Costco’s Cheap Wine Deals Invoke Spain

I‘ve spent some great days and nights in Spain, and love the wines produced there. A road trip from Barcelona up to the Basque region is something I would recommend to anyone, with a stay of a day or two in the village of Abalos — I urge you to get a room in the Hotel de Villa Abalos and dine in the restaurant there.

The owner and his wife have a small parcel of land, and make wine from the grapes they grow on it, a very good wine.

That wine, however, is not what I am writing about today. I am talking Spain, and a great region, Rioja. The wine is a Costco selection, and it costs all of $6.99 a bottle. If you are grilling some meat this weekend, pick up a few bottles and enjoy it with sausage, burgers, or ribs.

It’s labeled under the Kirkland Signature brand, and is a 2010 Reserva, bottled by Bodegas Muriel. It spent 24 months in American and French barrels and 12 months in the bottle. You’ll notice vanilla, and rich blackberry, perhaps a touch of mint. I opened a bottle and poured it immediately; we had some sliced chorizo, and the wine paired with it well.

It is 100 percent Tempranillo, and is drinking perfectly right now. (There is a slightly herbal note here, a bit obscured, but go with it. My dining companions, who normally drink big Cabernets, told me this wine was a refreshing change for them.) The price makes it ideal for daily drinking (and for parties; buy it by the case).