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The Wine Review: Biante Garnacha (Grenache), Campo de Borja 2014



Dear Readers,

I have been wanting to do a wine tasting here on the blog and write short, one paragraph reviews of the good wines I enjoy at home.  It's no secret to those who know me that I like to pair my dinners with good wines several times a month, and that I have my opinions when it comes to them.  I'm no wine expert, but over the years I have come to trust my palate to guide me to good, decent wines and to steer clear of the ones that leave a bad taste in your mouth.  

This is what the parameters will be for my wine reviews so that you can better understand what I like and what I will cover.  

  • I will not present sweet wines because I don't like them.
  • I will review red, white, and rosé varieties as I see fit.
  • I won't write bad reviews, because it's not what I do here on this website.  Bad wines that I encounter won't make the cut.
  • I will stick to wines with an alcohol content between 12% and 14%.  These are the ones I prefer, because overly alcoholic wines aren't pleasant to me.
  • As to the grape varietal, I like a large spectrum of them and special blends from around the world, so it will be a delicious odyssey of my preferences.
  • I'm not too fussy about having a particular wine glass for a certain varietal.  Don't be surprised if you see stemless glasses, goblets or antique glassware for these posts.
  • Wines that I review will not be more than $15 per bottle.  I have come to realize that it isn't necessary to spend a large amount of money to drink a wine that is quite decent and of good quality.

What I hope to do with these reviews is let you in on what we like here at home and have you try them for yourself. 


This lovely red by 'Biante' is their 2014 garnacha from the the Campo de Borja in Spain.  The grenache grape, known as 'garnacha' in Spanish, is a delicious varietal, and over the years I have become a big fan of it. This 2014 vintage is pretty outstanding.  It has a deep ruby color and tastes of dark cherries with notes of plum.  Its medium-body quality makes it a pleasure to pair with lamb or roast chicken.  If you need a good wine to serve to guests this Easter with that spring lamb, this would be the one to try.  

Salut!

~David

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