I was recommended this wine by Randall at Vintage Cellar. I was looking for a red wine to serve my company alongside the Chicken Marsala I was cooking. Originally, I thought that a medium-bodied red would be perfect for the occasion to balance out the sweetness of the Marsala, but I was recommended a light-bodied red instead: the 2020 vintage of Garnacha de Fuego from Calatayud, Spain. I scored this bottle for $10 and was told this was a steal. The alcohol content of this wine was a whopping 15%.
This is a varietal wine, made from Grenache grapes. According to the website Wine, this is a jammy wine with notes of blue fruit. A floral aroma and flavor builds with air. I decided to test this for myself by aerating the wine before drinking at room temperature.
The wine was ruby red which I liked. I did notice some particles in the wine that were not strained by the aerator, which was odd but I did not mind. The wine itself had a strong aroma of blueberry. For such a high alcohol content, I could not smell or taste much of it. It was very smooth to drink. I did noticed high tannins, which left my mouth extremely dry. But it was also super fruity and jammy, with a strong flavor of blue fruits such as blueberry and what I would imagine boysenberry to taste like.
I thought it was pretty light bodied, but that may have been because I was enjoying it with my meal of Chicken Marsala. While I absolutely adored the wine, I do think a less fruity wine would have paired better with the dish. I think a medium-bodied dry red like a Chianti would have been enjoyable with it.
According to Wine Folly page 117, Grenache (also known as Garnacha) had a pretty medium body, with high alcohol and medium-low tannins. There is virtually no sweetness to this variety. The flavor profile of this wine included stewed strawberry, grilled plum, leather, dried herbs, and blood orange. I think this wine would be excellent with a red meat like steak or lamb.
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