rosenblum Cellars Rockpile Road Zinfandel. At the time I knew very little about wine; I only knew that, for some reason, this wine was different. As soon as I got home from dinner with my wife that evening, I ordered an entire case. A few months later, Wine Spectator agreed with me by ranking this wine #3 on its list of the Top 100 wines of 2005. And so it began...

Sometimes, I'm really amazed at what wine can do. Maybe it's just enhancing that filet mignon you grilled to perfection on a warm spring evening. Or maybe it brings back memories of sitting in a beautiful piazza, leisurely people-watching until the siesta is over. Or maybe, as in this case, it helps old friends reconnect. Regardless, wine is just as much about moments in time as it is about crushed grapes.

But let's be honest. Most of us don't have the time or the means to travel to Florence all that often or to open a bottle of '82 Bordeaux every night. So what do we do on those nights when we're just sitting on the couch after a long day? That's when we need the value wines to fill the gaps. And, as many people have learned over the last few years, Spain is a great place to look for value.

Enter last night's wine - the '06 Panarroz Jumilla, a blend of grenache, syrah, and mourvedre. At $8 per bottle (or less) this wine definitely fits the bill for value. Upon pouring the first glass, I was immediately impressed with the huge nose of plum, with some cedar and blackberry hints as well. On the palette, this wine started with pure sour cherry, followed by more plum, cedar smoke and some black pepper. The long finish was quite pleasing as well. Although I was drinking this wine while watching some basketball and stringing a tennis racket, it struck me that the Panarroz would make an even better food wine.

While this blend would definitely please the Chat du Pape fan on a budget, I would recommend this wine to anyone as a good, solid everyday-drinking wine. Additionally, if you're looking to expand your palette from American or Australian wines, the '06 Panarroz Jumilla would be a great place to start.