A Rosé From Navarra, Spain

Can you get a good rosé at this price?...

Bodega de Sarria Vineyards

As the summer is rapidly fading away, it’s high time to review some rosés. Today’s wine carries the Spanish Navarra DO designation, which means that it comes from north central Spain. The specific location is Valdizarbe, about halfway between Rioja, Spain and Bordeaux, France, both fine, fine wine regions. This area knew winemaking in Roman times. It includes a Sixteenth Century palace surrounded by vineyards, but “properly planted” vineyards date only from the mid-Twentieth Century. The wine is made from the well-known Grenache red grape, called Garnacha in this part of the world. Today’s companion wine is an inexpensive rosé from the less well-known Yecla wine region in south eastern Spain, based on the red Monastrell or Mourvedre grape.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Señorio de Sarría Crianza Rosé 2009 13.5% alcohol about $12

Let’s start with the marketing materials. Description: This tangy cherry-, plum-, and spice-scented wine won a Gold Medal at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in 2007. Lively acids and supple tannins bring structure to all that flavor. Enjoy with fine smoked meats, hard cheeses, or gourmet sausages. And now for my review.

Brussels Gold Medal

At the first sips I found the wine nicely balanced with light fruit and acidity. The initial meal consisted of chicken legs baked in Agave nectar with soy, sliced potatoes, and onions. Paired with the chicken this rosé tasted of strong strawberries with palate cleansing acidity. In the face of the potatoes and onions the wine was quite long and quite strawberry filled. Its acidity was nicely under control. When the wine’s acidity met the fresh tomato’s acidity the result was pleasant. The dessert of fresh strawberries flattened this rosé, which still retained its strawberry taste.

My next meal was a packaged vegetarian lasagna based on ricotta and mozzarella cheese that I augmented with lots of grated parmesan cheese. This rosé was fairly deep and metallic. It tasted of berries and had lengthy, crisp acidity. With breaded eggplant sticks it tasted of sweet strawberries. For dessert I enjoyed almond meringue cookies. In addition to strawberries I now tasted a trace of lemon.

My final meal was an omelet with lots of parsley, chili, black pepper, and garlic. This wine was sweet, floral, and almost syrupy. The side of zesty guacamole tempered this rosé a bit. The Grenache showed some power and sweetness when it met raspberries straight from the market but there was no interaction.

Prior to my traditional cheese tasting I enjoyed a Japanese mix of rice crackers and coated peanuts. With the salty crackers the wine fruit was strong and it presented subtle acidity. With the sweet peanuts the wine took on roundness. Then came the light-tasting provolone cheese. The rosé was almost dark. I tasted a little burnt something. In the face of a tastier Swiss cheese this wine was round, very long, and quite fruity.

Final verdict. If I were a fan of rosé, I would buy this wine again. It qualifies as a bargain, as most of the pairings were fairly good.

Access the companion wine A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wine - A Rosé From Yecla, Spain

About the Author

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine websites include
www.theworldwidewine.com    and    http://www.wineinyourdiet.com

Visit his website devoted to Italian travel www.travelitalytravel.com

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