We had the recent pleasure of presenting a Spanish food and wine pairing exercise to the members of Innis Arden in North Seattle this past week. Below are some notes on one of the wines we presented. Enjoy!

1998 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Rose

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varieties: 30% Tempranillo, 60% Garnacho and 10% Viura

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region: Rioja Alta, Rioja, Spain. Rioja  There are three main sub-regions of Rioja  — Rioja Baja, Rioja Alavesa, and the Alta.  The Alta is considered by most to be the highest quality area and this house has been around since 1877.  They make their own barrels and are very traditional in style.  All of the fruit for this wine is grown in the Vina Tondonia vineyard that is owned completely by R. Lopez de Heredia.

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aging:  4 years in house coopered barrels

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pairing: We all think of rose for summer drinking and while that is a great time for this wine, it is really food driven that can be drunk all year with charcuterie, seafood and spicy fare.  It bridges the gap between red and white and opens up a whole other world for pairing options.