A Hint of Spanish Fuego.

Another week, another blend. I said I'd quit smoking yet this promise seems more like pretend. Volver Tempranillo 2011 is this week's wine I'm cheering to, and the Bodegas Volver vineyard produced a fine wine that won't clean out your wallet. A recent trip to Ajito's in Cerritos, Calif., provided the setting to indulge on the ripe strain from Spain that was anything but disappointing. The color of the glass lured me in and the bouquet only enticed me more. Pigments of dark purple, deep-rich red, and mahogany blend for a rich and illustriously poised glass. I rocked in my chair as the waiter poured the Tempranillo and the dark flow of Spanish red hit my ever-clear glass.

Next step: the aroma.

To properly judge the bouquet of any wine requires a swirl, or swirling, of the glass. Swirling the wine allows the aromas to open up and reach detectable fruition. Avid wine drinkers are swirling so much that they might find themselves swirling a bottle of chocolate milk that they've bought for breakfast; heck, I know I have.

So I was swirling my head away and what I found in Volver's bouquet was tender scents of blackberries and flushed spices that linger in the senses like a fresh cup of coffee. The aroma reels you in with ripe, rich essence that isn't clean cut but instead blends neatly. I stuck my nose so far inside the glass that I almost inhaled the wine up my nostrils! The bouquet on this matador glass packed as big a punch as its 15 percent alcohol content.

Legs of a wine

Wine Fact:
Swirling is also a great way to further investigate the pigment of the wine and judge how big of an alcohol content the glass holds. The alcohol content can be seen in the legs which are like miniature rivers on the side of your glass. Depending on how fast or slow the wine drips down will tell you how big of a wine you have. 

Ring of Fire Roll, with real flames!

After all my fuss with the smell, the food arrived and it was time to let my taste buds in on the fun. My first sip sealed the deal for me. On the palate, the wine is a bit oaky, earthy, tangy, and finishes off with ripe blackberry and cherry flavors. The wine had a subtle after-taste that adds to the enjoyment of the creation. And this wine was carefully crafted. The grapes are grown at about half-a-mile above sea-level in sandy, chalky, iron-rich clay soil. Such a growing environment is the reason Volver has a full body and oaky flavor, which are a great complement to seafood, cheese, and light meats.

Biting into a piece of my 'Mr. Fatty Roll' was a fine supplement to Volver. Now this isn't a sushi review blog, but if you ever find yourself in Ajito's, order the Ring of Fire roll. It's like having dinner and a show. A sea of fire and a spanish red; a great combination that I suggest anyone to contend.

Cigar Suggestion -- The Churchill: these bad boys are dark, heavily dark. Not for the amateur smoker but great after drinking a bottle of the Volver Tempranillo.

Cheers!