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Road To 500 Grapes

#42 Rivaner – 458 grapes

Amicable and approachable wine, fruit centric, low acidity. Finally tried Muller-Thurgau.

Manuel Somohano / December 16, 2020
Road To 500 Grapes

#41 Godello – 459 grapes left

1of2 Thanksgiving wines. Crisp, fruitful, good acidity. Was a great choice.

Manuel Somohano / December 14, 2020
Road To 500 Grapes

#40 Pinotage – 460 grapes left

Unusual, for me, version of the grape. I thought I was drinking a pinot noir. Lovely nonetheless.

Manuel Somohano / December 11, 2020
Road To 500 Grapes

#39 Xare-Lo 461 grapes left

Great fruit profile, even pineapple on palate. Medium acidity. Quite enjoyable.

Manuel Somohano / December 9, 2020
Road To 500 Grapes

#38 Gamay – 462 grapes left

Fruit forward, medium acidity, overall a good battle wine or for post covid Mondays.

Manuel Somohano / December 7, 2020
Road To 500 Grapes

#37 Monastrell – 463 grapes left

Always formidable. Fruit forward, hint of vanilla and spice. RP92.

Manuel Somohano / December 4, 2020
Road To 500 Grapes

#36 Harslevelu – 464 grapes left

Could have sworn it was a Spatlese but finish was different. Really good.

Manuel Somohano / December 2, 2020
Road To 500 Grapes

#35 Furmint – 465 grapes left

Truly balanced, medium acidity, elegant aroma, crisp on palate.

Manuel Somohano / November 30, 2020
Road To 500 Grapes

#34 Zweigelt – 466 grapes left

Great nose with red fruit. Elegant on palate. 91WE.

Manuel Somohano / November 27, 2020
Road To 500 Grapes

#33 Malbec – 467 grapes left

Full body wine with dark fruits forward and some spice. 94JS.

Manuel Somohano / November 25, 2020
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roadto500grapes

Repeat Grapes List: Bobal (#83-B) Grape: Bobal Repeat Grapes List: Bobal (#83-B)

Grape: Bobal
Alcohol: 13.5%
Vintage: 2020
Wine: Mil Historias
Winery: Alto Landon
Country: Spain 
Date: 4/15/23
DO: Manchuela 
Distributor: Mil Caminos Imports
Original Entry: RT500 # RT500 #83 (5/30/21)

The Wine: I had already tried other wines from Alto Landon, so I took one of these home. It had more body than I expected, and the black fruit was mainly present on both aroma and palate but accompanied by some earthy tones. Well-balanced tannins and acidity. Very enjoyable.

The Grape: Bobal is a dark-skinned grape native to Utiel-Requena and one of the most planted in Spain behind Tempranillo and Airén. The name is estimated to derive from the Latin word Bovale, meaning bull. There's a documentary from 2008 called Bobal and Other Stories About Wine by film director Zev Robinson.

The Country: This wine, like my previous entry, is also from Spain and from the southeastern side of the country. Particularly from the Manchuela Comarca between the valleys of the Rivers Júcar and Cabriel. The D.O. was the seventh created in the region of Castille-La Mancha and includes over seven municipalities. Their climate is continental, and the soil is lime-bearing clay.

How does it differ from the previous entry: The expression of the wines was different. This wine was ready to drink now versus my comments on the other one, and I drank both wines at 3 years from their individual releases. Also, they are from nearby denominations of origin, but still, they have their own persona. The previous one was from Utiel-Requena, while this one was from Manchuela.

What's your take on this grape?

#wines #vinos #wein #krasi #wijn #wineloversofinstagram #winestagram #winegrapes #winelearning #winedrinker #winegoals #winenerds #winetimes #winetastingevent #drinkwinesaveswater #ilovewines #wineconnoisseur #wineporn #redwines #bobal #altolandon #spainwines #manchuelawines
163 of 500 Grapes (Vitovska) - 337 grapes left 163 of 500 Grapes (Vitovska) - 337 grapes left

Grape: Vitovska
Alcohol: 11.5%
Wine: Kante
Vintage:  2019
Winery: Azienda Agricola Kante
Region: Venezia Giulia
Location: Prepotto, Italy
Date: 4/28/23
Distributor: Terruar Wine Imports

Curious Synonyms: Vitovska Grganja, Vitovska Garganja

Nerd Alert: Rare and ancient greenish-gold variety that is found predominantly in Carso, in the northeastern Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. The name is of slovenian origin. Believed to be a crossing of Prosecco Tondo and Malvasia Bianca Lunga. Traditionally used in blends, but recently, it started panning out. Botanically similar to Ribolla. Has a number of distinct flavors. Production is small and isolated to the Carso/Kras region of Italy and Slovenia.

