Skip to main content

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

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank You for Posting!

Popular posts from this blog

Antique Salt Cellars

There was a time when salt cellars played an important role on the dining table for the host or hostess.  As a result of it being such an expensive commodity several hundred years ago, salt was seen as a luxury and it was the well to do that made salt cellars quite fashionable & a status symbol for the home.  A single salt cellar usually sat at the head of the table and was passed around throughout the meal.  The closer one sat to the salt cellar, the more important one was deemed by the head of the household.  Smaller cellars that were more accessible and with an open top became a part of Victorian table settings.  Fast forward to the 20th century when salt was no longer a luxury and when anti caking agents were added to make salt free-flowing, and one begins to see salt cellars fall out of fashion.  Luckily for the collector and for those of us who like to set a table with Good Things , this can prove to be a boon. Salt cellars for the table come in silver, porcelain, cut glass
50 comments
Read more

How to Paint a Chair

If you have ever felt the need to spruce up a set of chairs or give them a new look, why not try a little bit of paint?  Our tastes in decor and color will probably alter throughout our lives, and at some point, we may find ourselves wanting to change the look of our furniture without having to spend a lot of money.  That's where a few handy tips, some tools from the hardware store, and good-quality paint come in handy.   I know I'm not alone in paying visits to local antique shops, antique fairs and flea markets, and falling in love with pieces of furniture that would be perfect if they were just a different color.  You don't have to walk away from a good purchase simply because it's the wrong color.   My dear friend, Jeffrey, is forever enhancing his home with collectibles from flea markets and tag sales.  However, certain items aren't always up to Jeffrey's tastes when he brings them home.  He is the type of person who won't hesitate to chang
6 comments
Read more

Vintage Wilton Wedding Cakes

Wedding cakes have certainly evolved over the decades just as tastes and styles have in our American way of life.  There was a time when elaborate & very formal towering feats of sweetness were the standard for every bride & groom.  Growing up in a household where I witnessed several wedding cakes take shape from start to finish, I can tell you  that every single one of these was a true labor of love.  For mom, Wilton was the go-to supplier in every aspect of cake baking, including the wedding cakes which flew out of our house every single year for friends & family.   Vintage Wedding Cake Toppers It’s fun going back and looking at Wilton’s methods and styles for wedding cakes during the 1960s and 1970s.  Back then, the shapely cakes were not simply stacked and covered in perfect fondant the way they are these days, but were iced and decorated with real buttercream, along with a multitude of accessories.  There was even a working fountain available that could b
8 comments
Read more