Telmo Rodriguez and His Off-The-Beaten Path Wines

If I take a step back and look as objectively as a person really can at their own reflection in the mirror, I think my passion has become finding and sharing wines from off the beaten path regions that are approachable in terms of pricing, available within the marketplace, and absolutely delicious either with or without food. Telmo Rodriguez and his diverse portfolios of wines seems to fit the bill perfectly for my interests and hopefully yours too. Telmo fits the stereotype of my image of a Spaniard (minus a guitar or matador outfit obviously)......full of energy and passion for sharing the wonders of his Native Spain with a soulful interest in sharing something of great quality with a focus on everyday enjoyment. He is a hands-on master winemaker and a graduate of the University of Bordeaux's prestigious oenology school. He is most known, however, as a pioneer winemaker advocating native varietals that are bio dynamically farmed and making world-class wines from lesser known regions without wide recognition. Al-Muvedre is the perfect example of both.

This wine is from Alicante, a beautiful Mediterranean coastal town located in Central Spain's Valencia region in the Costa Blanca. Sprawling promenades made of marble line the coast with palm trees and an incredible diversity of people. The Castle of Santa Barbara is perched high above the city offering spectacular views if you can find the sneaky entrance off the fast-paced highway (we missed the turn at least five times evoking a certain cartoon-like quality to our adventure.) The region receives little rainfall, has hot summers and mild winters leading to vineyards filled with grapes with very concentrated flavors.

Al Muvedre is made from 100% Monastrell, the local clone of Mourvedre. Monastrell wines are incredibly dark in color (almost opaque) smooth textured and offer complexity as the inherent spiciness is balanced by fresh, ripe berry flavors and minerality. I poured this wine for a few of my relatives who drink almost exclusively French wine, and they were shocked by the quality of this modestly priced wine...not a drop left in the bottle!

We are pairing this wine with a beautiful tapas-style course focused on mushrooms. We took the traditional stuffed mushroom and offered a twist by using a filling of ground pork sauteed with pine nuts lightly accented with brandy. Across the plate will be it's inside out cousin featuring puff pastry stuffed with mushrooms and Serrano ham with a cava-cream sauce. The youthful characteristics and soft fruits of this wine marry well with the earthy mushrooms, buttery pastry, and texture of the subtle pine nuts of this dish.

Our big night is tomorrow and I will follow-up with write-ups on Ribera del Duero, Priorat and Sherry with tidbits on how the wines were received at the dinner! Wishing fans of Valentine's Day a weekend filled with romance and for those that are not a weekend filled with newly found Spanish wines!