Garnacha de Fuego: Still En Fuego

A long while back (when I first started the blog) I did a quick review of a wine in a horrible looking bottle. I remember liking it, but I hadn't seen it in a while and completely forgot about the bloated-Elvis-on-drugs-in-flame-licking-jumpsuit label.

The other night, I was picking up some stuff for dinner at the store and I saw a huge display of the heinous label of Garnacha de Fuego staring me in the face. Given that Rick and I had just done Garnacha as the Grape of the Week on the July 4th podcast, I was moved to throw down the $7.99 and try the wine again.

The wine is from the northern central province of Zaragoza (I love that name, BTW) in the Catalayud region of Spain. This area has produced wine since 200 BC and has the traditional Spanish wine story -- Romans started the industry, Muslims shut it down, monks picked it back up.

Catalayud is pretty high in the mountains with tons of rivers running through and a continental climate that's kind of cold for half the year. 85% of the wine made here is red and the same percentage is exported, so the 15 bodegas that make wine here definitely cater to an international palate (meaning, these are not exactly Spanish-style wines -- they make what they think we will like).

Most of the wine made in Catalayud is from the native Garnacha grape, and it's usually made well in my experience. Garnacha de Fuego follows suit. So although the bottle is really tacky, I'm still loving this inexpensive wine and calling it my guilty pleasure...

The Wine: Garnacha de Fuego
The Grape: 100% Garnacha
Where it's from: Catalayud, Spain
Alcohol: 14.5%
Vintage: 2009
Price: $7.99

Color: Opaque, violet, gloppy-legged blackberry juice...What a color. The only clue that it was Garnacha (which is usually much lighter): the color lightened to a cherry or raspberry color at the rim. The wine was definitely made of some very ripe grapes to give it all that color.

Smell: With raspberry and black cherry with lots of pepper, black licorice, and cinnamon spice, this was a wine with an opinion. There was a sweet oaky smell and there was a floral bouquet thing going on too. The prodigious alcohol in the wine was apparent: it burned the inside my nose. That burn and the other scents gave an impression of hot spicy fruitiness.

Taste: So textural -- you feel an alcohol burn that's warm, prickly and tingly. It's almost like drinking brandy, which I normally don't love in a wine, but given the rich fruit and spice the sensation reminded me of a yummy liqueur and I loved it. Raspberry, blueberry, and plum with licorice or anise (a spice that's like a mild licorice) balanced the prickly texture from the acid and alcohol. There was a little bitter almond flavor too. The warmth from the alcohol, cinnamon, and the carmelized berry flavor made the wine like liquid pie. It fills your mouth with deliciousness.

Pairing: Whip out the big, charred flavor. Steak, grilled stuff, portabella mushrooms, and anything cooked on an open flame is best. You need that burnt flavor to counterbalance all the fruit and alcohol. Although stay away from spice because your mouth will burn!

Drink or Down the Sink?: OMG, drink. For $8 this wine drinks like $20 and it's such a guilty pleasure. Is it the most complex wine around? No, but it's a tasty treat and all the rich, ripe fruit makes it a decadent, unbelievably yummy wine.