A few weeks ago we spent a lovely evening at a Lido Shores neighbor’s wine tasting party. One of the guests, architect Peter Shaw, designed the home when he worked for Jonathan Parks Architects. The spectacular entrance staircase is a concrete marvel. We hired the subcontractor, D and D Concrete Construction, for our home after we saw the stair under construction – one of the best decisions we made at 1235 Center Place.
We tasted six Tempranillo wines from California’s Napa and Lodi regions, 2000 – 2006 vintages. They were good to very good, smooth and silky. Then, as a comparison, we tasted two Spanish Rioja wines and they were real show stoppers: a 2001 Cune Rioja Reserva (85% Tempranillo, 5% Mazuelo, 10% Graciano) and a 1995 La Rioja Alta Cosecha Gran Reserva (100% Tempranillo). The Spanish wines were by far the best, so classic, rich and elegant. Nibbling on melon, cheese and cecina – Spanish cured air-dried beef and bull – intensified the rich, round flavors. Viva La España!
John's Wine Cellar 
Janet,
Thanks so much for your contribution to the blog. What a great place and experience! Hope I can find the Riojas to try.
Debbe
Debbe,
I think another Rioja tasting would be fun! See this website for more info on the wine region: http://www.us.riojawine.com/en/ Thanks for your great blog!
Cheers!
Janet
Thirty five or more years ago when we began exploring wines we had a favorite Rioja. They seemed unpredictable then and I’m embarrassed to say I’ve not tried too many recently. We should absolutely have a Rioja tasting!