This Weekend's Pick

Wine of the Weekend

Bodegas Piqueras Castillo de Almansa Reserva 2016

There are many ways to be kind to the environment and one of them is to drink wine! Drinking wine can fit into the “reducing your carbon footprint” category if you pick the right one, and this week’s wine is the right one. Bodegas Piqueras makes its wines through use of solar energy, biodiversity for pest control, lightweight glass to reduce transportation emissions, and organic production. This means that by having a glass of Castillo de Almansa Reserva 2016, you’re delighting Mother Earth and your taste buds! Salut!

Tasting Notes: Castillo de Almansa Reserva is a blend of Monastrell (Mourvèdre), Garnacha (Grenache) and Tempranillo aged in American oak for 12 months, creating flavours of raspberry, stewed plum, spices and vanilla with a smooth delivery and lingering finish.

Enjoy With: Red meat of all kinds (no snow = barbeque season!), Mexican dishes like tacos or nachos, charcuterie, and hard cheeses like Manchego.

Style: A dry, rich, medium-bodied red wine.

Terroir/Region: The Almansa region of Spain is a plain sloping from 900m – 750m altitude down toward the ocean. Tradition still guides vineyard work in the region, with producers commonly dry-farming (not irrigating) their vineyards. Since rain is scarce here, this technique slows the vine’s growth and concentrates flavours in the grapes, creating dense, flavourful wines as a final result.

Producer: Bodegas Piqueras has been family owned and operated since its founding over a century ago. Each generation has worked to build on the labours of its relatives, with the latest efforts being a push for organic certification. The family has named this bottling after the historic castle which stands in the heart of the Almansa region and is pictured on the label, a reminder of the past as it builds the future.

Availability: Bodegas Piqueras Castillo de Almansa Reserva 2016 is available in two sizes in the Spain section of your local LCBO, and the 750ml bottle is $11.85 ($1.50 off) until March 29, so grab your bottle today!

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Price: Now $11.85 Was $13.35. Save $1.50 until March 29, 2020

LCBO#: 270363 (750mL) 649749 (1500mL)

Size: 750mL ($11.85) & 1500mL ($22.75)

Alcohol Content: 14.0% alc./vol.