Time for a little Spanish Flair

Well, tonight I was feeling like it was time to enjoy something that I hadn't had in a while: a little taste of Spain. Now, I have not had Spanish wine in a while only because I have been around mostly Italian wine, so don't start to get insulted all you Spanish wine lovers. But, I dug into the cellar and found a bottle that I honestly forgot I had, and decided to treat myself. That wine was the Vega Sicilia's Pintia, second label to the famed and amazing Unico.

I was having trouble really writing about the wine in a way that didn't sound as if I were writing in the 1900's or in sonnet, so I decided to consult the website of Vega Sicilia for a little help. What they say about this amazing wine this:

Polished, Charismatic.

Impeccable quality. In spite of its youth, it exudes a personality worthy of the big names, destined for success.

After reading this, I realized that maybe me trying to describe it might be even better, as that tells you essentially nothing about the wine itself. So here we go....a little wine geek and a little bit of fun (the perfect balance with a pinch of sarcasm...makes one delicious meal)

Pintia is from a region of Spain called Toro. Toro is known for a lot of different grapes, but the big one is the grape Spain is quickly becoming known for (although not to the extreme that Argentina and Malbec have become joined at the hip): Tempranillo. Tempranillo defines whole regions in Spain and gives complexity to wines of others. It is a chameleon of sorts, but is a super cool red wine grape. This wine highlights the magic of Tempranillo and gives a huge kick with 15% alcohol. I opened this wine, tasted it and immediately pushed the bottle away from me. The reason I did was that it needed a lot of time to settle down and be approachable, yet right at first taste was too delicious to deny wanting to drink more. The huge berry and plum fruits, mixed with Goliath sized tannins made this wine a monster at the outset. The finish was juicy and lush that lulls you into wanting to drink more. It is almost like putting Shaq in a glass: Huge and unapproachable at first, but welcoming almost irresistible after you get to talking. I decided to turn to my perfect manhattan to allow the wine to calm down. And was it ever worth it. The berries exploded out of the glass, almost as if they were vine ripened, and the tannins decided to stop being so arrogant. The finish became smooth, almost like a velvet painting. I had it with lamb, with was perfect. The slight gamey quality of the lamb was completely washed away by the boisterous tannins and the fruit and jus sang in perfect harmony. It was almost like watching a diva off...both were huge and wanted center stage, but together they make one damn good show. 

If you have the chance to enjoy any wines from Vega Sicilia, I suggest opening them about 2 hours before you want to enjoy. They are monsters, and without the proper time to take a breather, they don't do these wines justice. 

Here is the site for all of the wines:

Vega Sicilia