Through out my years of enjoying wines, this may be the most common question I get asked.  For years I was a professional clothier, and one of the best adjuncts to this profession was becoming an independent concierge.  People would discuss different restaurants, different vacation destinations and would look for new places to dine.  Everybody, it seems in the last twenty years have evolved in to some form of a “foodie.” As I say “What wine do you recommend?” is the question that always pops up in a conversation.

Then I have to make queries to what the person likes.  Do you like red wines, do you like white wines, do you dry or sweet, do you like robust or subtle tastes?  There is a whole litany of questions that have to be pondered to make a suggestion.  Then there is always the question, “well what is a good wine to look for?”

It is always safe to answer this question, by suggesting a high-powered name and be considered a “wine snob.”  I pondered how to make a suggestion that would be a great affordable wine, allow them a little bit of a search for the wine (which will add to the allure of the wine and enjoyment) and to suggest a wine that is off the beaten track from the real safe responses.

Have you ever tried a wine from Spain?  This remark startles people, because when they think of wine, the think of France, Italy and the United States.  Spain is the third largest producer of wine in Europe, and the Rioja district is one of the oldest areas, and one of the first to protect their good name.  Today all of the Rioja wines usually have a back label showing a map of the different zones of Rioja, and on the front label will be a small emblem with Rioja diagonally across it.  Rioja’s name came from the Rio Oja.  There was a terrible blight that affected Bordeaux when phylloxera hit.  Several wine making families moved to the Rioja district and started new business there, as phylloxera never seemed to cross the Pyrenees.

All of this discussion leads to getting a bottle of Marques de Riscal as my suggestion. I tell them to look for the wines of Spain, and then look for a bottle that has brass “chicken-wire” around the bottle (though a couple of other Rioja’s also have this embellishment as well).  Then the question arises about what vintage year should they look for, and I will smile and say that they don’t have to.  Most Rioja’s will have a vintage year on the label, but in reality most of them will blend different vintages together to maintain a steady taste from year to year, which explains why you may see a very old vintage year and it will still be very affordable in price.

I have never had a bad bottle of Marques de Riscal and I have enjoyed many a bottle throughout the years.  They also have a white that is pleasant, not seen as often, but it is the red that I suggest for a new taste sensation.  The color of the wine is deep, from the extra years required to make a classic Rioja, the nose is always fresh which adds to the soon to be appreciated taste.  My Bride tends to complain that I tend to always suggest this wine, claiming that if I get enough people hooked on the wine, that there will be a tremendous increase in the price.  I just laugh and tell her that there is no way, that I have that much of an influence in the world of wines.