Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/326040
74 / the tasting panel / june 2014 Expanding Markets While well known in Spain, Cariñena is looking to expand into the U.S. mar- ket and has chosen to do so by combin- ing its mastery of Garnacha and the know-how of young winemakers such as the 44-year-old Marcelo Morales, who hails from Chile. Morales and his viticulture team work hard monitoring the ripeness in the vineyards located in 14 municipalities across the region. He aims to make "modern" wines from Cariñena that are concentrated, fresh and approachable. And that jibed with Carley's conclu- sions. "I found the rosé [ Grandes Vinos y Viñedos Beso de Vino Rosado] to be delightful. It wasn't as acidic as I had expected from rosé. It had a wonderful candy aroma on the nose, but it was dry with just slight herbaceous notes." At $9.99 a bottle, she added, "it is very complex for the price." Also an easy-drinker at $9.99 bottle: the Bodegas San Valero Castillo de Monséran Garnacha, with its dark red color, ripe berry nose and a slight herba- ceous note (think rosemary or basil). Carley's other favorite was the Grandes Vinos y Viñedos Corona de Aragón Special Selection, a blend of Garnacha and Cariñena grapes that she found very structured, well-integrated, with long length and pretty fruit, all for $15 a bottle. "What I really love about these wines is that they have a beautiful balance and a killer price point," she says. Moving West Spanish wines popularity on the East Coast is beginning to take hold in the West. Chris Tanghe, Master Sommelier and Wine and Beverage Director of Seattle's Aragona restaurant, notes when most American diners thought of Spain, "They thought of Rioja, Priorat, Ribera del Duero and maybe Sherry." Tanghe continues, "I think for most, they had never heard of Cariñena. There wasn't much imported into the country, but that's beginning to change," adding as the wine market continues to grow, "customers are becoming more savvy [and] are starting to explore other regions. Cariñena is beginning to get on people's radar." Asked how he explains to customers the difference between wines from Rioja and Cariñena, Tanghe says he tells them that Tempranillo is the main grape used in Rioja, so the wines from there are dark red, fuller-bodied and layered with red and black fruits. With Garnacha-based Cariñena wines, the red color is a bit brighter with more strawberry and red cranberry on the nose. "The wine also has a pronounced savory flavor as well, rosemary with a warm spice character. So it's very food-friendly," notes Tanghe. Robinson says the wines of Cariñena have their own place in the world of wine: "They are deserving. They are wines that are attention worthy and that charge prices that may allow them to get that attention." Spain on the Rise Spanish wine imports to the United States have steadily grown. In 2013, they were $327,761,000—up 4.9 percent over 2012, according to the Spanish Economic and Commercial Office. D.O.P Cariñena said during the last calendar year, it exported a little more than 75 percent of its production of 57,083,778 bottles. Of that total, 3,195, 447 bottles went to the United States. The Cariñena D.O.P. is highlighted in the Spanish province of Aragón. Lisa Carley, Manager at Uncorked Wine Co. and long-time fan of Spanish wines, finds elegance, balance and "amazing value" in wines from Cariñena. TP0614_072-101.indd 74 5/23/14 9:37 PM