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Price: $15.99 @ Vinnin Square Liquors (Swampscott, MA)
Recommended by: salesman at store
Comments: This is a really good Spanish blend. It is 50% Tempranillo, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 9% Garnacha, and 5% Syrah aged for 9 months in new French oak. It has a nice taste of pepper, cherry, and some blueberry. The flavor is long-lasting and the wine is quite smooth. The only drawback is the price. The wine is good, but we've had a lot of good Spanish wines in the $10 range. Spanish wines are a great bargain in general. Perhaps we would get this wine again for a special occasion, but we wouldn't have it again with pizza!
Rating: 7/10
Price: $10.99 @ Gary's Liquors, W. Roxbury, MA
Recommended by: 90 points by Wine Spectator
Comments: We have been drinking mostly whites this summer, but decided to switch to red tonight. We normally enjoy Spanish red blends, and this one is no exception. It was very good! It is a blend of 50% Monastrell (Mourvèdre), 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Tempranillo, and 10% Merlot. It is a dry wine but has a nice, bold fruity flavor; the variety of grapes integrate with the tannins quite nicely. We would really enjoy this with pizza!
Rating: 7/10
Price: $12.99 @ Blanchard's (W. Roxbury, MA)
Recommended by: wine tasting
Comments: At a wine tasting event that included many good wines, this inexpensive Spanish red stood out as a super value. It has bold flavors of bright red berries as well as blueberries (particularly in the finish). The wine consists of a "tempranillo clone" called "Tinta de Toro," and it would be a good wine at nearly twice the price. The smooth, long finish on this happy wine guarantees that we'll be getting another bottle soon! Viva la Espana!
Rating: 7.5/10
Price: $8.99 @ Gary's Liquors
Recommended by: We like Spanish wines!
Comments: This inexpensive red is a tasty mix of Cabernet Sauvignon (55%) and Tempranillo (45%). Flavors of berries (mainly cherry) and chocolate dominate the palate with a bit of spiciness, and the wine has a longer finish than you typically find at this price range. We enjoyed it tonight with pizza with mushrooms and spinach and it was tasty. Not too fancy but very good.
Rating: 6.75/10
Price: $10.00 @ Solera (Roslindale, MA)
Recommended by: It just sounded good!
Comments: We enjoyed the Enate Gewurztraminer, and we have had some great Cab-Merlot blends in the past, so we decided to give this one a try. It did not disappoint. This Spanish wine is smooth, fruity, peppery -- everything you expect in a solid, balanced blend. It will not blow you away, but for the price it's very tasty and probably a great pizza or burger wine.
Rating: 6.5/10
Price: $9.99 @ Gary's Liquors
Recommended by: enticing advertising at Gary's, and we've enjoyed other Spanish whites
Comments: This wine is just another reason to love Spanish wines! It is 70% Verdejo, 20% Viura, and 10% Sauvignon Blanc, and is a lovely pairing with our brie, tomato, avocado, and sprout sandwiches. (It would also go very nicely with seafood.) The citrus (lime and grapefruit), mineral, and acidic flavors blend very well, creating a nice, summery treat. It's probably not as good as Naia or Las Brisas, but we would definitely enjoy this again.
Rating: 7.25/10
Price: $11.99 @ Wine Gallery
Recommended by: We tried this wine in the jukebox.
Comments: We haven't tasted many Rosés, so not much to compare this to. It is a dry wine, made with Syrah and some Granache, with a nice smell of vanilla with tastes of cherry and other red berries. It reminds us of the sparkling Shiraz we really like, but without the bubbly taste, of course. We're a bit indifferent as to whether we will buy this again, but it was a nice evening treat.
Rating: 6.5/10
Price: $13.99 or $14.99 @ Wine and Cheese Cask (?)
Recommended by: We love Gewurz and never had one from Spain
Comments: Tonight we had . . . wait for it . . . SUSHI! Gewurztraminer is among our favorite wines to have with sushi (perhaps only Sauvignon Blanc is better), and this one did not disappoint. It's a dry wine, with a flowery taste (and maybe a hint of honey) and spicy finish. For the price, however, it would be worth buying an Alsacian Gewurz, and still the best value is Chateau Ste. Michelle. This one was definitely worth trying, though!
Rating: 6.75/10
P.S. Go Buckeyes! Beat the Gators!
Price: $13.99 @ Wine and Cheese Cask (Somerville, MA)
Recommended by: Sunset Magazine (we think!)
Comments: Yet another example of why we love Spanish wines! We are munching on chips and guacamole, enjoying the blizzard-like conditions, and watching some March Madness on the tube. This wine pairs well with all of it! It's a heavier wine than Las Brisas, but shares many of the characteristics we love in that wine. It has robust flavors of lemon, lime, honey, and kiwi (and maybe some apple). You notice the crisp steeliness one finds in a Sauvignon Blanc (this wine is 100% Verdejo). We will be getting this one again soon!
Rating: 7.75/10
Price: $9.99 @ Luke's Liquors
Recommended by: on sale at Luke's!
Comments: We've had a fair number of Spanish reds now, and this one rates in the middle. It has a nice raspberry flavor and a decent, lasting, dry finish, but it lacks some complexity. We prefer Vina Alarba and Cortijo Crianza, to name a few Spanish blends.
Rating: 6.25/10
Price: $5.99 @ Trader Joe's
Recommended by: no one!
