2005 Spadafora Alhambra

WELCOME BACK TO THE K & J SESSIONS! Maybe next week we should go domestic--but we can't help it. We've almost entirely drunk our way through Australia and New Zealand. In addition, we also tend to like Latin American wines and Spain as well. Stepping outside of our comfort zone countries, we thought tonight we'd take a trip to Italy.

TONIGHT'S WINE: 2005 DEI PRINCIPI DI SPADAFORA ALHAMBRA

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K: In contrast to last week's wine, this one has some subdued scents in the glass.

J: I smell honey. Grassy honey.

K: The first I picked up were cream and peaches.

J: Also freshly churned butter.

K: Butter? Oh god. Yes. I suppose all these scents go together for a white--butter, honey, grassy, creamy.

FIRST SIP

J: My first sips were floral--but it was really cold when it was first opened.

K: It's a definate departure from the scents. Mineral, but not at all dry. And I agree with the floral, but it's really just a whisper of it right now.

...ABOUT AN HOUR LATER...

K: Well, the time it took for our wine to reach optimum temperature, we did a little extra research on the grapes in this one.

J: This is a blend of two grapes that were new to us--Catarratto and Inzolia. The wine is mostly Catarratto (85%). Of course, we're drawn by obscure grapes. Anything that is a challenge. Good choice tonight, K.

K: Thanks. I know Inzolia is the second most planted grape behind Sangiovese. But our research brought us to a fantastic item of trivia you can bring up at your next wine tasting or wine party.

J: Yes. We are suckers for random trivia.

K: The "Wine Lake" effect is a European problem of supply versus demand. The EU produces more wine than it acually sells--1.7 billion more bottles of wine than it sells.

J: That's 141,666,666 cases of wine sitting around.

K: That's insane! Kudos on the math skills, because I never would have pulled together those figures, simple as they are. Can you imagine wine going to waste--and not just some generic jug wine--but some quality grapes being turned into industrial alcohol just to keep it from sitting around indefinately and going bad?

J: Maybe they can turn that into an industry of alternative fuel. We'll all drive cars run that on European grape juice.

K: But back to our wine. Ordinarily, Catarratto and Inzolia are blended with another Italian grape, Grillo...and that makes Marsala. Despite Marsala being this rich, velvety, sweetened wine (and also the most important ingredient in Chicken Marsala)--this wine is crisp and melony.

J: I get lemons too, on the entry.

K: I'd say it opens with cantaloupe and lemon, and finishes--almost sweetens a bit--to honeydew.

J: But it's a very short finish.

K: Yes. Which is probably why it's so easy to drink, and the bottle is disappearing so fast.

J: Definately. We dote on red wines.

K: They last so much longer because we sip and sniff and mmm and ahh like idiots. Good thing no one can see us do this in the office.

J: But, 'tis the season to be drinking an easy white wine. You should always be building your personal wine stock. I would consider serving this with seafood.

K: Ohhhhh, with mussels! Actually, if you dumped it in the pot with the mussels and some garlic, shallots, butter, and some fresh flat-leaf parsley.

J: It's definately a cooking wine. Very versatile. One for the pot, one for the cook. Repeat.

K: It could also go with the aformentioned Chicken Marsala. And as a result of you mentioning the lemony flavors, I could also see this being paired with lemon tart, lemon bars, lemon merengue pie...

J: So good also with shrimp. Shrimp cocktail or shrimp scampi.

K: ...and the wine could go right into the pan with the scampi.

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Our white Italian blend could be your next wine for a night of grilled fish or citrusy desserts--all for under $13.