Wayne and Pam Casalino show off their winning wine and the traveling trophy for Tuesday Tasters.
Catherine Bass
September brought the Tuesday Tasters to the home of Susan and Mike Miloser for Tempranillo Wine sampling. Tempranillo is a wildly diverse food-pairing wine that is easy to find and has a great flavor for the value. If you’re never had Tempranillo or have only tried it in isolated circumstances, there are a few tips that most people don’t know.
First, it is from major regions such as Spain, Portugal, the USA and Australia. The taste has the flavor of leather along with cherries. The finish is mild, smooth and lingers with tannin on both sides of your mouth. American and other New World Tempranillo delivers tons of cherry and tomato-sauce flavors followed by chunk tannin. Tempranillo is technically a medium-bodied wine with red fruit characteristics. It tastes similar to Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Good vintages taste full-bodied due to the addition of new-oak aging.
All kinds of food pair well with this wine because it is savory. Think roasted vegetables and cured meats, lasagna, pizza and other dishes with tomato-based sauces, dishes with corn as a major ingredient and Mexican food such as tacos, nachos, burritos and chile rellenos.
After enjoying several samples of this tasty wine, a winning bottle was selected: a Vina Zaco Tempranillo, 2001, a product of Spain. Contributing the winning wine were Pam and Wayne Casalino.
Until next month, good sippin’.