Comments: Reviews of this wine on other sites offer strikingly different pictures. While some find it mediocre and inoffensive, others find it watery and bad. Of course, in either case, we don't recommend this wine very highly. It has a fairly bearable flavor, but one that doesn't last very long at all. The dry finish is not too bad, but that's the best we can say about it. What a shame--we usually like Spanish wines. For the money, you can do better with Señor Dos Buck Chuck!
Rating: 5/10
Price: $11.99 @ Gary's Liquors
Recommended by: We liked the Cortijo III, so we wanted to give this a try.
Comments: This Spanish blend (70% Tempranillo, 20% Grenache, and 10% Mazuelo) is a fabulous wine for the money. When I first tasted it, I thought it was at least a $20 bottle. It's really smooth and complex, with a mixture of fruity, spicy, and tobacco flavors. The fact that it's aged 7 years can't hurt! We will definitely be enjoying this again.
Rating: 7.25/10
Price: $5.98 @ Gary's Liquors (W. Roxbury)
Recommended by: enjoyed at a friend's party
Comments: We first tasted this wine at our neighbors' New Year's party. I thought maybe we had just had so much alcohol that everything was good. But, upon the second tasting, this wine is good, especially for the low price. It's nothing to rave about, but it's a great everyday Spanish wine (100% Tempranillo). The flavor is a straightforward cherry and raspberry, with a short but smooth, dry finish.
Rating: 6.25/10
Price: $13.00 @ Solera
Recommended by: Atlantic Fish Co. (wine flight)
Comments: Dios Mio! Me gusta los vinos de Espana! Here's another Spanish wine we really dig, but this one is white. Without knowing it was from Spain, we would have guessed it was another great Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. However, this one is only 50% Sauvignon Blanc with the other half consisting of Verdejo. The result is a wine that demonstrates all of the characteristics of a great Sauvignon Blanc: crisp, complex, citrusy, grassy. It has flavors of lemon, grapefruit, peach, and green apple. Yummy! The smell also carries a bit of kiwi. It goes great with seafood and we look forward to having it again soon. Viva la Espana!
Rating: 7.75/10
Price: $6.99 @ Blanchard's Jamaica Plain
Recommended by: wine seller at Blanchard's
Comments: We don't know Jack about champagnes, but we do know that Jack Bauer probably doesn't drink it. Nevertheless, we've been trying champagnes (sparkling wines, whatever) that are mostly Pinot grapes (Chardonnay, blah), but this Spanish one came highly recommended by the wine seller. It is a blend of different grapes, none of them Chardonnay or Pinot, and it is surprisingly tasty. It's a bit citrusy (lemon/lime/orange), and we would definitely get this again. Plus, the price can't be beat. (Rob wants to try it with sushi -- big surprise there!)
Rating: 6.5/10
Price: $9.99 @ Luke's Liquors
Recommended by: no one -- we've been wanting to try more tempranillos and grenaches, and this one looked good (and had a pretty label!).
Comments: This Spanish old vine tempranillo/grenache has a really deep taste with smoky, berry flavors. It is smooth with a very dry finish. We drank it by itself, but we suspect it would taste better with a nice food pairing. We have enjoyed some Spanish reds a bit better, namely Vina Alarba, Rojo Mojo, and Panarroz Jumilla, but this one is tasty.
Rating: 6.25/10
Price: $7.99 (in Portland, Maine)
Recommended by: wine shop owner who specialized in Spanish wines
Comments: To the crazy, overly friendly wine shop dude in Portland (he even gave us a free bottle), thank you for introducing us to this wine! We don't know anything about grenaches, and very little about Spanish wines in general, but after this one, we want to try more! This is a tasty, tasty wine. Bursting with flavors of black cherry and raspberry, followed by a peppery finish, this wine is a mouthful of happiness. With the price under $10, we want to go out and buy a few more bottles. Now. (But we'll wait till the effects of this 14% alcohol wine wear off a bit.)
Rating: 7.5/10
Price: $7.99
Recommended by: nice lady in Portland, Maine, who has had several bottles.
Comments: Well, we just got back from Portland with 6 new bottles in tow. We're not going to bother reviewing the mediocre merlot we had last night (so mediocre that we don't even remember the name). However, this Spanish (La Mancha) red is muy bueno! It's got a great, happy, fruity flavor -- with raspberry dominating -- and nice hints of pepper. It also has a nice, smooth finish, which we think distinguishes it from Wolf Blass Yellow Label Shiraz (Australia).
Rating: 7/10
Price: $11.99 @ Wine Gallery
Tasting notes: This Spanish (Navarra) red is a helluva wine for the price. It is 60% merlot and 40% cabernet sauvignon, and it is a really tasty, fruity wine. It has hints of blackberry, blueberry, and cherry, with a remarkable complexity. We will definitely be enjoying this wine again.
Rating: 7.5/10
Price: $7.99 (Blanchard's)
Recommended by: Wine Gallery (Brookline, MA), and Wine Advocate gave it a 90.
Tasting notes: We have heard that there are some great Spanish reds for affordable prices, and this wine was certainly one of them. Bursts of fruit flavor -- tastes of blackberries, cherries, and chocolate -- and it was much smoother than we thought it would be, with a nice finish. We tasted it with chocolate brownies, and it was a very nice pair! Because of the price, this is definitely a wine that we will purchase again.
Rating: 7/10
Price: $15.99 @ Vinnin Square Liquors (Swampscott, MA) 
