Bierzo Wine

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  November 2009

  Descendientes de Jose Palacios Bierzo Corullon 2005

  Snoothrank: Starting at $46^.99

  Intense dark fruit, structured for the long haul with firm tannins and bright ... An eye-opening wine from Bierzo

  Wine review by Adam LaPierre

  
  
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  November 2009

  Carracedo 2006

  Snoothrank:

  blind-tasted, concentrated, suggestive, exotic, big, rich, great wine

  Wine review by elpolifenol

  
  

• November 2009

  Yoshi - Tempranillo is a grape. Rioja the region. Many producers in Europe ... Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barolo, Bierzo, Beaujolais, Brunello, Barbaresco. Most of those regions also require that to be called by the specific name, the wine be made of certain specific grapes. Why?... Read moreYoshi - Tempranillo is a grape. Rioja the region. Many producers in Europe ... Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barolo, Bierzo, Beaujolais, Brunello, Barbaresco. Most of those regions also require that to be called by the specific name, the wine be made of certain specific grapes. Why? Because over the centuries, the people who controlled the politics of the area, usually a local nobleman, fixed it so that all the wine had to be made from whatever they grew and everything else was outlawed. Sometimes today you hear people try to justify the restrictions by claiming that the approved grapes were found to be best-suited to the area, but that's of course not true. It's sort of like telling apple producers in an area that they can only grow Golden Delicious apples, not Granny Smith. Maybe Granny Smith didn't even exist when they made the law, so how would they know the apple won't be good in the area? So you can simply say "Rioja", and people will assume that the blend will be mostly Tempranillo, because there is very little white wine produced there. Or you can say "Brunello" and they will assume that it's the local clone of Sangiovese. On the other hand, you would never think that your Rioja has any Sangiovese or that your Brunello has any Tempranillo because those wouldn't be allowed. In the case of Burgundy, you need to specify whether it's red or white. Outside of Europe we don't do that. We generally name the wine by the grapes that are used or by some fantasy name that the producer came up with. For example, he can call his wine "Opus One" or "Grange" and then you just have to find out for yourself what grapes are used. It really shouldn't matter all that much - what really matters is whether the wine is good. Good luck tasting your way thru thousands of wines    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic "Hi My Name Is" / Favorite Red by GregT

  
  

• October 2009

  Not really and FAR more important is the person doing the rating and the ... formula to his ratings of Bierzo, of which he knows nothing at all. Can you have any confidence in any prediction for ageworthiness? If that's worth 10 points, you have to discount it entirely. Do you... Read moreNot really and FAR more important is the person doing the rating and the ... formula to his ratings of Bierzo, of which he knows nothing at all. Can you have any confidence in any prediction for ageworthiness? If that's worth 10 points, you have to discount it entirely. Do you know to do that? Then let's say you pick another critic. Parker is accused of only liking certain types of wine, but I think his tastes are far more catholic than are the tastes of 90 percent of his critics. So let's say the critic you're choosing to evaluate doesn't like some style of wine and consequently rates it low all the time. Maybe you like that particular style. What do you do? And then let's throw in the question of tasting method. Did the critic evaluate the wine blind or was it poured for him and was he talked through it by his good buddy Ivan Importer, who incidentally treated him to a great meal the week before? I'm lucky. I taste more wine than you do so I'll select based on something I've tasted. However, if I don't know the wine, I'll pick it up based on my curiosity regarding the area, the vintage, the producer, or the grape. Sometimes I buy based on the recommendation of someone I trust and sometimes that person is actually a critic. But even if I trust the critic, it does me no good at all to parse his scores and ratings if they apply to wine I just don't like. So if you really don't like the wines of Tuscany, what good does it do if someone gave those wines scores of 98 and they only cost $20    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Price/Score Ratio Formula for... by GregT

  
  
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  October 2009

  Descendientes Palacios Bierzo Petalos 2007

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by Watachai

  
  

