Starbucks--Iced Tea

I am not a coffee person but I do love tea, especially iced tea. I drink iced tea year round, summer and winter. I like my iced tea to be freshly brewed and unsweetened. I enjoy the iced tea at Starbucks because I can get it that way. They usually have iced tea in three flavors: black, green and Passion fruit. For only $2, you can get a large glass of iced tea. The other day I found that Starbucks now has a new flavor, white tea. White tea is all the rage now because of its alleged health benefits. I enjoy the mild flavor of white tea. You can get the white tea plain, or they have a blueberry white tea. I had a glass of that and enjoyed it very much. It had a subtle blueberry flavor and a refreshing tea flavor. If you like iced tea, and want something different, try their new white tea.

Oregon Wine Explorer

Oregon is making some top notch wines, including some incredible Pinot Noirs. And I really love Pinot Noir. I have been considering making a trip to Oregon within the next couple years to visit some of the wineries. Well, planning that trip has gotten much easier.

There is a new website dedicated to Oregon Wine and it is quite impressive. You will find maps and listings for hundreds of wineries. There is plenty of tourism info so anyone could work out which wineries to visit depending on what parts of Oregon you plan to visit. There are also listings of upcoming wine events so you can try to visit during a specific time.

You can even find wines that you can order wines through this site. There are plenty of search filters you can use to narrow down what wines are available to be sent to your state. This may be a way to get wines from small producers that you might not find in local wine stores.

This is a very cool site so please check it out.

Vina Magana

On June 30, Acton Wine & Spirit Co. hosted a special wine tasting with six Spanish winemakers. This was an exceptional event. I am going to address each of the Spanish winemakers and their wines in their own post.

The last winemaker I met and spoke with was Diego Magana of Bodegas Vina Magana. Vina Magana was founded in 1970 and is located in the Navarra D.O. The vineyards are located in the town of Barillas, one of the warmest sub-regions of Navarra. They grow many French varietals. Diego was personable and helpful, and obviously passionate about his wines. He brought three wines with him, though the wines are not yet available for sale. They should actually improve even more by the time they are available.

2003 Vina Magana Dignus ($14.99)--The Dignus is comprised of 50% Tempranillo, 25% Merlot, and 25% Caberent Sauvignon. It sees 12 month in French oak, 50% in new oak and 50% in 1 year old oak. Only 2300 cases are made and only 500 of those are imported to the U.S. This was an interesting and complex wine, especially for the price. It was a smooth wine with dark berry flavors and a spicy finish. I very much liked this wine.

2003 Vina Magana Baron de Magana ($19.99)--This wine was comprised of 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Tempranillo. It sees 14 month in French oak, 70% in new oak and 30% in 1 year old oak. Only 2000 cases are made and only 350 of those are imported to the U.S. This is also a complex wine with more spice flavors than the Dignus. It too is very smooth drinking with mild tannins. A fine wine for drinking with heartier meals like beef.

2005 Vina Magana Merlot (About $50.00)--This wine was not on the list of wines. It was more a special wine brought by Diego. They only make this Merlot in exceptional vintages. The last time they made a Merlot was about 5 years ago. And it was about ten years before that when they made another Merlot. This was a superb Merlot and certainly not the common, bland Merlots some people dislike. This is a very complex wine with intriguing fruit and spice. I would love to taste this wine after a couple years of aging. I think it would do very well. This is certainly an expensive wine but it is top notch. I am sure this is a limited production wine and definitely worth the price.

Kudos to Diego Magana!

Falset Marca

On June 30, Acton Wine & Spirit Co. hosted a special wine tasting with six Spanish winemakers. This was an exceptional event. I am going to address each of the Spanish winemakers and their wines in their own post.

The fifth winemaker I met and spoke with was Carmen Sebastian of Falset Marca. This winery, founded in 1913, is located in the Montsant D.O., next to Priorat. Many of their vines are old, up to 100 years old. Montsant wines are often comparable to Priorat wines, except they are less expensive. Thus you can often find some great deals there. The wines of Falset Marca certainly qualify as excellent value wines. Carmen was bubbly and personable. I enjoyed talking to her very much.

Carmen has two wines available for tasting, one that I already knew.

2005 Falset Marca Falset ($9.99)--I first had this at a local wine tasting dinner, a tapas night. I was very impressed with this wine and have continued to buy it since then. This wine is made of 50% Garnacha, 30% Carinena, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. It does not see oak and they only make 4000 cases. This wine has a wonderful fruity aroma. On the palate, there is an explosion of fruit, a lushness that pleases. It can be drank alone or with food. An excellent value and well worth seeking out.

2003 Falset Marca Falset Old Vines ($14.99)--This intriguing wine is 85% Garnacha and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes come from vines that are over 100 years old. The wine is aged in Allier French oak for 10 months and only 1300 cases were made. The complexity of this wine is obvious. There are smooth, subdued flavors that mesh harmoniously. It has a long, satisfying finish. Just a hedonistic joy. And at this price, a great value.

Kudos to Carmen Sebastian!

Vinedos de Aldeaneuva

On June 30, Acton Wine & Spirit Co. hosted a special wine tasting with six Spanish winemakers. This was an exceptional event. I am going to address each of the Spanish winemakers and their wines in their own post.

I next met and spoke with David Sampredo of Bodegas Vinedos de Aldeaneuva. This winery was founded in 1956 and is located in the Rioja Baja region. They create inexpensive, every day drinking wines. David was friendly and helpful. Another enjoyable winemaker to talk to. He led me through the three wines he brought for the tasting.

2005 Cortijo III White ($7.99)--This wine is made from 100% Viura and sees no oak. It was a crisp and aromatic white wine with flavors of apricot and citrus. It was not one of my favorite wines, as I am not a big fan of whites, but the others with me enjoyed it.

2005 Cortijo III Rioja ($7.99)--This is 100% Tempranillo and does not see any oak. This is a smooth, fruity and easy drinking Rioja. It is a simple but flavorful wine. You could drink this without food. It has character which elevates it above many similar wines of this price range. An excellent value wine.

2003 Cortijo II Crianza Rioja ($11.99)--This Crianza is made of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 10% Mazeulo. It spends 12 months in French and American oak. This is a more complex wine, with more flavors of spice and vanilla. The fruit is a bit more subdued. It is all well balanced and still an excellent value at this price.

Kudos to David Sampredo!