I recently tried a great Tempranillo from Spain. Most of the time people think of Rioja or Ribera del Duero when thinking of good Spanish wine, but this wine came from a region known as Costers del Segre. Costers Del Segre was established as a DO (Denomination of Origin) in 1986, and is located in Northeastern Spain west of Barcelona. The region has a continental climate with long dry summers, which is ideal for growing grapes. This tempranillo was a 2007 produced by Raimat. Owned by Cordoniu, a large sparking wine firm located in Penedes, the wine estate was originally created by Manuel Raventos, who transformed 3,200 acres of stony land with an old castle into a successful vineyard. The castle was renovated and is currently the home of the Raventos family. Raimat also takes care of the land, and focuses on sustainable viticulture practices. The wine presented itself in a bright ruby red color, with spicy black fruit and a hint of smokiness on the nose. The wine had a good structure of acids and tannins with a spicy finish of blackberries and currents along with some more of that smokiness. It was a great glass of wine, and I think it would be great with a spicy dish, or grilled red meat. Aside from this Tempranillo, Raimat has a large range of wines to choose from, and I would definitely recommend checking them out.

Cheers!

Seth