Bud's Picks v NJ: Grenache/Tempranillo

We're starting a new feature here at WineGirl Blog: Bud's Picks. A taste for wine runs in my family, so every once in a while we'll feature a comparison post to see how my Uncle Bud's wine picks hold up against my own. This week, we're comparing Spanish varietals: grenache and tempranillo.

Grenache, or Garnacha, is a widely planted vinifera varietal that dwells best in hot, dry climates. Grown in the south of France and southern California, the grape is most popular in Spain, its region of origin. Generally lacking tannin and acid, it's soft on the palate, proffering strong berry flavors and spicy nodes. What does that boil down to? An incredibly easy to drink red wine that functions simultaneously as a cocktail and a dinner drink (think tapas and saltier meat dishes).

Grenache on its own doesn't have that much color to it, so it is often mixed with any number of grapes, including Tempranillo, a rich black grape loaded with body that is often referred to as Spain's noble grape. Common nodes include plums, tobacco and leather.

Bud's Picks: 

Protocolo (100% tempranillo) - Rates 89 points on the Wine Enthusiast scale and ranked #2 on their list of Best Buys from 2011, this is a wine that defines the word "structure". It hits every node on the tempranillo list, proffering fruit, herb and leather in equal measure, balancing on its tannin like an Olympic gymnast. Speaking of which, the guys in the room did full flips for this dry wine, adding it to their Vivino collections without a second thought.

Bodegas Borsao Garnacha (85% grenache, 15% tempranillo) - hailed by Robert Parker as "Possibly the single greatest dry red wine value in the world, this is an unbelievable wine." With a powerful fruit flair, this was described by one taster as "a party in my mouth." Semi-sweet drinkers favored this fruitier version, embracing the gift of the grenache.
My Pick:

Barcelona Red - Billed as a "grenache style" wine from Laurita Winery in New Egypt, NJ, this fruit-forward wine is billed as a medium-sweet on the Laurita scale. Laurita tends towards dryer wines in general, so for this Jersey palate, I'd dub Barcelona Red a semi-dry. Leather to the left, ripe berries to the right slip down your palate leaving a tannic finish in the wake. It is a nice compromise between the rich fruitiness of the Borsao and the definitive structure of the Protocolo.

What Won?
As always, it depends on the drinker. The dry fans in the crowd devoured the Protocolo while the sweeter fans aimed towards the Borsao. My husband and I, who range in the middle, devoured the Barcelona Red with ease.  At $6 - $9/bottle, and available practically anywhere, the Protocolo and Borsao are amazing deals to be appreciated. At $19, the incredibly quaffable Barcelona Red should be actively sought out by local winery fans and encouraged onto store shelves, a move that would hopefully help to lower the price a few bucks and bring it into the playing field where it rightfully belongs.

Wrapup of 2013 Wine Reviews at PJLifestyle

2013 was a great year for WineGirl Blog, primarily because I was able to review New Jersey Wines (and even one New York bottle) for an international audience through PJLifestyle. In case you missed any of them, here are my reviews originally published at PJLifestyle:

New Jersey Wines: Challenge Your Assumptions - a wrapup of the Renault Summer Chill Wine Festival, featuring a review of Tomasello's Palmaris 2010 Cab Sav and Renault's 2011 Unoaked Chardonnay.

5 Tips for Novice Winos - drink the labrusca grapes, already!

Valenzano Winery and the Surprising Appeal of the Garden State - I can't lie; Valenzano is one of my unabashed favorites in Jersey. Their tasting room is welcoming and warm, their staff knowledgeable and friendly, and you can sample everything on their list. Take the tour of the barrel room for added insights. I loved the Plum Wine (drinks like an American saki) at their Holiday Wine Trail Weekend event and am looking forward to trying the Dry Hopped Chardonnay next time around.

Cold Soil White: The Finesse of German Wines American Style - a review of Terhune Orchards in Princeton, NJ. A gorgeous farm with a renown bakery (apple cider donuts, anyone?) Terhune also offers up a series of wines, my favorite of which is their traminette/muscat ottonel blend.

Sip Spanish Style Wines White You Walk Leisurely Among the Vines - Laurita Winery's Irish festival introduced me to a Jersey take on some gorgeous Spanish grapes, a wine that drinks like a fine scotch, and one of the most beautiful vineyards in the Garden State.

Savoring Almondberry with My Cousin Vinny - Cream Ridge Winery. Gotta love 'em, especially Tom. Again, a chill tasting room that leaves their entire selection open for the tasting, this warm and friendly winery makes some of the most unique wines in the state.

What Exit for Great New Jersey Wine? Old York, of Course! - Old York Cellars raised $5,000 for Sandy Relief with their What Exit Wines, proving that good wine makes friends of us all.

A Revolution in High Class Winemaking - Unionville Vineyards has the right combination of Revolutionary history and remarkable vinifera, making it one of the classiest wineries in the state.

5 Indispensible Wine-O Tools - Stock your bar right!

Beneduce Vineyards: The Next Big Thing in Jersey Wine - Can I tell you how excited I was to come across this vineyard in the middle of Northern-Central Jersey suburbs? The Cornell-educated 4th generation farmer and his Rutgers-educated sister who run the winery prove the Finger Lakes and Jersey are a winning match.

Give Thanks With these Jersey Wines - Featuring a variety of my favorite wines from across the Garden State.

