Leaving Rioja

 As the walk nears Belorado, I find the endless Tempranillo grape vines begin to be replaced by sunflowers. The sunflowers raise their heads as the sun comes up, smiling at you mid morning, as I journey ever westwards. No wonder they were my nephew, Angus’ favourite. Every new field fills me with warmth. How he touched our lives, and continues through the ALMT, to touch the lives of others. 

Before leaving the region, my party tried a Rioja. The label states it is Denominacion de Origen Caliticada, which means it is from the right region. As a local wine, the notes for this will be true for all young Rioja reds. So forgive this pilgrim for being generic. 

If you poor a small amount of wine into a clean glass and swirl, you should see lines coming down from where the wine touched the glass. These are the legs. The faster the legs, the more alcohol. This wine is 14%. Looking at the edge of the wine, as it is tilted in the glass, you will see, that the rim is clear, meaning a young wine. Rusty coloured and you will have age. This wine is clear, so three years old. The colour is garnet, fresh and light. The nose is one of cherries and oak, berry fruits and floral notes. 

Cherry, redcurrant and cranberry are smoothly blended on the palette, and the oak from the barrels makes a reappearance making it a touch tart, so you want to suck your cheeks in. Young red Rioja wines would be good with red meat dishes. 

Now let me go back to the Sunflowers, they are smiling back at me.