Sacred Drop 
1991 Viña Tondonia, Gran Reserva
Posted on June 16, 2011 1 Comment
1991 Viña Tondonia, Gran Reserva
Bodega: Lopez de Heredia
D.O./Zona: DOCa Rioja, Rioja Alta
Country: Spain- España
Type of wine: Tinto con crianza- Red with aging in barrel
Alcohol (vol): 12%
Price: 53 Euros (Spain), $75 approx., may cost more in the US or if purchased outside the winery
Varietals: Tempranillo 75%, Garnacho 15%, Mazuelo and Graciano for rest
Color: Amber
Nose: Prunes, vanilla, dark berries, smells a bit like the cellar it was kept in, a bit musty.
Mouth: Enjoyable and surprisingly good. It is a very traditional Rioja wine with full body and distiguishable yet soft tannins.
I was a bit concerned about the cork being so wet, though the wine was not corked.
Elaboracion: Aged 9 years in American Oak barrel, racked 2x a year, fined with fresh egg whites
Recommended with meat dishes and served at 18-20 degrees C
Our fun day trip to Hondarribia, ES and Hendaye, FR – June 2011
Posted on June 15, 2011
When you aren’t sure what to do and looking for something within 2 hours of Logroño, the País Vasco is where you want to go for sun, sand and surf…and lots of great tapas.
Here is what my girls called our version of Sex in the City, since it was just us girls wandering around and enjoying the amazing Txakoli wine of the region, tapas and beaches; we called this trip “Sex in Hondarribia” as a joke!
We also happened upon a wonderful medieval festival in the center of town. If you are in the area, stop by and enjoy this beautiful city with so much to see and do.
Enjoy!
Bodegas Darien- Darien Winery in La Rioja
Posted on June 15, 2011
“Best of Wine Tourism 2009 ” Award in architecture
I had the opportunity to visit this beautifully modern Bodega/winery right
outside of Logroño. Darien Winery is a medium-sized winery with three- to four-year-old vines surrounding the premises, but most of its harvest is done in the Rioja Baja region. There is also a restaurant with stunning views and a ceramic art collection that contains one of the most important European Traditional Ceramics collections, with art items dating from the 12th to the 20th centuries.
We tried the Darien Selection 2003 red wine, which is composed of the grape varieties: 68% Tempranillo and 32% Mazuelo (Carinena). It is aged in new French oak barrels, giving it a nicely balanced, slightly porty red wine. Robert Parker, a well-known enologist, gave this wine 90 points out of 100. Priced at about 16 Euros, this is a bargain for a wine that ranks up there with some of the best French wines in the market.
Sacred Drop 