Montsant is the new kid on the block in Spain, gaining D.O. status in 2002. Prior to this, it was known as the Falset subregion of the Tarragona DO. The DO took its name from the Montsant mountains in the area, and there are nearly 5,000 acres under vineyards. The region nearly encircles Spain’s second DOC Priorat and is sometimes called the “poor man’s Priorat.” The two regions share similar winemaking styles and grapes, but Montsant lacks the schist soils and the terrain is not as extreme as Priorat.

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Winery: Château Laronde Desormes
Wine: Red Bordeaux Blend 2005
Location: Bordeaux Supérieur, France
Purchased: Friar Tuck
Price: $15.99

As the saying goes, what a difference a year makes. Jonathan and I first sampled this wine last September. As I re-read what I wrote about the wine the first time, a few things stood out. First, we chose this wine because we were preparing to go to France and were drinking more French wines. The bin for this wine was nearly empty so we figured others liked it. Secondly, I originally found this wine “interesting, mainly with the way the addition of food changed the entire complexity of the wine.” Jonathan did not have such favorable reviews the first time. He thought, “the wine almost tasted bitter and didn’t taste the fruit flavors

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Each year there are hundreds of articles recommended wines for Thanksgiving. Year in and year out, wine professionals and winos claim to know the perfect combination for the Thanksgiving dinner. Why is Thanksgiving such a difficult meal to select wines for….a couple of reasons. First, while many of us enjoy turkey of the holiday, others feast on ham, duck, roast or lamb. The main dish can play a huge role in determining what wines to serve with your Thanksgiving dinner. Secondly, the variety of side dishes that accompany the meal. These range from sweet potatoes to stuffing to vegetables to fruit salad to your family’s traditional dish. At some point you begin to wonder, can I ever choose just one wine to go with all these flavors? Finally, think about your guests. Some like white, while others prefer red. How do you please both?

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Winery: Don Adelio Ariano
Wine: Tannat Reserve Oak Barrel 2004
Location: Canelonel, Uruguay
Purchased: Riley’s Wines of the World
Price: $12.99

This bottle was another find on our recent trip to Madison. Previously, we tasted a dessert wine from Uruguay made from the Tannat grape that was like drinking pure Hershey’s syrup. So we were intrigued by this bottle, interested to see if there were any similarities. For you chocolate lovers, I’ll tell you now, there weren’t.

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Carménère found new life in Chile, where as of 2004 nearly 15,000 acres are covered in vines. Originally from the Médoc region in Bodeaux, and widely planted in Graves until the vines were struck with oidium. It was used to produce deep, red wines and occasionally used for blending. Today, finding Carménère vines in France is nearly impossible. Many of the vines were wiped out by the phylloxera plague in the late 1800s, and thought to be extinct for some time. When the vines were replanted in France, they were difficult to find and more difficult to grow compared to other common varieties.

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