"spanish wine" news and stories

Spanish wines continue to be a great value. For less than $15, it's not difficult to find a bottle that will blow your mind. The country continues to produce a variety of Tempranillo styles on the red side and Albariño and Verdejo as two white-wine examples. Food pairings run the gamut, but we do like Tempranillo with grilled foods – from steak to vegetables – and the whites match up nicely with summer salads, especially those with acidic fruits or spicy kicks.

After the jump, find seven Spanish wines we've recently sipped and enjoyed -- a mix of reds and whites.

Spanish wines are hot right now--both for their awesome factor and because the ones that get imported to the U.S. tend to deliver good value, even those from the best regions like Rioja and Priorat. Rioja is the classic Spanish wine region, with reds made mostly from the powerful Tempranillo grape with a few other grapes thrown in the blend.

Rioja is classified into different levels according to how long it's aged, so if you like a wine with more oak and subtler fruit, pick one of the older (and generally more expensive) versions, and if you're in the mood for something younger and fresher, try the young Rioja.

• Rioja: aged in barrel for less than a year.
• Crianza: aged at least two years, at least one of which was in oak.
• Reserva: aged at least three years, at least one of which was in oak.
• Gran Reserva: aged at least two years in oak and three years in bottle.

More Rioja - Wine of the Week after the jump.

The University of Miami has announced a Master Wine Appreciation program that begins this Autumn/Fall. It is designed for wine aficionados and anyone who enjoys wine.

On the course students will learn to conduct sensory evaluations of different wines (ie have a sniff) and master the terminology needed to discuss and enhance the experience of tasting wines (nose, tannins, mouth feel, weight etc) of different grape varieties and from different regions. As with any course the aim is for a better "understanding of wine" that will "help increase enjoyment, better communicate the pleasures of wine, and improve wine-purchasing decisions".

The program concentrates on wines from Spain and South America and lasts 8 weeks. Participants will receive Riedel wine tasting glasses, Hugh Johnson's World Atlas of Wines, wine-vintage charts and a wine aroma wheel used to enhance the experience of tasting wines of different grape varieties and from different regions.

To learn more about this program offered by the Office of Professional Advancement in UM's Division of Continuing and International Education, visit http://www.edmiami.com/vino or contact Program Director Patrick Alexander Lane at 305-284-5800.

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