Personal Note: This was a great addition to the list, and it's available in Puerto Rico. Limited quantities, but available. My old man found it for me. He sent me a text saying, "Do you have this one?" A quick nope and another grape joined the queue. A family that finds grapes together has fun together. So I took it with me to the beach, like I usually do, and I was genuinely surprised as to how much I enjoyed this wine. Mainly because I found things that didn't remind me of other wines.

Let me expand on that. Upon this challenge, and trying 163 grapes already, there are undoubtedly grapes whose profiles seem unique, and there are grapes that remind you of another one. A similar aroma, a parallel fruit profile, an analogous structure, things like that. This wine's profile didn't straight out remind me of another grape, which, to me, makes it stand out. Plus, being an ancient grape, it would be kind of weird to say it's similar to a new one instead of the other way around.

So as to the profile, solid structure, good minerality in the wine, nice bright yellow color. It had a swell creamy undertone and lots of white fruits like pears or green apples. It lingered on palate, and the acidity was well balanced. I think this thing didn't last an hour open.It was that good. I would definitely buy it again.

Have you tried this grape?
A Wine Tasting With Winemaker Gil Nuñez Date: Fri A Wine Tasting With Winemaker Gil Nuñez
Date: Friday 5/2/23
Location: La Bodeguita de Luis, Toa Baja
Distributor: LuxoWine
Wines:

Heredad de Peñalosa - Rueda Verdejo (2021)
Las Garnachas de Tritium - Rioja (2019)
Hermanos Frias del Val - Rioja Alavesa (2018)
Dominio de Berzal - Crianza Rioja Alavesa (2018)
Dominio de Berzal - 7 Varietales (2017)
Bagus - Ribera del Duero (2019)
Clos Berenguer - Seleccio Priorat (2019)

Hemingway once said, "When people talk, listen completely. Don't be thinking what you're going to say. Most people never listen." So true. Most people wait for someone to finish talking so that they can sell their position and win the argument. There are very few real conversations happening now a days and that is a loss for human interactions. So, every time I have the opportunity to listen, I just absorb what I can.

Recently, I had such an opportunity when I was invited by my friends from LuxoWine to meet Gil Nuñez. Gil is a sommelier, a winemaker, a professor of enology and an entreprenaur as he is the General Manager of the Bertha Group which helps distribute small and family run wineries by combining efforts as they export their product. One of the first things we talked about was him having any free time, to which he chuckled and said "barely."

The evening plan was for a small group of people to try some of the wines he made and some of the wines he distributes through the Bertha Group and the manner in which it was going to be run was pretty informal. The environment we did the tasting was a small shop called La Bodeguita de Luis and even though it was the first time I visited it, I must say it was a nice place, with great service and a very nice selection of wines in their wall.

We tried seven wines that night, and each one told a different story, and I must say, as a person that drinks a lot of spanish wines, I was very impressed with what I was introduced to.

*** To read the rest of the review, visit my website www.roadto500grapes.com.
 Find the Link in Bio.***

#winereview #winetastings luxowine #berthragroup #gilnunez #spanishwines #riojawine #rueda #priorat #riberadelduero #riojaalavesa
162 of 500 Grapes (Niagara) - 338 grapes left G 162 of 500 Grapes (Niagara) - 338 grapes left

Grape: Niagara
Alcohol: 11%
Wine: Sweet White
Vintage: NV
Winery: Oliver Winery & Vineyards
Region: Southern Indiana Uplands
Location: Indiana, United States
Date: 4/29/23
Distributor: n/a

Curious Synonyms: Niagara White, White Concord

Nerd Alert: Light-skinned hybrid variety grown mainly in the northeastern United States. Created in the New York county of Niagara in the mid-19th century from the Concord grape variety (probably a cross between a wild Vitis labrusca variety and an unknown Vitis vinifera variety) and the labrusca Cassady. It's high yielding and resistant to ahrsh continental winters. Southern Indiana Uplands is situated on the same latitude as California's Napa Valley and is made of limestone bedrock.

