January: Viva Espana!

The assignment: Lucha Libre: Rioja versus Priorat -- bring in one or the other, and let's watch them duke it out.

The players: Fifi, Fufu, Fufi, Fifu, Bibi, Bubi, Bibu, Bubu and Hadley

The discussion:

Wine 1: bitter, metallic, fruit up front, thick legs, "grapey," "I think drinkable is a good word" "it has a bitter finish, but it doesn't have a past"

Wine 2: complexity, body, smooth, juicy, lemony, citrucy, tobacco, leather, "grapey again," "is zingy a word?" "it is now" "the more you drink it gets deeper and deeper

Wine 3: beh, corked, "not getting rave reviews," "almost like rust," "jurassic" "jurassic? sheesh!"

Wine 4: "really good," chocolate and coffee, "I felt the smell was promising but the finish was lacking," jammy, dry, "creamy, oddly" "that's the one I brought"

Wine 5: acidic, pucker, plum, black cherry

The votes: I lost the paper!! But I think we were split between 4 and 5. Right?

The unveiling:

Wine 1: Vina Zaco, Tempranillo, 2006. $12.

Wine 2: Abrazo del Toro, 2008. $4 at Trader Joe's.

Wine 3: Vina Zaco, Tempranillo, 2006. $12.

Wine 4: Venta Mazarron, Tempranillo, 2006. $15.

Wine 5: Hacienda Don Ramon, Tempranillo, 2006. $12.

(Also, since we polished off all 5 bottles, reinforcements were necessary The bottle I opened was a 2005 Campo Viejo, a $10 Rioja.)

The cheeses:

Since you asked, Don Juan, is basque shepherd's cows milk cheese from Trader Joe's (the softer one), and the other is an a sheep's milk cheese produced in Menorca, bought at Costco (the harder one).

The conclusion: We sure love Rioja. Didn't leave a drop. Now gotta discover what in the world a Priorat is!

The pictures:

Waiting for the punchline.

Don't let them fool you.

"I brought that wine" "No, I did!"

Awful camera? Or simply the way the partay looks to a drunk photographer? I report, you decide.