Happy New Year to you all!

I’ve been going back through my tasting notes to see if there are any wines that were worthy of the Wine of the Week accolade but slipped through the net. Here’s the first…

Simon’s Wine of the Week is Adaras Aldea Tinto 

I championed the white version of this wine back in August but never quite got round to featuring the red on Wine of the Week. It’s certainly worthy of the title so it’s the first WOTW of 2023.

As with the white the vineyards are in the foothills of the Almansa mountains to the East of the La Mancha plain in central Spain. It is an area that is home to a new wave of Spanish winemakers making fantastic wine outside of more well-known regions. The Bodegas is committed to being as sustainable as possible and all their wines, including this one, are Organic.

The main grape in the blend is Garnacha Tintorera, which is one of the most interesting grapes out there. Better known as Alicante Bouschet in Portugal, it’s one of the very rare grapes that is known as a Teinturier. Whilst normal black grapes only have colour in the skin Teinturier wines have colour in the flesh as well. This intensity of colour means they were originally used to add colour to light red wine but have now grown into their own in Spain and Portugal.

Whilst we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, the range of wines have some of the best-looking labels I’ve come across in a good while. The label for this wine is a stylised illustration of the local village, and would look great displayed behind any bar.

As you would expect this is very deep in colour. On the nose it has lovely dark cherry aromas with a little sweet spice and touches of roast lamb and rosemary. The palate is juicier than expected but still quite intense. There’s enough body to support more dark cherry fruit and sweet spice, with touches of fresher raspberry, minerality and violets. The mouth feel is lovely and soft with a smooth finish.

This wine would obviously fit perfectly into a Spanish/Tapas restaurant, but its broad appeal shouldn’t be limited. Its organic status and funky label make it ideal for wine bars and restaurants at the more cutting edge of the hospitality experience, but this would be perfect for any gastropub as well.

Have a great week,

Simon