Personal Note: From not knowing Indiana makes wine, to having 3 participants on the list so far. That's what this list has done for me. Regardless of the profile's outcome, I make sure I learn something about it in the process. So, I recently bought a few wines from a store in Florida and this past weekend decided to try this one. I learned how big this winery is and that my wine #118 Chambourcin is from the same company even though they label themselves differently. But what really got me is that I keep coming across wines from Indiana for american grapes when its not even mentioned in most summaries of states that work grapes. Expanding the research, Indiana is now 15 (per 2016 research) among the 50 states in wine production with 1.4 million gallons (or just 0.175% of the countries production. They are even behind Florida. So to find their wines outside their state is pretty cool in my book.

So let's talk wine profile because, unfortunately for me, most wines i've found from Labrusca or hybrid american grapes have been sweet wines. It's been difficult to find dry wines. This wine is non vintage, but they establish that they add no flavoring or additional sweeteners to it. The wine was yellow color, light, and had a lot of tropical fruit flavors to it. It had a long finish, but it was a tad too sweet for my preference. 

Have you tried this grape?
Grape Conversations Episode 5 with: Rosa Maria Gon Grape Conversations Episode 5 with: Rosa Maria González 

This Saturday the 6th of May 2023, I'll be joined by Rosa María González in my latest Grape Conversations installment via Instagram Live to talk about the spanish region of Rias Baixas one of the most popular wine areas for the Puerto Rican market. We'll also be doing a live tasting of interesting wines from the region with Rosa, the most knowledgeable person on the subject of Rias Baixas I've met. Will be a great conversation. 

So join us this coming Saturday, 6th, at 12pm ET.

See you then... 

#grapeconversations #riasbaixas #riasbaixaswines #albarino #rosamariagonzalez #spainwines #winetalk #wineinterview
Road to 500 Grapes Wine Tasting There was an alb Road to 500 Grapes Wine Tasting 

There was an album I liked very much from the 1990s by the band The Cranberries titled "Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?"

So I did a thing. I've had this idea for quite a while. I've also had friends and people I've met the past few years who asked me to do a tasting pertaining to the project. Sort of like them tagging along on the trip. And me being me, we'll I've waited this long to get it going. But regardless... we are here. We have a date.

I think it'll be a fun exercise. I'm picking the wines, I'll be driving the talk and sharing about the grapes, the wines, their history, etc. It will be nine wines, three whites, six red, done in three flights, and expertly paired with Chef Billy Gautier's dishes made for the tasting. I'll be sharing the grapes list soon, but I can tell you two things: 

1. They are not wine grapes we talk a lot about in our market or from markets we typically search them in.
2. They are all available in Puerto Rico.

As I have previously stated in my writings, we do have great availability of wines in Puerto Rico and, in this case, of single varietal wines. These are just 9 of them.

So this is happening Saturday, May 20th, at 12:30 pm at Tuttobene Ristorante in San Juan, near the Museum of Art.

If you are interested, check my link in bio for tickets (EventBrite). Spaces are limited.

Cheers!

FAQ is coming soon.

#puertoricowine #winetasting🍷 #puertoricoevents #puertoricofood
Synonym Grapes List: Cannonau (Grenache) #1 Gra Synonym Grapes List: Cannonau (Grenache) #1

Grape: Cannonau
Alcohol: 13.5%
Vintage: 2018
Wine: Dolia Cannonau Di Sardegna D.O.C.
Winery: Cantine di Dolianova
Country: Sardegna, Italy
Date: 12/3/22
DOC: Cannonau di Sardegna
Distributor: Total Wine
Original Grape Entry: RT500 #97 (8/12/21)
Original RT500 List Grape: Grenache

What's this list? Well, the Repeats Lists are literally wines with the same name I reviewed for RT500. The Synonyms List is the same DNA but with another name, regardless of country of origin.

The Grape: Cannonau is the name given to Grenache in Sardinia, Italy. This is a late-ripening variety, best suited to hot and dry climate, characterized by medium alcohol level, soft acidity, and generous red fruit flavors. It was once thought this grape came from Spain, but recent research speculates that this grape might be originally from Sardinia and then taken out to the rest of Europe, and from there, it grew.

The Country: Sardinia is that other island next to mainland Italy that we rarely talk about and to say it's rich in history is an oversimplification. It is one of five italian regions with some degree of domestic autonomy and carries the official name of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia. They have around 16 different types of varieties that they grow and 20 DOC/G zones, and 15 IGT zones. 

The Wine: I've had this wine for a while, and I even thought it was an actual grape. But, you read, and you learn. I opened it a few months back in a blind tasting with some friends. Everyone seemed to like it, and honestly, the profile was quite different from the regular grenache I've tried. The wine was mid body and acidity with a long finish.

