Jose Suro
TVWBB All-Star
Hi all,
I've always had an affinity for fine wines, so much so I have many books on the subject. After many a bottle I am partial to what the Brits call a "claret". This is basically a French red wine from the higher elevations of Medoc in the Bordeaux region. Unfortunately, the good ones are VERY expensive. My favorite ever was a case of 1964 Chateau Margaux my dad acquired back in the late seventies.
There is however, an alternative. The wines of Spain, specifically those from Rioja. Spain produces very comparable "clarets" at a much lower price point. This is because during the great French grape blight of the 19th century many French growers crossed the Pyrenees into Spain with all their expertise and equipment, including their very old aging caskets. This all stayed in Rioja, making it a superior wine producing region for clarets.
So, how can we find good Spanish wines?
Having lived in Florida for most of my life and being of Spanish descent I have frequented the Columbia Restaurant for years. And not only do they have great food, they are one of THE consummate experts on Spanish wines. To quote:
"Our 265-page award-winning wine list contains more than 1,056 wines with an inventory exceeding 50,000 bottles. It is recognized by many of Spain’s leading winemakers including Hall of Famer Miguel Torres and Vega-Sicilia’s Pablo Alvarez as having the most complete and the world’s best collection in the world of wines from Spain. We also carry a selection of wines from Chile and America."
And guess what? They have the list, along with descriptions and regional explanations on a PDF! It is a 35MB download (BIG) but can be found here:
http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/pdfs/wine_list.pdf
This list is priceless!
Best,
Jose
I've always had an affinity for fine wines, so much so I have many books on the subject. After many a bottle I am partial to what the Brits call a "claret". This is basically a French red wine from the higher elevations of Medoc in the Bordeaux region. Unfortunately, the good ones are VERY expensive. My favorite ever was a case of 1964 Chateau Margaux my dad acquired back in the late seventies.
There is however, an alternative. The wines of Spain, specifically those from Rioja. Spain produces very comparable "clarets" at a much lower price point. This is because during the great French grape blight of the 19th century many French growers crossed the Pyrenees into Spain with all their expertise and equipment, including their very old aging caskets. This all stayed in Rioja, making it a superior wine producing region for clarets.
So, how can we find good Spanish wines?
Having lived in Florida for most of my life and being of Spanish descent I have frequented the Columbia Restaurant for years. And not only do they have great food, they are one of THE consummate experts on Spanish wines. To quote:
"Our 265-page award-winning wine list contains more than 1,056 wines with an inventory exceeding 50,000 bottles. It is recognized by many of Spain’s leading winemakers including Hall of Famer Miguel Torres and Vega-Sicilia’s Pablo Alvarez as having the most complete and the world’s best collection in the world of wines from Spain. We also carry a selection of wines from Chile and America."
And guess what? They have the list, along with descriptions and regional explanations on a PDF! It is a 35MB download (BIG) but can be found here:
http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/pdfs/wine_list.pdf
This list is priceless!
Best,
Jose
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