Las Rocas: Spanish Wine of Calatayud
Spain is considered by many wine experts to be the “country to watch” for the next 10 years as its wine industry continues to grow in prominence and quality. You may notice this as local shops sometimes turn heads by featuring wines from obscure regions of Spain.
One of these is a 2007 “Las Rocas” and is featured at Cost Plus World Market for $9.99. This wine is produced in the Calatayud wine growing region in the Zaragoza province of the Aragon community located about 150 miles Northeast of Madrid. Because it’s not often that a wine from the Calatayud region appears on local shelves, it bears a closer look.
Las Rocas is made from 100% Garnacha, also known as Grenache when it’s grown in France. Wines made from this grape are normally very easy drinking and well-received by many. This fact alone is enough to cause a wine shopper to drop one or more in the cart, especially when the price is under $10.
This wine proved to be quite surprising; its bouquet is like forest loam, fine leather and mint. From this, one would expect this dark colored red wine to be dry and acidic with a quick finish. This is not the case. In the mouth, the Las Rocas is quite full and with well-balanced acid. The alcohol is nicely integrated making it a quaffable dinner condiment, especially at this very reasonable price.
Pair Las Rocas with beef or chicken kabob with plenty of onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers wedged in. Its body will stand up well and complement them, yumm.
Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes (60-65 degrees) before opening.
Article by Tom Peiffer, Phoenix Wine Shopping Examiner at Examiner.com
View more of Tom’s articles on Examiner.com by visiting his writer’s page.
About the Author - Tom Peiffer
Tom has been an avid wine consumer and collector for over 20 years. This pastime has taken he and his family on many visits to wine growing regions, including Arizona. During these excursions, with the accompanying tastings and lectures, it became clear that there is no "magic bullet" wine. For each wine contains its own character, strong points, and weaknesses. Sharing these experiences to help anyone purchase locally available wines is his goal.
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