Since there were  four of us and we ordered an array of dishes appropriate for both red and white wines, we settled on one of each.  Our white was a stunner.  A Marsanne blend from the Northern Rhone appelation of Saint-Peray, the 2007  Domaine Du Tunnel Cuvee Prestige by Stephane Robert brought smiles all around.  It had aromas of star fruit and cotton candy, and notes of coconut and schiste in the mouth.  Though it danced with showing a bit too much sugar, the structure and minerality balanced it out.  Michael Skurnik Wines imports the wines of Stephane Robert, and only brought over 25 cases of this wine.  I want to find them.

Having felt like we got a bargain paying a modest $54 for such an exceptional white, we splurged a bit on a 1991 Vina Tondonia Gran Riserva from R. Lopez de Heredia.  It was a perfect specimen of aged Rioja and exactly what I was hoping for.  It maintained a youthful appearance with light red hues and gave off hints of violet and clove on the nose.  In the mouth the juice was soft and supple with four or five delicate but distinct layers of flavor.  The wine is 75% Tempranillo with Garnacho, Graziano and Mazuelo filling in the rest.  This wine was barrel-aged for nine years and sat in the bottle at the winery for nearly another decade before release. 

If you go to Ripple, and I recommend you do, take the redline Metro to Cleveland Park because parking is a bear.

In fact, Albariño – called Alvarinho in Portugal – is a wonderful complement to a wide range of foods. With its focus on peach and nectarine flavors, accented by a bit of citric acidity, the wine balances zest with texture to serve up a medium-bodied, long-flavored wine. Usually it is slightly on the sweet side, but this helps deliver fullness of flavor when matched against spicy foods.

Starting with seafood, Albariño is best with steamed shellfish or broiled spine fish, although it merits attention with the better versions of ceviche. And it has enough body to serve alongside fish soup or cioppino.

But Albariño also pairs well with chicken – especially those with cream sauces or accented by herbs – and pasta dishes with clam sauce or mushroom-based sauces.

In the restaurant scene, you should find excellent examples of Albariño in establishments like Taberno del Alabardero, La Tasca, and Jaleo, but the wine is also likely to appear on well-drawn wine lists in wine-savvy restaurants, like Grapeseed, Tallula, and Cork. If it’s not there, ask – no, demand – and see how your favorite watering hole reacts to your new discovery.

Meanwhile, here are some Albariños for you to try on your own – with or without preparing a complete Spanish meal as accompaniment. All are from Rias Biaxas, in the northwestern region of Galicia.

  Condes de Albarei 2010 -Apricot and peach on nose, vibrantly fruity

Don Olegario 2010 – Floral, fruity, bright white peach and nectarine flavors

Mar de Frades 2010 – Refreshing touch of acidity to add sparkle to a forward-fruity wine

Marques d Vizhoja Torre la Moreira 2010 – Bright, fresh, a bit more reserved than other Albariños

Pazo Señorans 2010 – Unctuous and smooth, richer in texture than other Albariños

Robaliño 2010 – Butter, hazelnut and flowers on nose, supple textures with vein of acidity

Santiago Ruiz 2010 – White peach, hint of pineapple on nose and palate

The countdown has begun and, unless you’re more prepared than the average ‘significant other,’ you’re still wondering how to bring a smile to your spouse, girlfriend, or boyfriend. Hallmark stores will be full and their shelves will be empty, so don’t put your faith in paperstock.

Restaurants have already reserved most of their tables and Mickey D’s is out. FTD and local florists have spiked the prices for roses; you’d think those thorny things were pure platinum. There seems to be an infinite supply of diamonds and gold, but maybe this year’s Valentine’s Day is not the time to drop the “big one.”

Why not be a bit imaginative and bring a sparkle to their eyes? The imagination part is yours, although secluded spaces that specialize in quiet privacy are best. The sparkle comes from lovers’ lore: Champagne and other bubblies.

Sparkling wines are made around the world. In a select part of France, they’re named after the town, Champagne, but other bubblies are made in the U.S., Italy, Spain, and elsewhere. Here are some suggestions, in case you’re spending all your time looking for that “secluded space.”

Bollinger Brut Special Cuveé (France, $65) Scents and flavors of cream, vanilla, and toast; pleasantly elegant effervescence.

Bollinger Brut Rosé (France, $100). Light salmon color, delicate but persistent bead, strawberries and cherries on palate, zesty finish.

Cupcake Prosecco (Italy, $14) Fun and refreshing, light body, medium bead, forward fruit.

Freixenet Elyssia Gran Cuveé Brut (Spain, $17). Very effervescent, silky smooth, fine bubbles, reminiscent of fresh, lively fruit.

Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuveé Brut (Carneros, $35). Bright and brilliant, effervescent and lively.

Segura Viudas Aria Estate Brut (Spain, $15) Brilliantly sparkling, hints of pineapple and pear on nose, touch of honey and vanilla bean.

J Vineyards Brut Rose (Russian River Valley, $30). Bright and citrusy, with a hint of vanilla cream.