Mulled Wine: Spice Up Your Holiday Table - Ever drink a Shakespearian-influenced wine that mirrors those served in the time of Elizabeth I? Don't miss this wine from the Lake Erie region of New York State!

Auburn Road Vineyard - the Full Review

Wait a sec - let me get the last of the Rosalita...

The semi-sweet blush is bright and juicy with a light mouthfeel and pleasantly puckering tannins dancing along the sides of your tongue. Chilled and carrying all the appeal (and none of the sugary nature) of a candy apple, this wine pairs as well with cheeses as it would BBQ, and should frequent your summer dining experiences under the stars as it did ours last evening as we sat watching Shakespeare amidst the vines of Auburn Road Vineyard & Winery in Pilesgrove, NJ.

The evening started as all visits to a winery should, with a tasting. We sidled up to the packed bar in the Enoteca and were quickly welcomed with two logo-emblazoned glasses that were ours to keep with the tasting fee ($5/person for 10 wines on that day's list).

Our favorites included:

Sole - a bright Vidal Blanc containing strong mineral notes and a fruit-forward finish.

Good Karma - a vinifera red blend of Sangiovese and Merlot, this fusion of Italian body and French flavor carries all the tannins you'd expect from a dry red in a light body, making it the perfect wine for grilled chicken or salmon. Slightly too tannic for my husband, the sweet drinker, I find Good Karma to be a great balance between semi-sweet and dry pallates. This is the bottle I can easily share with friends who are the driest of drinkers.

Roxanne - the light dry rose that acts as the base for the Rosalita, this wine offers the crisp tang of grapefruit and is best served chilled.

Kind of Blue - Hammonton, NJ blueberries are used to create this fruit wine that rides the line between sweet and tart

Blessington - the husband's favorite, this wine rings a Concord note, but is actually a sweet red blend of grapes that don't include the labrusca favorite. Chill it for a great summer sipper.

A few of the wines, including Rustica, aren't currently available; I look forward to tasting the 2012 vintages when they are released. The Classico - the motivation behind the creation of Auburn Road Vineyards - is a gorgeous dry red wine. I will readily admit to not being a dry red drinker, but in my humble semi-opinion, Classico is a distinctly American vinifera blend with a healthy balance of tannin and fruit.

Auburn Road Vineyards and Winery offers the Enoteca - a beautiful dining area boasting a patio that looks out into the vineyards and offers enough green space for live performances, of which there are many. With dinners on Friday nights and light fare all around, this is the place to cap your wine ride or hang out on a relaxing summer day/evening. For the oenophile, Auburn Road's Enoteca offers the kind of space you're looking for when you're out to contemplate the wine you're drinking.

To compliment our bottle(s) of Rosalita, we ordered one of the artisan cheeses from the Italian Market in Philly, a crusty loaf of Italian bread with olive oil, a bowl of the soup du jour (yellow pea with roasted red pepper) and the Coco Bar for dessert (think a high-end Klondike with a coconut infusion). Everything was fresh, delicious and a perfect match for the wine.

An excellent performance of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by the Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company provided excellent theatrical accompaniment to thoughtfully crafted wines. What a fabulous show put on by three talented actors and a staff of dedicated professionals. If you have the chance, catch this show! Watching Shakespeare unravel among the vines was a transcendent cultural experience I will forever cherish.

Auburn Road Vineyard and Winery is the quintessential experience for wine drinkers seeking an American twist on vinifera grapes. With an environment as welcoming as the wine, Auburn Road is already a Jersey Wine classic.

Wear T's 4 Wine #supportlocalvines

This week I tweeted @WineGirlBlog:

Want 2 support #NJWines @RenaultWinery Summer Chill #winefestival -need the t-shirt(s) 2 do it! Email winegirlblog@gmail.com WillTee4 #Wine
— WineGirl Blog (@WineGirlBlog) June 19, 2013

So, why am I offering to wear an NJ Winery T-Shirt at the upcoming Summer Chill Wine Fest at Renault Winery? It all started, ironically enough, at the Winter Chill Wine Festival at Renault last January. It was the perfect event to don my Sharrott Winery Crimignoles t-shirt I'd picked up and warm enough to wear it without a jacket. Sure enough, the t-shirt was a hit with my friends at Sharrott, who were the only folks who didn't mistake me for a winery employee that day. Various reactions I received included:

"What's a Crimignoles?" (Answer: A blend of Sharrott's Crimson Sky and Vignoles - two great wines on their own - paired for an extra sweet-tart treat.)

"Dude, we love your wine!"

"Wow, they let you off to go taste wine?"

"Shouldn't you be working?"

And, my personal favorite: "Why aren't you wearing my t-shirt?"

It was a question posed, quite charmingly I might add, by several vintners charmed by my support of local wines. "Well," I'd reply, "I'll wear one of your t-shirts next time! Do you have them here for sale?"

Hence the idea: Will Wear T's 4 Wine.

I've got an impartial witness who will testify that I sent at least 20 odd attendees over to Sharrott's table that day to try their Crimignoles blend. I didn't think I'd be a walking billboard, but I had great fun talking NJ wines and showing my support for one of my favorite wineries.

Are you a #NJ Winery with a t-shirt to spare? Contact me at winegirlblog@gmail.com with pricing details. I want to support YOU at the upcoming Summer Chill Wine Festival at Renault Winery!