Before I start, I am not going to present myself as a wine connoisseur which I am not by any means, however I would say I am an active learner and I have developed a sound understanding of what is considered “good” wine and “poor wine”… I think. Of course everyone has their preferences and what they have become accustomed to, which isn’t always “generally considered good,” as is the case with olive oil and other foods but more what they know or a particular palette which they have developed. As with olive oil a truly good wine should be easy to palette and easy to drink so I am sure you will all appreciate a couple of wines I have been drinking recently which I consider to be of excellent value for the fantastic quality they offer at an unbeatable price.
The first wine is referred to as a “craft wine” and is from a relatively small vineyard in Castellon, the Valencian Community. It is called ILDVM and it was a real discovery.
But what is craft wine anyway? One definition I found was:
"Craft wines are united by the passion and detail that go into their creation. You'll know it when you taste it."
Well I can certainly say I noticed something special when I tasted this wine. But to go a little deeper, craft wines are wines you'd normally only be able to buy at a tasting room or boutique wine store and are generally produced by small independent producers rather than fat-cat vineyard owners, though some of the bigger houses do make some excellent craft-style wines.
Craft wines share a couple of key features - aside from being delicious, they tell a story, especially of the people who produced them and the land from where they came. What does this mean to you? Maybe nothing but Craft wines vary greatly in style because the winemakers aren't really trying to please the masses, but rather produce the most beautiful expression of wine they can by making their unique qualities stand out. This generally results in a very diverse and interesting array of wines and flavours. This is very much the case with ILDVM TEMPRANILLO. Quite simply a fantastic, full bodied fruity wine, which is low in tannins, so very velvety and smooth. My father is very much as wine connoisseur and happens to live in the Bordeaux region of France, so no shortage of good wines, and he always asks me to grab a case of ILDVM when I drive up to visit. For the price I think I would be hard fetched to think of a better wine I have drunk recently, I highly recommend it.
I have purchased it from Carrefour in Valencia on many occasions but I have to admit I haven’t seen it stocked anywhere else. It is available from the vineyard’s website too so I will leave the link. It is priced at €5,95 on the website but Carrefour often has promotions which can bring the price down to about €5, a really incredible price for such a great wine. No French wine even comes close for the price.
Type of Wine: Red Wine Crianza Special Selection 2011
Awards: Silver Medal ASUCAP / Peñín Guide 2014 86 Points & 5 stars
Variety: Tempranillo 100%
Origin: I.G.P. Castellon
Winemaker: Jose Luis Sanchez
Harvest Date: September
Alc. % by vol.: 13,5
Terroir: Franco, Calizo (Franc, Limy)
Price: 5,95€
Go to Vineyard's online store
My next recommendation is actually from one of the fat-cat wine producers of Spain – García Carrión, the largest wine producer in Spain and Europe and the 5th largest in the world, so we are talking about one of the big boys in the business. The wine is called Pata Negra Gran Reserva 2007 and it is proof that the big boys can produce a fantastic wine for a ridiculous price. Pata Negra is a vineyard in Castilla La Mancha, the largest wine region in the world so when there is a good harvest one year the harvest is enormous meaning the cost per unit is very low. This all translates into very cheap excellent wine. There is a special promotion in MERCADONA where you can buy a box of 4 bottles for €10. If you buy the bottle individually it costs€3. Really, for €3 it’s difficult to beat.
Valdepeñas, Ciudad Real
Wine Type: Gran Reserva Red Wine
Variety: Tempranillo 100%
Awards: International Wine Challenge 2010, Bronze Medal, International Wine and Spirits Competition 2010, Bronze Medal, International Wine Contest Brussels 2010, Silver medal, Bacchus International Wine Competition 2012, Silver Bacchus , Challenge International du Vin 2011, Silver medal, Challenge International du Vin 2013, Bronze medal… the list just goes on and on….
Hope you give them a try and share your opinon with a comment.
Enjoy!