It's #GarnachaDay 2019! (Part 2) My first group of wines today were from The Wining Hour chat held this week to celebrate Garnacha Day, but the purpose of this smaller group is not only to promote Garnacha Day but to promote a specific region in Spain as well. IMG SOURCE: garnachagrenache.com Cariñena is a Denominación de Origen (DO) within Aragón in northwestern Spain. It's mostly noted for the #wine it produces from the Carignan variety, but that's not all that they grow there. They're big into Garnacha as well, and they have the largest planting of old vine Garnacha than anywhere else in Spain. Let's have a taste! Sierra de Viento Garnacha 2018 is medium bodied with a lush mouthfeel and a wonderful spicy pepperiness to its character. There's some tart cherry but the lush blackberry helps to smooth it out, and those guys are joined by vanilla, caramel, and pepper. This is a $7 Garnacha that could be asking for $12. Beso de Vino Old Vine Garnacha 2016 was actually also in my first set of wines today. I found that it's your typical entry-level Garnacha meant for quaffing with pizza or whatever. You're not going to sit there and analyze it because it's pretty basic, but I really liked it! It's fruity with plums and cherries, and there's some chocolate and caramel there too. Look at how cool the bottle is for Bodegas Paniza Fábula de Paniza Garnacha 2018. I love it, and I love the wine, although I highly suggest you give it a slight chill before you drink it. That little chill livens it right up, as it does for most Garnachas in my experience. It's medium bodied with a lush mouthfeel, perfectly balanced acidity, dusty tannin, and a nice savoriness. There's strawberries, cherries, chocolate, and vanilla. And that finish? Strawberries, raisins, and licorice. Mwwwah. Awesome. So much is put in to Garnacha Day every single year and it's always a lot of fun for people like myself, but the real purpose is to get the word out to YOU. Yeah, YOU! Go out and try some Garnacha, guys! Those who don't know about it don't know they like it yet! https://www.instagram.com/p/B2pp84lhDnV/?igshid=1no4w9v96htv5
