I have tried a few Spanish wines in the past and I found them to be about average. I was hoping this week would change my mind, as I would be trying a red blend from Monsant, Spain.
Vi Novell is Catalan for “New Wine” and is released in celebration of San Marti on November 11th. This wine blends Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah. * As the story of San Marti goes, he was living as a soldier and one night he came across a beggar with no clothing. He cut his own cloak in half and wrapped the beggar in it to protect him from the cold. While sleeping that night he had a vision of Christ insinuating that the beggar Martin had clothed had been Christ himself. San Martin is the patron saint of the poor, soldiers, conscientious objectors, tailors, and (most importantly for our purposes) winemakers. *
After reading the celebratory story of this wine, I was ready to try it out and have my own little mini-celebration. And really, what is a celebration without wine?
This wine was from Montsant, Spain and sampled on March 3, 2017. I swirled the lovely red wine around in its glass before inhaling and breathing in scents of smoke. It was an almost meaty scent and it made me think of roasting something over an open fire. The first taste was very bold and full-bodied with a bit of a berry taste. I was listening to “Why Can’t We Be Friends” by WAR. I tried a bite of the pork sausage and was transported to an entirely new level with this wine! The saltiness opened up the wine and evened out the full body for a more enjoyable tasting experience.
I gave this wine a rating of 3.5. It was more of a 4.0 when paired with the sausage, but more of a 3.0 for taste alone, so I settled in the middle.
Sources: