As we continue through the holiday season, there are some very special red wines from Spain I want you to give a try in 2022 or 2023! I think wines from Spain are really well loved but don’t get enough feature on my site, and this year going into next year I am going to change that. I want to bring you more content focused around a region so we can dive a bit deeper… and who knows, maybe we will all be traveling on a wine trip together very soon!

In the meantime, let’s travel through our glass and get these three wines in your home asap. These wines spread across Northern Spain from the areas of Campo de Borja and Rioja. Campo de Borja is in the north west Spain, it’s close to Rioja and has chalky clay like soils that give a lot of layered complexity to these wines. Rioja is a wonderful region in which I hope to visit one day. I love the complexity of Rioja, the sweet baking spice, powerful wines, and pair-ability with meats.

The Tres Picos is a 2019 Garnacha that’s absolutely delicious and full of raspberry, spice, and layers of herbs. Bodegas Borsao has high elevation vineyards with 35-60 year old vines that thrive in the clay and limestone soils. Blackberry, plum and leather leap out of the glass and leave a nice long finish on the palate. This wine is ideal for winter foods and is one of my favorites with short ribs, game meats, and Spanish octopus!

Going to Rioja, you will find the Viña Ardanza Reserva 2015 which is a gorgeous Tempranillo with medium depth and a lot of elegance. Notes of coffee, cinnamon, sweet baking spice, and some spice make this wine very attractive and the balsamic aromas really make it so alluring. This is a wine I love with smoked cheeses like smoked gouda as well as lamb pizza, game meats, and a nice big roast.

When I want something a bit more powerful from Rioja but with all the elegance I go for the 2015 Finca Martelo Reserva! A clean wine with a bit of a twist, some texture, and smooth tannins. The vineyard is over 60 years old, creating complexity and length in this beautiful wine. The northern exposure combined with sun and wind achieved and added great balance to this wine and vintage. It’s an intense wine with blackberries and balsamic and all those beautiful Rioja spices. It has a long finish making it an ideal food pairing wine with roasts, sausages, and even grilled/charred vegetables.

Cheers to a winter full of great company, great wines, and delicious food pairings. Wishing everyone a very happy holiday season and a cheerful new year full of love, light, and prosperity. Thank you all for another amazing year of Somm In The City, your support means everything to me, and I can’t wait to share with you what 2023 has in store!

Always remember, eat what you like and drink what you love. Please pair responsibly!