Nostrada Tempranillo 2009, Tarragona, Spain

From the label: ‘A fruit-driven young red, made exclusively with well-ripened, hand-picked Tempranillo grapes from the ancient winelands of Tarragona. Here, Spain’s most highly-prized native variety offers an easy-drinking red wine, with delicious tempting aromas of rich blackcurrent and ripe red berries, making a beautifully balanced Spanish treat!’

Price: $7.99 – screw top (yes, I’ve been buying screw tops. I am trying not to be such a snob 🙂 )

This wine from the Tarragona Region of Spain was a nice dark burgundy color. When smelling the bouquet the word ‘pretty’ kept coming to mind. I don’t know how to explain it other than that. Yes, it was ‘pretty’.

The taste was heavy and boasting the flavors of dark fruits with a bit of a floral essence in there as well. It had a very light finish.

I picked this wine because I wanted to try a wine made with Tempranillo grapes. I know people who LOVE this grape. I found this wine to be quite pleasant but its ‘prettiness’ took me off guard. I’ve never experienced a wine with this essence before.

Overall I liked the wine. It was different from my usual foray into Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignons. It expanded my horizons on what red wine tastes like and I got to experience another personality of red.

I gave this wine a rating of 89. Very close to being a top pick (which is 90 or above) but I think it’s newness to me kept it from making it into the top category. Definitely a wine to experience if you’re looking to broaden your horizons and see everything that red has to offer.