Here we are, just a few days from Christmas, and I am facing the enemy again. A villain so evil that it threatens to ruin Christmas Eve. I am speaking of course about Unwrapped Presents! Cue screams of terror. Yes, that's right, unwrapped Christmas presents are the bane of my holiday existence. Taunting me, daring me to put off wrapping them just another day or two. Unwrapped Christmas presents have ruined many a Christmas Eve for me. But not this year! This year I have found the ultimate weapon to combat these evil doers, Wine! It seems so obvious, but normally wrapping gifts for me is a tornado of swear words, tape, and stress. Add wine to that mix and everything changes. Well, maybe not everything, but all of a sudden I don't care that the awkward shaped gift is wrapped like my dog did it. I also don't care that my house looks like an unspeakable atrocity was committed against roll of wrapping paper. Christmas is ready, and Santa gets a glass of wine instead of just milk. It is a win-win for everyone!
The wine I am taking into battle with me this year is 2012 Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva. There is so much to love about Rioja. For some reason, I didn't realize how much I love wine from Rioja until this year. If you have not discovered this region of Spain, you shouldn't wait. Go to the store now and pick up a bottle. I will wait...........................................................are you back yet? No? How about now? Great! Now that you have tried some for yourself, don't you love it?! Rioja is a wine region in Spain most known for Tempranillo. Other varietals are grown there as well, and certainly Tempranillo grows outside of Rioja, but there is something magic about the combination of Rioja and Tempranillo. Rioja is located in Northern Spain. The warm climate produces beautiful wines with ripe fruit. See my poorly drawn map for reference (It is definitely not drawn to scale!). Actually, don't use it as a reference, just note that Rioja is located towards the top (red region). Our wine, Campo Viejo, is actually a blend. Made up mostly of tempranillo (85%), but also Graciano (10%), and Mazuela (5%). Note that the wine says Reserva on the label. This is part of Rioja's classification system. There are 4 levels that refer to the amount of aging. These are Rioja, Crianza, Riserva, and Gran Riserva. You can think of it as a quality scale, and generally, the price increases as you go up the scale At the bottom you have simply Rioja. This means there is little to no aging in oak casks and 1-2 years of aging in the bottle. Next you have Crianza. This indicates a year in oak and a year in a bottle. Next is Riserva (our wine). Riserva wines spend a year in oak casks and 2 years in a bottle. At the top you have Gran Reserva. These wines have 2 years in oak casks and 3 years in a bottle. There is even a quality control board who enforces the standards.
Enough generalization about Rioja, let's talk about our wine. My favorite thing about 2012 Campo Viejo Rioja is the nose. It has an amazing ripe cherry smell. It is really nice! The ripe fruit continues on the palate with cherry and raspberry. Balancing out the fruit is nut, pepper, and toasty oak. The tannins are smooth and not overpowering. This wine is delicious now, but it will continue to mature over the next few years. It is one of those wines that you can buy a case of and enjoy it over time.
I definitely recommend this wine. At around $12 a bottle, it is a good value. As I said, it is my gift wrapping companion this year, but I would definitely take it to a holiday party, enjoy it with a meal, or just have a glass by the fire while I wait for Santa. Our Elf On The Shelf, Olaf, certainly seems to like it!
Wishing all of you a wonderful Holiday Season
