Spanish Wine Recommendations

I thought it would be fun, and maybe helpful, to share some of my favorite bottles of wine. I am no wine aficionado or connoisseur, but there’s no harm in playing one, right?

Keep in mind that we are very budget conscious and don’t typically buy fancy wines (any wine over 5 euros).

According to the experts, there are 4 simple things to consider when judging your wine.

#1 Smell

Before you take your first sip, stick your nose in the glass and take a whiff. Does it smell fruity or floral? Yes? Great, that’s a good sign. If however, it smells like dirty socks or wet dog then it’s most likely not going to taste very well either.

#2 Balance

Balance is an important aspect of wine. Without it, certain components such as acidity, tannin, alcohol, or fruit may stand out too much. For example, if a high level of acidity makes your eyes water, that’s an imbalance. If the levels of tannins feel like wool, not wine, going down your esophagus, that’s another sign of imbalance.

#3 Depth

Next, we want to taste the depth of the wine. What are you tasting as you sip? Most likely you’ll taste fruit but what else? What kind of fruit? Maybe grapefruit or citrus in white wine and possibly cherry or raspberry in red wine. What else? Oak, tobacco, florals, chocolate, coffee, etc? As you sip your wine during a meal, do you notice any change in the taste? These are all signs of a multi-faceted wine.

#4 Finish

Last but not least is finish or length. How long do the flavors stay on your palate? If you can still taste the appealing characteristics 2, 3, or 4 seconds (or even better 10 seconds or more) after you swallow, you have a good wine.

This one is a very special white wine, named Cullerot. I first had this at the famous Valencia paella restaurant Casa Carmela. What caught my eye and attention was that it had Pedro Ximenez in it. Man, have I ever told you the story about our first experience trying Pedro Ximenez dessert sherry? It is not to be missed!! (the sherry that is, not my story, haha) Anyway, how could I resist a wine that had this awesome sherry in it? It did not disappoint! This is the smoothest and most divine white wine I think I have ever had. It’s not a really sweet wine either as you might think. It’s a bit on the pricier side at 8 euros a bottle and you have to get it at a wine shop but it is well worth the extra effort and euros. Trust me!

Not too difficult right? We’ll all be experts in no time! Please leave me a comment on your favorite wine and where you are from. Salud!!