Does anyone have a recommendation for a GOOD Spanish red wine. I have bought several different bottles, brand names and price ranges (from $30.00 to $9.99) but they're horrible. Very Sour, thin and they have a nasty aftertaste.

Sorry Ginger, but I have not found one Spanish or South American wine we like. They all come out way too tannic for our tastes.

Australia has a few good ones in Lindemans and Penfolds.

If you like merlots, there are some very good ones to try out of California... Estancia, Smoking Loon, Blackstone and Butterfield Station. All are under $10 a bottle and are very, very good wines.

Estancia does some very nice wines and I believe they are the secondary label of another large producer. They scored very high on the Wine Enthusiast list.. up around 94 I believe. I found them at a great store near my friends house in Columbia, SC called Wines & More. However, we do find a lot of refills at either Costo or Sam's. If you have a Fresh Market near you, they also have some good prices onthe featured wines. I also used to know a good local supermarket in Naples that dealt in gourmet (can't remember the name but they used to be on 5th and moved up to Tamiami Trail about 8 years ago but they had good stuff too.

Hope this helped.

Doug & Judith

Hi Ginger,
Have you tried Tempranillo wines? They're among my favorite medium body red wines.

I don't know any specific Spanish producers, but there are a few California wineries bottling Tempranillo. I've tried Castoro Cellars' and really liked it. When Shannon and I were in Amador County earlier this month, she told me that the St. Amant Winery Tempranillo was the best, in her opinion. What could I do but buy a bottle? I haven't tried it yet, though ...
Good luck with your search!

Vina Alarba is pretty widely available adn pretty yummy. Last I looked it was availablefor under $10.00

Topping

I wish I knew more about Spanish wine - what I do know is that it is sort of hit and miss.
It also seems that the Spanish make wine in a bit of a stark style that we are unaccustomed to here.

Here though is a blog that I was reading over the summer, that seems to be dead now but there is a lot of good stuff on it about Spanish wine - I should have posted it before.

Wine Plunge

There is a wonderful tempranillo from Spain "Antano" that I just LOVE! It is about $10 a bottle. It was featured in the wine column of the "Good Eating" column in the Chicago Tribune recently.

Alba Liza is another Spanish wine that I have enjoyed.

I agree about the Tempranillo!
Even if I'm not usually a great fan of Rioja wines, "Marqués de Cáceres" wineries has veeery good Riojas...
Ever tried any "Ribera del Duero"?

Giulia

Hi

Spanish wines are great I guess I got a bit hooked on it when we went to Spain on a short vacation last year. But it is a bit hard to recommend some because I'm not sure what kind of selection you have in the States. But my favourites that I can get here in Norway are Muga, Estola, Pata Negra, Monte Ducay, Gran Feudo Reserva and of course the famous Faustino.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

I need to print out this list when I go back to buy some wine. I'm afraid to buy a Spanish wine without guidence. I love a good, full bodied, fruity but not sweet red. My favorite wine is a Chianti, followed by Beaujolis. I think Brunello and a straight SanGiovase is too dry.

Ginger

One of the hottest wines coming out of Spain now is Priorat, from the Catalonian region of Spain. I am a die hard Ribera del Duero fan, and if you can find anything outside of "Viña Mayor", buy it, as it will be worthwhile. I believe that Pesquera was available in the States many years ago when I lived there. If you come across any reds from Toro, they as well are producing interesting bottles these days. And of course, lets not forget that delicate spirit like wine, Sherry, which you should be able to find some examples of somewhere (the true sherry is from Jerez, which is also the Spanish name of this wine) I myself love a little glass of Amontillado before dinner.