Castillo de Monséran Garnacha 2008

Cariñena, Aragon, Spain
$11-13

Earlier this month I wrote about a great value white that over delivers for price – and here’s a red counterpart. As much as people love to gripe about the BCLS, we have them to thank for making this value red a consistent bargain in BC.  This is a stellar everyday drinking wine – suitable for everything from burgers to pasta to pizza to poultry.  A perennial party and restaurant by-the-glass favourite, you can afford to buy this by the case.  Castillo de Monséran focuses on just one thing – Garnacha (aka Grenache) – so you have to figure they know their stuff. And they certainly do – fruity raspberry and peppery spice aromas lead to a medium bodied, old-world styled sipper of dusty raspberry, cedar, plum and black currant.  Nice balance and fresh finish – all this for approximately $11!

When I purchased this wine a couple of days ago, the clerk waxed poetic about the “Carinena” wine making up this bottle.  Yes, Carignan is a red wine grape popular in the south of France, but Cariñena is a region in Spain. An honest – and somewhat cute – mistake, and a great example of how a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

Rating:  (click here to see what our wine ratings mean)