foodwineclick

Ribera y Rueda
How much do you know about the wines of Spain? I’ve dabbled with a variety, but I’ve not devoted any real effort to understanding them. I was excited to receive an invitation for a tasting of wines from the Ribera del Duero and Rueda regions this weekend, at Foreign Legion, to boot!  Winemakers from the two regions have joined together in an effort to bring more attention to their wines.  They even have a wine truck traveling to venues all over the US this summer, look for them, and follow their travels on Twitter under #SiWhatsNext! Leslie Miller of Amusée Wine was our able guide for the evening.(click on any photo to view slide show)

New wines, new restaurant, looks like a fun evening!

Rueda (white) wines are made from the Verdejo grape.

Ribera del Duero (red) wines are made from the Tempranillo grape, usually 100%

Foreign Legion has a beautiful space for private events.

Leslie Miller, aka “Amusee”, was our host and guide for the evening. I had watched Leslie travel all over Spain and Portugal earlier this year on Instagram. When it comes to Spain, she knows her stuff!

Our first Rueda, Creta de Manade, was super crisp and tart. A great alternative for Sauvignon Blanc lovers.

Leslie and the Foreign Legion chef had chosen a bright asparagus salad with the Creta de Menade. Both were so fresh, light and crisp.

We were a varied group of bloggers and social media folks, what fun to learn from each other!

The second Rueda, Finca Montepedroso, was still crisp, but richer and not so tart. Perfect with the paprika cured mackeral. The paprika and fish wanted a little richer body to the wine.

Our first Ribera was paired with orecchiette pasta & speck. Cured ham in the pasta begs for a nice red wine.

Ribera is classified by it’s aging. This was a “Roble”, which means it was aged only 3-6 months in oak. Lots of bright fruit, and the oak definitely showed.

Lamb is a perfect meat for Ribera. The Aster was a “Crianza” wine, meaning it had been aged at least 2 yrs of which 12 months was in oak. This was a more mature wine with a bit more depth, perfect with the lamb.

Wines from Ribera and Rueda, Foreign Legion food in a beautiful private room, what’s not to love?

My conclusion: The Rueda wines are nice and crisp and super food-friendly.  We’ll definitely add them to our summer rotation.  The Ribera del Duero wines are big wines with a fair amount of oak; I’ll give them a try next time I get the lamb chops out, or with some barbequed ribs fresh off the grill.

My thanks to the Ribera y Rueda group, Leslie Miller and Foreign Legion for a fun exploration of the wines from these regions of Spain.

Note: I attended this event as a guest of the Ribera y Rueda wines promotion, all opinions are my own!