2008 La Granja Tempranillo

The 2008 La Granja Tempranillo is available at Trader Joe's for $3.99. According to the wine maker (www.axialvinos.com), the wine comes from the S. C. Vit. Longares Winery in the Cariñena Region in Northeast Spain. The grapes were harvested manually and fermented in stainless steel tanks for 25 days. The La Granja is rated at 13% ABV.

The wine had a nice garnet color and exhibited a tight nose right out of the bottle. Although not particularly offensive, there is a pronounced alcohol scent (almost like sniffing purple isopropyl alcohol). The wine was incredibly tart and reminded me of really sour candies. It had a short and dry finish with hints of dark cherry and some smoke. In my opinion, the finish is the only saving grace of this wine, since the nose and opening flavors were a disjointed and tart mess. For $3.99, I was not surprised by the wine's quality. I would recommend saving four dollars and maybe adding another two or three dollars to invest in a bottle that is approachable immediately after opening.

UPDATE: After one day, I still had half a bottle left and decided to give the La Granja another chance. The tartness calmed down quite a bit after a day. I could definitely appreciate the dark fruit and finish more without having to cringe every time I took a sip. I still did not like this wine even after improving in the bottle. A four dollar bottle of wine is meant to be consumed immediately after opening.

2008 Trentatre Rosso

After reading favorable reviews in wine blogs, I decided to taste the 2008 Trentatre Rosso, a blend from the Apulia Region in Southern Italy. The wine is composed of 33.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33.3% Merlot, and 33.4% Montepulciano. It was aged for six months in oak barrels and is rated at 14% ABV. This particular wine is available at Trader Joe's for $5.99.

The wine's inky purple color was a great start. It was aromatically challenged and tasted sour right out of the bottle. Aeration opened up this wine. I got dark fruit on the nose. The initial tartness gave way to a medium-bodied wine with a smooth mouth feel and a hint of oak. The finish was short but pleasant.

The wine's tart character aside, it is a good value at six dollars.