Yep.  It’s Friday and not a moment too soon!  We’re a mere 18 days from Christmas and perhaps more importantly, only 25 days away from a New Year.  Wow. . .we don’t know about you, but every time we start thinking about this year, we shake our heads in disbelief.  It’s disbelief in how fast it has disappeared; disbelief in all that has taken place–but here we are on the the cusp of another holiday season.  Doesn’t seem possible!

As you know, we strive to find deals, steals and other ways of trying new wines without putting a hole in your wallet.  After a quick stop at Central Market on North Lamar in Austin, we reloaded with some amazing wines from all over the world without even coming close to a $20 price point.  Yep, we’re a little overwhelmed too, because we’ve spent so much time on California wine that we’ve ignored some wines from South Africa, Spain, Italy, France, New Zealand, Germany . . .  and today’s jaunt helped bring us back to what’s important – finding good wine that is affordable and accessible.  We’ve found some winners, thanks to Andy at Central Market.  He’s one of those ‘wine guys’ that gets it – can easily make recommendations from $10 bottles of wine or $100 bottles of wine.  Not sure, but we think he really loves recommending those $100 bottles!!

Tonight’s wine is a 2010 Barahonda Barrica from Spain–a blend of 75% Monastrell and 25% Petite Syrah . . . and it’s gorgeous!  The color is intoxicating–beautiful dark purple hues give this wine a look and feel of substance and body.  And, we really didn’t know what we had purchased until we poured it into our glasses.  The nose was beyond belief – oak, oak, oak.  The label told us that  the wine had been aged in a combination of French and American oak for six months.   Upon tasting  we got lots of blackberry and fruit combined with hints of camphor, licorice and spicy oak.  The finish was long and the lingering of oak, pepper and fruit was fantastic.  From our perspective, this wine is perhaps understated! Tucked away on the shelf you may want to walk past – but don’t.   It’s an amazing wine at an amazingly low price of $17 but with a great sale going on at H-E-B, we secured this wine find for $14.44!

This is a wine meant to be enjoyed with food – and we followed suit by sauteing a combination of beef, zucchini, summer squash, red pepper and snap peas and serving with roasted potatoes.  The wine is a perfect complement to the food and its’ taste was enhanced by the food.  We really struck gold with this Spanish delight, and we think that it’s a hidden gem worth exploring over and over.  Give this 2010 Barahonda Barrica a try, you’ll be amazed and your friends will be impressed with your choice of sophistication!

Until tomorrow, please remember to enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and recycle whenever possible.