I always figured I’d eventually get around to writing a blog post about wine tasting. I’d write about how it became one of our favorite things to do in Oregon because we lived so close to wine country (we visited over 15 different wineries there!), or how it slowly became an anniversary tradition for us (we went wine tasting on our honeymoon, then continued it every year thereafter). We started rediscovering California wines after moving back home, in Temecula and Paso Robles, and had intentions of eventually heading north to Napa and Sonoma. Needless to say, I did not know that the wine tasting I’d finally write about happened right here at home.

We got inspired to do this after reading a blog post on Seven Day Weekender about how to “travel” from home. On our one and only outing out to the grocery store, we went to Trader Joes and decided to pick a country, and grab a few bottles from there. We decided to start our travels with Spain, and we picked a white, a rose and two reds.

Set Up

Some of you might already be wine pros, so you can skip straight ahead to the comment section and drop your favorite bottle recommendation there. For the rest of you who might not know as much about wine, here’s a few tasting basics (take these tips with you when the wineries do finally open up!).

First, you’ll generally start lightest wines to darkest, and the boldest flavors are saved for last. This gives your palette a chance to adjust.

Observe the color, the smell (called the “bouquet”), and finally the taste. Sometimes, I laugh at the wine descriptions (layers of chocolate and cherry, with undertones of lavender and lost dreams), but if you do pause and take some time with your tasting, some of those descriptors might make sense (think, buttery with a hint of honey and oak). 

Food Pairings

When thinking about what snacks to pair with your wine, it’s easy to stick to the classics- cheese, crackers, salami, olives, etc. For our Spanish wines it’s like pairing with tapas! When you’re thinking about what to pair with which wines, think about what wine is sweet, dry, etc. If a wine is dry, pair it with a fatty salami or a creamier cheese. If you’re trying a strong, sweet wine, consider pairing it with an equally bold cheese like a blue cheese or Humbolt fog. If blue cheese isn’t your thing, try a salty tangy tapenade. Anything milder will get lost against the flavor of the wine. We paired ours with Camembert, an herbed Gouda, crackers and salami (all from Trader Joes as well).

The wines

We made it a point to make this tasting as fool proof as possible. All the bottles we chose are from Trader Joes and none are more than $10! Lucky for us, Trader Joes also separates their wines into regions and grape type- you can just pick a country or style you’d like to explore and go crazy.

White: The white we tried was a 2018 Luzada Albariño for $6.99. It’s light in appearance, and we found it was not very oak-y but tart and acidic. It had a minerality in its aftertaste.

Rosé: It was a La Granja Rose, and I missed the price point. Admittedly, we drank this rosé during a birthday zoom call with a friend and failed to take real notes on it. It was super drinkable, and had a cute flamingo on the bottle. The flamingo is one of our friend’s favorite animals so we had to do it. #sorrynotsorry

Red 1: The first red we tried was a 2016 Dama D’ Roca Garancha with a really cool queen of grapes label for $5.99. This was a great red to begin with because it wasn’t overly bold or dry. Pairs well with a mild snack (like a brie). We did detect notes of smokiness from oak aging, and a cherry/licorice bouquet. 

Red 2: The second red we tried was a 2016 Satis Dei Syrah and Garancha blend with a very cool textured bottle. It was $10 and part of their “exclusive art collection”- whatever that means. This wine had a much bolder bouquet. It smelled sweet, but wasn’t overly sweet to the taste. We were surprised that it did have a subtle sweetness. It’s not very dry, so great for wine drinkers who like fruity wines, but want to branch out.

Eventually we’ll find ourselves at another vineyard in the very near future, but in the meantime, we’ll be drinking from our patio. If you have any wine questions, drop them in the comments! Whether you’re a wine expert or a novice, I’d love your recommendations- the quarantine has us trying LOTS of new bottles!