2009 La Granja Carinena Syrah

A beautiful afternoon out here in Northern California. It is about 70 degrees this afternoon and I've been slaving away in the garden all day, so I've decided to stay in this evening and roast some Catalonian Pork Stuffed Apples. I've got a Mallorcan Vegetable Stew with cabbage, bell peppers and artichoke hearts bubbling away on the stove top also. These should go well with the wine that I've just uncorked, a Syrah from the North East region of Spain called Carinena. Here's some propoganda from the producer:

History of brand:

La Granja 360º means in Spanish "The farm 360". We are happy we can present you more animals from our farm, especially this one, which brings us more matches for the day to day.

Vineyard:

The region is located in the north of Spain, a new plantation of the Syrah grape. The Cariñena Denominación de origen is situated at 56 km south east of Zaragoza, in Aragón. In the Iberian mountains between the Campo de Cariñena valley and the Ebro river. The Denominación covers 50.000 hectares and has a long viticulture tradition and has a rich culture heritage from the mudejar period.Generally the climate is arid in Cariñena, with an annual rainfall of 350 mm. The summer are dry and sunny, the winters are cold and the area often feels the effects of "the Cierzo" wind, wich contributes to the dryness of the climate. The soil are poor, stony and made up of ochre-coloured limestone. The vineyards are found at an altitude of

between 400 and 800 m.

Fermentation & Ageing:

After manual harvesting, the grapes are destemmed and pressed before fermention in stainless steel tanks at 26º C during 25 days. The maceration, which lasts10 days with 3 daily "pompages" (pump overs), incorporates the malolactic fermentation. Finally, the wine is filtered and bottled under the strictest hygienic conditions.

Winemaker's notes:

Deep dark red. Plenty of fruit to taste, blackberry primarily. A medium bodied wine. Juicy with balanced tannins.

Service suggestions:

A great match with spicy Mexican food, oven cooked with meat or that typical Spanish meal

My take on the wine - a nice Syrah and a bargain at $4.99 down at my local Trader Joes. Not a fruit bomb, but has nice blueberry and blackberry notes. I'll be getting more for future Catalonian dinners.

Here's another perspective from a great website called The Reverse Wine Snob, just follow the link ------> 2009 La Granja Syrah

You can find the recipes for the Pork Stuffed Apples and Mallorcan Vegetable Stew in this great book - Deliciouso! The Regional Cooking of Spain