Save Me From Sugar Bombs

I am an impatient wine drinker; since I don't have a cellar, I can't abide by suggestions to let a wine cellar for three to five to thirty years. I am a picky wine drinker; if a label says "jammy" or "easy drinking" I almost immediately become irritated. Overly fruity easy drinking wines have only one place: Sangria. Otherwise, give me the tannins, the acidity, the complexity. Save the sugar for port. Or your aunt.

Tonight I wanted something interesting. Something I could drink myself without necessarily needing a food to carry it along. A short walk to the local boutique bodega and I pondered the selection. I gravitate towards reds; primarily burgundies, puglias, and primitivos. But it was hot... maybe a white? I'll drink rosè but only if I have a good recommendation. Ah, for $12.99, this caught my eye: Castell Del Remei Gotim Bru 2004. 50% Tempranillo, 20% Cabernet Sauvingon, 20% Merlot, 10% Granache. This Spanish revelation arrived to my kitchen in an unusually long, thin bottle and a brief chill period. What surprised me was how the character of the wine changed as it sat in my wine glass. At first, it was tight, but pleasant enough with my peanut noodles with tofu and cilantro. But as it blossomed over the period of an hour of sipping it mellowed and released its aromas. I do wish it has a little less alcohol, but I think with the proper pairing it would not be an issue. Vanilla, raspberry, some blueberry, cocoa, and tar, and some wood. Maybe a little more berry than I had wanted initially, but in the end it was enjoyable. This is a drinking wine for me. Enough of this overly sweet Bully Hill Sweet Walter crap that everyone is passing off as 'drinking' wine. Give me some Castell Del Remei Gotim Bru. And at $12.99 a bottle, how on earth can you go wrong? Get a case, drink a bottle now, and if you can resist, cellar the rest to enjoy for a little while. You will not be disappointed.