A kind friend once brought a bottle of wine to share with us during a short stay. 'I don't really like red wine, but I do like Rioja', they said whilst generously handing over their gift.
I had heard of the fashion for people to declare their taste in white wine to be 'ABC', or anything but Chardonnay, and then stating a preference for white Burgundy (made from Chardonnay), but I had not encountered this variant on a theme. The red wine we had been given was Spanish, but not from Rioja, If it had been it would have been made from a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano or Mazuelo, but this was from a small region close to the central south coast called Yecla, and made from a variety known in France as Mourvedre and here as Monastrell.
The bottle in question was not the one I have selected this week, but its name also contained the word 'Roja' although it was in a more flowery script which made the spelling confusion harder to spot. The interesting thing to me is that, as with the abc crowd, our friend enjoyed the contents of the bottle more for not knowing what it was.
Week Y (2015) Tapa Roja, Old Vines Monastrell. 2013 M&S £7
Is this wine like a Rioja? Well, the wines of that region come in a variety of styles; different blends, different ages, different sub-regions and, most importantly, different producers, so it may be that there is a Rioja that tastes like this Yecla but the short and generalised answer is 'no'.
Monastrell is a grape that likes to sunbathe. It needs warmth to ripen fully and that's why it works well here, as it does in southern France.
It isn't what I would call a subtle grape and the wine made from it is robust and rustic. It is full of plums and blackberries with a hint of herby licorice. It is smoothish, but the grip of the tannin is felt in the finish (aftertaste).
The makers suggest drinking it with spicy sausages, rich curries or barbecued meats and I think that is probably good advice. This one disappeared alongside a slow cooked piece of brisket in a rich meaty gravy, my best roast tatties and some honey glazed parsnips. And something green that I can't remember but it kept The One happy.
It has quite high alcohol (14.5% according to the label and wine typists like me can't resist the labels) and that is in balance with the nature of the wine. It isn't competing with the light but complex reds that have enjoyed prolonged oak ageing. In fact, this one has not been in oak at all and given that the grapes were harvested only around fifteen months ago it could be said it hasn't really had much ageing at all, either.
At £7 per bottle this is a fairly priced, everyday wine of its type. I do like Rioja and this is not a serious contender as a substitue and that's not just because I know it's not the same thing.
I had heard of the fashion for people to declare their taste in white wine to be 'ABC', or anything but Chardonnay, and then stating a preference for white Burgundy (made from Chardonnay), but I had not encountered this variant on a theme. The red wine we had been given was Spanish, but not from Rioja, If it had been it would have been made from a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano or Mazuelo, but this was from a small region close to the central south coast called Yecla, and made from a variety known in France as Mourvedre and here as Monastrell.
The bottle in question was not the one I have selected this week, but its name also contained the word 'Roja' although it was in a more flowery script which made the spelling confusion harder to spot. The interesting thing to me is that, as with the abc crowd, our friend enjoyed the contents of the bottle more for not knowing what it was.
Week Y (2015) Tapa Roja, Old Vines Monastrell. 2013 M&S £7 Is this wine like a Rioja? Well, the wines of that region come in a variety of styles; different blends, different ages, different sub-regions and, most importantly, different producers, so it may be that there is a Rioja that tastes like this Yecla but the short and generalised answer is 'no'.
Monastrell is a grape that likes to sunbathe. It needs warmth to ripen fully and that's why it works well here, as it does in southern France.
It isn't what I would call a subtle grape and the wine made from it is robust and rustic. It is full of plums and blackberries with a hint of herby licorice. It is smoothish, but the grip of the tannin is felt in the finish (aftertaste).
The makers suggest drinking it with spicy sausages, rich curries or barbecued meats and I think that is probably good advice. This one disappeared alongside a slow cooked piece of brisket in a rich meaty gravy, my best roast tatties and some honey glazed parsnips. And something green that I can't remember but it kept The One happy.
It has quite high alcohol (14.5% according to the label and wine typists like me can't resist the labels) and that is in balance with the nature of the wine. It isn't competing with the light but complex reds that have enjoyed prolonged oak ageing. In fact, this one has not been in oak at all and given that the grapes were harvested only around fifteen months ago it could be said it hasn't really had much ageing at all, either.
At £7 per bottle this is a fairly priced, everyday wine of its type. I do like Rioja and this is not a serious contender as a substitue and that's not just because I know it's not the same thing.
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