• October 2009

  Spicy Green Chili Stew and a Fiesty Red Mencia from Spain tames this ... the wallet. The 2005 Flavium Bierzo Crianza is great example of an affordable option, perfect for Wednesday night, but a wine I welcome any day of the week. Coming from the Bierzo region of Spain, and... Read more Spicy Green Chili Stew and a Fiesty Red Mencia from Spain tames this ... the wallet. The 2005 Flavium Bierzo Crianza is great example of an affordable option, perfect for Wednesday night, but a wine I welcome any day of the week. Coming from the Bierzo region of Spain, and made with 100% Mencia, this wine captures the warmth and exuberance of Spain with its bold fruit but at the same time reflects a complex and historic past. Mencia is capable of producing deep, layered wines but even this Crianza, signifying the wine spent only at least 6 months in oak barrels, has a nuanced character that speaks to me and sets this apart from similar, fruit driven, wines. What to expect: Mencia Menica is the red grape of the Bierzo region in Spain. It produces a medium bodied red wine with good acidity and slightly rustic, though fine grained, tannins that support dark cherry fruit with complicating notes of spice, earth, tar and herbs.    Show me more wines from Bierzo Before diving deeply into the pantheon of Beef and lamb dishes that are the staples of winter, I always look to pork to help make the transition from lighter summer fare to the stick to the ribs dishes I use to fend off the chill of winter. Pork and green chilies are a wonderful pairing, I find the typical Pork in green chili sauce sometimes  lacks a little oomph for my tastes, so I’ve taken a bit of creative license here. With my busy schedule I try and make one pot dishes whenever possible so the addition of some beans, and posole is not only in keeping with the south of the border spirit of this dish but takes this Chile verde from oh! to Wow! In my book.   This dish can get a bit spicy so look for a fruity, full-bodied red with soft tannins to pair here though a big, rich white would work as well. I’ve chosen the Flavium Bierzo specifically because of its soft tannins, rich, subtly spicy fruit and great balance, and it’s a wonderful match.   I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. The subtle spice of this pork stew pairs perfectly with the plush fruit of Mencia. 2005 Flavium Bierzo Crianza Priced from $8.84 This is a lovely little wine with ripe fruit scents that waft from the glass, uncomplicated but fresh and pure. The palate is soft and enveloping with sweet red fruit tones, good acids and just enough tannin to give this some weight in the mouth. Spicy Pork and Green Chile Stew By: Gregory Dal Piaz This take on Pork in Salsa verde introduces an extra layer of spice and smoky heat to the traditional reecipe while making it an easy one-pot dinner with the addition of beans and posole. An autumn dish to warm the soul. To download a printable PDF file of this recipe please click here. Greg’s Great Green Chili Stew Ingredients to serve 4 ¼ cup olive oil 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 chipotle chilies, crushed 1 tsp. dried oregano 2 tsp. ground coriander 1 tsp. ground cumin 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 medium onions, peeled and ½ inch dice 2 tsp salt 1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered 1 qt chicken stock 2 bay leaves 1 16oz can posole (hominy) 1 16 oz can pink beans (All canned beans and posole should be rinsed with water in a colander, to wash way all traces of canning residue, before using them) 3 Poblano Chilies, roasted*, peeled and 1 inch dice Or-2 7 oz. cans California green chilies, seeded and chopped For Garnish: Fresh Cilantro leaves, Diced red onion, diced tomato, lime wedges Technique Over a medium high flame heat the Dutch oven. When it’s hot add 2 tbsp of the oil and then brown the pork cubes. You may have to do this step in batches to avoid crowding. Once the cubes are well browned on all sides remove them from the pot. Add the Crushed Chipotles, oregano, coriander and cumin to the fat that remains in the pot, adding the remaining tbsp of oil if necessary, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minutes, keep stirring the spice mixture to prevent burning Add the sliced garlic and sauté with the spice blend until fragrant, about 90 seconds. Add the diced onions and salt to the pot and stir well. Continue cooking until the onions have begun to brown, approximately 8 minutes. Add the tomatillos to the onion mixture and blend well. Reduce the heat and simmer until the tomatillos have softened and released their liquid, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved pork cubes, chicken stock, bay leaves, pink beans, posole, and green chilies to the pot, blend well, and allow to simmer until pork is fork tender. Make sure that the stew doesn’t become too dry. Add water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with Cilantro, diced red onion and diced tomato with a squeeze of lime. This dish is actually better reheated so don’t be shy about doubling the recipe and saving some for leftovers! * Roasting Poblano chilies is easy to do on any open flame. Simply rest the chili on your stove top (or oven broiler) and leave in the flame until the skin is burnt and blistered. Once the chilies are charred on all sides remove them to a bag or closed container to allow them to steam while they cool. That will make peeling them all the easier. You can wash off the charred skin that remains on the chilies under running water but I like to leave some on for this dish as it adds a bit of extra smokiness to the finished product    (hide)

  From the article Green Chili Stew and Mencia

  
  
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  October 2009

  Dominio de Tares Bierzo Exaltos Cepas Viejas 2005

  Snoothrank:

  A complex wine with noticeable terroir made from the Mencia grape in Bierzo. A great front end - with lead pencil and leather, but loses a bit in the mid-palate. 60 year-old vines grown at almost 3000 feet above sea level delivered only about one cluster per plant! A good effort... Read moreA complex wine with noticeable terroir made from the Mencia grape in Bierzo. A great front end - with lead pencil and leather, but loses a bit in the mid-palate. 60 year-old vines grown at almost 3000 feet above sea level delivered only about one cluster per plant! A good effort but at $30 probably not great value.    (hide)

  Wine review by WineFlair

  
  
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  October 2009

  Tilenus Bierzo Crianza 2003

  Snoothrank:

  A delicious, medium-bodied wine from the Mencia grape, virtually unknown outside this region. Nice black fruit and well-integrarted acids, a really lovely effort from 60-80 year old vines grown way up high. This was a hot year but the wine is not too sweet or overdone.

  Wine review by WineFlair

  
  
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  October 2009

  Bodega del Abad Godello Bierzo Abad Dom Bueno 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Lush, mineral-y, grapefruity wine made from head-pruned old vines, some of ... old. This is a rare wine in Bierzo, with less than 1% of the vines under cultivation. An outstanding effort - using only native yeast - and the 2008 is even better

  Wine review by WineFlair

  
  

• October 2009

  Try the Flavium Bierzo, less than $10 and it's a killer little bottle.

  Forum post in the topic What is your favorite wine... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• Jun 26

  I recently discovered Bierzo wines.. I love Priorat and Ribiera del Duero wines but they can be pricey for everyday drinking, and Bierzo is a nice alternative.

  Comment by emzee

  
  

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