As an inveterate fan of this dish, I’ve sampled versions in four countries, but the basic ingredients remain throughout: Arborio rice, broth, the best cheese, hints of garlic and herbs, and some form of wine. From there, each chef can add subtle hints to bring this delight to the table, and these hints may yield a signature dish, but few risotto preparations would be a disappointment.

A greater challenge, perhaps, is finding the right wine to pour. Two rules of wine-food pairing apply here: Drink the cuisine, and pour into the glass what you pour into the dish.

The cuisine is clearly Italian, so an Italian wine seems appropriate. My own recipe calls for Marsala, a fragrant and lightly sweet wine from Sicily that marries well with the chicken broth and accents of the dish. It’s also Italian, so I could serve Marsala and would be very satisfied, but there’s a better idea.

Sherry, not the kind your old Aunt Mildred drinks, but a traditional sherry from Spain, is a perfect partner for risotto. Fine sherry is made in the solera system in which young wines are drawn from casks and blended into casks of older wines, a method to achieve complexity but maintain a house style and consistency. The principal types of sherry include fino, oloroso, amontillado, and manzanilla, each with unique characteristics and flavors.

The sherries of Gonzalez Byass are truly remarkable and perform perfectly alongside a plate of risotto. Try any of the following:

Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Fino Muy Seco Palomino Fino ($18)
Gonzalez Byass Alfonso Oloroso Seco Palomino ($20)
Gonzalez Byass Cristina Oloroso Abocado Palomino ($20)
Gonzalez Byass Nectar Pedro Ximenez Dulce ($20)
Gonzalez Byass Vina AB Amontillado Seco Palomino ($20)
Gonzalez Byass Solera 1847 Oloroso ($20)
Gonzalez Byass Apostoles Palo Cortgado Viejo 30 ($49)
Gonzalez Byass del Duque Amontillado Muy Viejo 30 ($49)
Gonzalez Byass Matusalem Oloroso Dulce Viejo 30 ($49)

Sometimes reserved and a bit austere, Spanish red wines combine passion and quality, while still leaving a little room for the wine lover’s imagination. A flirtation with one of these gems could wind up in a lifelong affair.  Combine them with the grilled and smoked meats of the Iberian Peninsula and you’ll be lost forever in a gustatory dream state.

The red wines from Rioja have taken center stage in an American market still limited in Spanish imports, but those from the regions of Jumilla, Ribero del Duero, Penedès, and Priorat deserve focused attention, too. All these work wonderfully with the grilled sausage, pork, and beef that are the center of attention at summer barbecues.

José Andrés has brought Spain to Washington with his ever popular Jaleo and Café Atlantico – not to mention the Greek-influenced Zaytinya and Mexican-driven Oyamel. The wine list at Jaleo is too long to recite here, but Pesquera Crianza (from Ribera del Duero) and Finca Valpiedra Reserva (Rioja) are heavenly matches for grilled meat.

With a nod to Andrés recent success, Taberna del Alabardero remains D.C.’s original and traditional leader in authentic Spanish cuisine. One of my favorite examples is Taberna’s Grilled Beef Tenderloin with mushrooms and red wine sauce. The subtle flavors of Spain’s delicious red wines meld beautifully with the combination of grilled meat and mushroom aromas.

But if you’re grilling out rather than eating out, here are some wines recently tasted and available locally that you can serve at home:

Abadia Retuerta 2006 Rivola Sardon de Duero (Duero, $15, 60% tempranillo and 40% cabernet sauvignon). Bright red fruit flavors, long and satisfying.

Abadia Retuerta 2006 Sardon de Duero Seleccion Especial (Duero, $20, 75% tempranillo, 20% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot). Softly fragrant and forward, this wine is seductive and smooth on palate, hints of chocolate and dark fruit.

Bodegas Faustino 2007 Faustino VII (Rioja, $12, 50% tempranillo, 50% garnacha). Raspberry flavors with strawberry highlights. A touch of licorice adds interest.

Other Spanish producers to recommend:

Marques de Riscal

Vega Sicilia

Marques de Arienzo

Dick Rosano has offered his insights on wine in many publications and radio shows, and is a regular contributor to WeeklyWinePick.com.

While most Americans know Spain’s famous Rioja region, they can expect to increasingly find high quality–and often valued priced–wines from Navarra. This region lies in the north of Spain between Rioja and the border of France not too far from the Bordeaux wine region. Bordeaux has influenced winemaking in this this region, particularly starting in 1880s. At that time Bordeaux winemakers took their skills to Spain to escape the outbreak of phylloxera, an insect that nearly destroyed Europe’s wine industry until it was finally brought under control. Both Rioja and Navarra benefited as French winemakers shared some of the best winemaking expertise in the world at the time.

