It’s Monday evening and it’s snowing. My husband has evening business calls, so we have to eat dinner early. When I have to make quick dinners, things that go in bowls is a go to. Also, when it’s cold outside, I like foods with lots of flavor. Enter the taco bowl paired with the Rio Madre Rioja 2018. Normally a wine from Rioja, Spain would be a blend of Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano and Garnacha but this one is 100% Graciano. The Graciano grape is what gives Rioja wines their fruit character and it is rare to have a wine made from this region that is not a blend.
It’s spicy, like I would expect a Spanish wine to be. It has the flavors of American Oak-cedar, vanilla, dill and baking spices. The herbal and floral qualities add a nice addition. There is black pepper, licorice, thyme and rose that give it a more robust quality. It also has some nice tannin structure to it. It lets you know that it’s there but you don’t need to drink a glass of water when you’re done with it. The fruit character is a nice counterbalance to this wine. It is black in character-blackberries, black cherries, black raspberries and a hint of blueberry jam which round out the spiciness.
Food Pairing
When it comes to spicy food I don’t always want a Margarita, I want a glass of wine and this wine will go perfectly. In my head the conversation goes like this: “I want a taco bowl for dinner and I want a drink. It’s Monday, so I don’t want high octane-I have work in the morning. Ok, what do I have that would go?” This is the bottle I pulled and was as happy as a clam. Because the wine is spicy and there are spice components in the food, they tame each other without getting lost. This wine would also go very nicely with grilled beef, stronger cheeses (like Manchego) and cooked vegetables. Sometimes it is difficult to pair vegetables with wine, especially red wine, but stronger flavored vegetables like peppers and mushrooms will stand up very nicely. Just as it goes with Spanish food, it also goes with Mexican food. It goes with chorizo, grilled meats and spiced salsas.
So, I end my evening with snow on the ground, spicy food, spicy wine and Anthony Bourdain in Mexico. Perfect.