Recovering

I have to admit that when I was told that I needed to taste a great sparkling wine that was under $10 I was a little skeptical.  I am a recovering wine snob and every now and then I relapse.  Thanks to this little gem from Spain – Jaume Serra Cristalino Cava – I am back on the road to recovery.  This Cava is Brut (dry) and drinks very clean and crisp with notes of citrus and toast.  Most folks think that there needs to be an occasion to pop the cork on bubbly wine, but it is quite the opposite.  Include a sparkling wine in your regular everyday wine rotation and I guarantee every time you hear that “pop”, you will smile. – Brandon

2005 La Perla Del Priorat – Noster Inicial is on deck for this week’s wine review.  This wine comes from  an area in Spain called Priorat (pree-ohr-aht).  Priorat, sometimes called Priorato, is known for its red wine production using the Grenache grape.  The Noster Inicial being reviewed is a good example of the complexity and finesse Priorat wines are known for in the wine world today.

The Montsant region of spain is a relatively new wine area having been designated as a viticultural area in 2001. The land forms a horseshoe around Priorato, but the wines from the region have a clear identity of their own. Production is divided between cooperatives and family bodegas, which are often advised by locally trained young oenologists. Visit www.domontsant.com for more information.