Like Bordeaux, these regions often blend various grapes (Bordeaux always blends) to make their wines, except in Spanish winemakers use native varieties that give their wines a unique character and style. Key among these grapes is Tempranillo, a grape that can produce soft, fruity and relatively light reds to big bold, oaked and aged reds. This grape is often blended with the Spanish Garnacha, which is the same grape as Grenache used to make southern Rhone Wines in France. Garnacha–which tends to be light, spicy, and high in alcohol–adds wonderful spice and fruit elements. It is also used to make dry and off dry (slightly sweet) rose wines, several lovely examples of which were available at the event. In addition, Navarra is also making blends that include more well known international/Bordeaux varietals like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and other grapes, often blended together or with Tempranillo.

At the event were wines produced by Bodegas Campos de Enanzo, the largest winery in Navarra. They produce a host of valued-priced, high-quality wines. A personal favorite was their incredible value wine: the unoaked Tempranillo, which retails for just $9.99. Even with the absence of oak, this is an unusually rich wine that is soft, fruity and a bit savory. Another treat is the 2004 Tempranillo-Cabernet Sauvignon, Crianza, which retails for just $14.99. According to Winesearcher you can find Enanzo wines in New York, but the Weekly Wine Pick learned at the tasting that the winery has just located a D.C. distributor. Look for these wines on store shelves and on wine lists soon in D.C.!

One table down the row was the Castillo Monjardin, which offered a number of lovey wines at great prices. Their Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot Crianza, 2005 (which also includes some Tempranillo) is a fantastic buy with retail prices around $12. Aged in French and American oak, this wine was grown in an excellent vintage year and offers soft and fruity notes. The Wine Advocate rates it an 89, and gives equally high ratings to their Tempranillo and a blend called Dejo as well as to their other wines. These wines surely are well-made. Keep an eye out for them at your local retail shops.

“After decanting the bottles, I was elated to find that the wine was in pristine shape.  Out of the glass came aromas of violets, cardamom, clove, cedar, campfire and crushed cherries. It had a sumptuous flavor of ripe baked cranberries, goji berries, all spice and Szechuan pepper on the finish.   Viña Valoria’s maturity and depth on the palate were remarkable, especially for the price (less than $100).  Comparable wines such as the 1964 Gaja, Barolo or 1969 Guigal, “La Mouline,”  and Cote Rotie can range from $500 to $3,000.

“I can say that Viña Valoria is among the greatest wines I have sampled.  Ten years from now – 50 years since its debut – I would not be surprised to find it equally alive, ripe and delicious.”  ViñaValoria only releases wines from the best vintages.

Thomas Jefferson’s love of wine is reflected in the restaurant’s Private Cellar, featuring walls lined with wine display cabinets and private wine lockers, along with an extensive collection of over 1,000 labels.  Chef Damon Gordon  applies modern twists to traditional dishes that draw heavily on the fruits, vegetables and herbs of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello gardens.

  The wine’s principal varietal is Garnacha (Grenache), which is blended with Merlot and Tempranillo.  The wine is aged in a combination of American and French oak barrels for a minimum of ten months, a process which imparts the smooth tannins.

  This bottle retails between $11 and $16, a price that Taylan remarked, “shouldn’t make someone feel guilty about drinking it as their Monday-Friday house wine.”  Taylan operates an impressive program at Stonehedge, maintaining New England’s largest wine collection of over 100,000 bottles and offering over 2000 selections on The Left Bank (Stonehedge’s fine dining restaurant, formerly Silks) wine list.  Taylan’s father, Levant, was quoted in a 2004 Food & Wine article as wanting “to see a bottle on every table.”  To that end, wine prices at Stonehedge are extraordinarily low.  Guests may also notice that recent releases are hard to come by on Taylan’s wine list, as he endeavors to offer wines at their peak drinkability.

  Check out Wine-Searcher.com to find this Crianza at a retailer near you.

2004 Closa Batllet label, courtesy of WineLibraryTV.com

  Tucked away in the hills of Catalan, Spain, not far from Barcelona, the unique soils (licorella) of Priorat create wines capable of achieving “cult” status.  Since the Priorat region is just slightly over 4000 acres, only America’s most robust wine lists normally feature them.  Only about 6% of that land is planted for white wine grapes, principally Garnacha Blanco.  If you find a white Priorat, you might take advantage of a rare buying opportunity. 

  Andy Chabot, sommelier and wine director at the Blackberry Farm resort outside of Knoxville, Tennessee, jumped at the chance to offer his guests a small batch from Closa Batllet.  Andy described the wine as “just stunning” and noted its stand-out qualities of “acidity and power with minerality and richness.”  Andy had tasted this wine during a visit to the winery in Gratallops a couple of years ago.  He noted that the winemaker, Marc Ripoll, only made 3 barrels of white wine, ”needless to say I was surprised and delighted when my importer told me he had and allotment.”  Andy pairs the wine with dishes that feature Spring vegetables grown on the farm, cheeses produced from the milk of Blackberry’s sheep, and morels and ramps foraged locally.

  Other white wines from Priorat that are currently available on the American markert are La Conreria d’Scala dei Les Brugueres, Mas d’en Compte Blanco and Clos Nelin Mogador Blanco.