The Difference: Between spanish grenache, which is the one I've tried the most, and this cannonau I do see a difference. Even though it's not far off from Spain's grape growing latitude, the land is different, as is the ocean influence. Traditionally, for me, grenaches are fruit forward, but this wine was more mineral and earthy with dark fruit tones. 

What's your take on this grape? From where have you tried it?
161 of 500 Grapes (Tinto Velasco) - 339 grapes lef 161 of 500 Grapes (Tinto Velasco) - 339 grapes left

Grape: Tinto Velasco
Alcohol: 14%
Wine: Erosivo
Vintage:  2020
Winery: Vinos en Voz Baja
Region: Rioja
Location: Calahorra, Rioja, Spain
Date: 4/16/23
Distributor: Mil Caminos Imports

Curious Synonyms: Graciano de Alfaro, Velasco, Blasco, Benitillo, Frasco

Nerd Alert: This grape is known in la Rioja Baja,and it wasn't until the early 1990s that it was demonstrated it wasn't really Graciano. It is considered a spanish varietal even though it is not recognized as an authorized varietal in any D.O. in Spain. Very similar profile to Tempranillo, but the berries are larger and matures later. First reference was identified in the early 19th century by Rojas Clemente, the famous naturalist from Valencia.

Personal Note: I broke my rule again. At this point, I should just call them guidelines, but I have a good reason to have done it. See, this wine is 70% Tinto Velasco. So why am I reviewing it here knowingly? Well, mainly because this grape pretty much doesn't exist and to find a wine with 70% is short of a natural marvel. And did I mention you can find this wine in Puerto Rico? My good friend, Dr. Carlos Fraga is distributing this wine, and if you live here, you should try it. Period. It's a Rioja wine from a grape you have never heard from before. But there's more. The other 30% is made up of Pasera, a white and extremely rare grape anywhere in the world. Normally I would have placed this wine on the Rare Blends list, but again, I'm fairly certain I won't find a wine with a larger percentage of Tinto Velasco, so that's why it made the list.

This wine itself had a beautiful color while the nose took a bit to open, but when it did, it was violets and a perfume of red fruits because of the elegance it projected. And on palate, it was well balanced, rounded tannins, medium body, and long finish. It's a great curve for blind tastings. I also did the thing where I left like 1/4 of the bottle for the next day, and it was intact on both aromas and palate. That's quality. 

Have you tried this grape?

#roadto500grapes #wines #vinos #wein #krasi #wijn #winelovers #tintovelasco
A Sunset With Rueda Wine Tasting * Date: Friday 4 A Sunset With Rueda Wine Tasting

* Date: Friday 4/12/23
* Location: Aloft Hotel, San Juan
* Distributor: D.O. Rueda
*Wines:

*S-Naia – Sauvignon Blanc (2021)
*Palacio de Bornos (2021)
*Diez Siglos – Verdejo (2021)
*Doña Beatriz – Ecológico (2021)
*Oro de Castilla–Verdejo (2021)
*Oro de Castilla–Finca Los Hornos (2019)
*Doña Beatriz – Vendimia de Media Noche (2017)
*José Pariente – Verdejo (2021)

I’ve been told by many that have been involved in wine a lot longer than I have that when it comes to wines, I should try all I can, and all that is available which is the only way to make good palate memory. Granted, when they started in wine down here in Puerto Rico, the options were limited to the big names and big regions, and the prices were approachable. That being said, the statement stands true today only that we do now have a formidable accessibility to many new wine locations and regions, one of them being the Rueda D.O.

Rueda has had some presence in Puerto Rico over the years, but it wasn’t until recently that they invested in a campaign to really tell us a story of what their wines can be. Mainly that their wines are not singular and lineal but that they have the capacity to showcase nuances, difference in styles, pairing alternatives, and capacity to evolve, among other things. So together with the help of Nelly Cruz & Associates as their public relations hand, and Amber Rivera, Ambassador to Puerto Rico to both Ribera del Duero and Rueda’s D.O.’s they have, for the past two years allowed us to explore through plenty of activities, dinners and like we did this past Wednesday, in a more relax ambience, in an open space, with friends and aficionados from the wine industry in Puerto Rico, we experienced some wines and share our insight on them.

We tried eight different wines from Rueda, and I must tell you, they each had their own particular personalities, which goes to the point I believe they are trying to make, which is…there is something for everybody in Rueda.

For the rest of the review, visit my website: www.roadto500grapes.com. 
Or check the link in bio.

#dorueda #verdejo #sauvignonblanc #wines #prwines #spainwines #ruedawines #
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