Nostrada Garnacha

Name: Nostrada
Color: Red
Varietal: Garnacha
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Spain
Region: Campo de Borja
Price: $7
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

We drank this wine last night with dinner (lasagna) and finished it after the kids were in bed. We had a busy day -- the boys and I spent the day at my parents house lowering my old basketball hoop to 8 feet so that they could shoot some hoops. Jackson really had a blast, making several shots. Owen's still working on his form, but for a 4 year old, he did great! It's probably too early to count on getting a scholarship from Kentucky, but they are both on their way to great things. I think I'll wait a couple of years before trying to teach them the intricacies of the Dribble Drive Motion Offense....Speaking of the DDMO, Coach Cal and the Cats got their first win of the year on Friday night, holding off a better-than-you-think Morehead St. team. Eric Bledsoe went nuts and dropped 24 on Morehead, including a couple of amazing drives in the lane. I can't wait until John Wall joins the mix on Monday. On top of all the basketball excitement, UK's football team beat Vandy to become bowl-eligible for the 4th straight year.

The Nostrada Garnacha was a nice, easy drinking wine that went well with the lasagna and was great on its own. It was very smooth and mellow, a really versatile wine that most people would enjoy. The nose was kind of smoky, with juicy red fruits. The taste was primarily cherry, raspberry, maybe a little blueberry.

Spanish wines continue to really outperform their price points. This one is an excellent value that we would definitely recommend.

Tres Ojos Old Vine Garnacha Tinto

Name: Tres Ojos Old Vine Garnacha Tinto
Color: Red
Varietal: Garnacha
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: Spain
Region: Calatayud
Price: $10
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


I really loved this wine. For the price, you can't do much better than a good Spanish wine. Spain is full of great values and this was one of my favorites. The Tres Ojos Garnacha (Grenache) is a ruby colored, medium/full-bodied wine. The nose was nice, but a bit lighter than the taste. It had blackberry, dark cherry, and plum flavors, with some earthiness. It was very smooth and well-balanced.

We drank this bottle last night with a big bowl of paella. It went really well with the meal and was easily finished later that night. I would highly recommend the Tres Ojos Garnacha and will look forward to drinking more in the future.