http://catavino.disqus.com/Spanish Wine, Portuguese Wine, their foods, and culturesenTue, 16 Jan 2007 16:05:50 -0000http://www.catavino.net/blog/wine-thoughts-from-the-states/#comment-2417282hi Ryan - excellent post! I think awareness of Iberian wines and varieties is growing and a watershed year is on the horizon, if not this year. Our local (Calaveras County) wine ass'n held its monthly "Wines of the World" session recently, and the subject was Iberian wines. We sampled eight wines from Cava to Sherry. <br><br>The one wine that got my attention was a 2003 Allende Rioja Tempranillo-Garnacha. I have been pretty immersed in California wines for a while, so the wall of Brettanomyces from this that hit me at first whiff really sent me reeling! But once I gave that a chance to blow off the wine really settled down and the remaining Brett aroma actually added positively to the fruitiness and overall enjoyment of the wine.<br><br>I have been so conditioned to think of Brett as a flaw that this experience was a reminder that there are lots of different ways to put enjoyment in a glass. (No, I'm not going to start inoculating our wines with Brett...;-)eljefeTue, 16 Jan 2007 16:05:50 -0000http://www.catavino.net/blog/wine-thoughts-from-the-states/#comment-2417283hi Ryan - excellent post! I think awareness of Iberian wines and varieties is growing and a watershed year is on the horizon, if not this year. Our local (Calaveras County) wine ass&#039;n held its monthly &quot;Wines of the World&quot; session recently, and the subject was Iberian wines. We sampled eight wines from Cava to Sherry. <br></br><br>The one wine that got my attention was a 2003 Allende Rioja Tempranillo-Garnacha. I have been pretty immersed in California wines for a while, so the wall of Brettanomyces from this that hit me at first whiff really sent me reeling! But once I gave that a chance to blow off the wine really settled down and the remaining Brett aroma actually added positively to the fruitiness and overall enjoyment of the wine. </br><br></br><br>I have been so conditioned to think of Brett as a flaw that this experience was a reminder that there are lots of different ways to put enjoyment in a glass. (No, I&#039;m not going to start inoculating our wines with Brett...;-) </br>eljefeTue, 16 Jan 2007 14:05:50 -0000