Forgive me. The title could start wine of the fortnight, but that doesn’t sound as professional. I can only scribe on what I’ve been sipping and that what is available here in Ireland. For the last two weeks it has been some Portugese wine smuggled back in my suitcase from a recent trip. Good stuff too, but as yet, unavailable here.

Without further ado, for this installment of my irregular wine of the week I’m staying with an Iberian wine but skipping over the border to Spain and to reliable Rioja. I’m rarely disappointed with Rioja, particularly those in the “classic style”.

What do I mean by classic style? Typically, lighter to medium bodied wines with a good mouthwatering red berry and vanilla explosion.

The Campo Viejo crianza is the star this week and is one such wine. It was quite a while since I had it and for 10 yoyos, it’s a very decent example of what good Rioja is all about.

Medium bodied, light tannins, smooth silky texture with a high acidity, bursting with raspberry and a hint of vanilla. The lighter body style is perfect for the summer evenings and would go well with anything from tapas, salmon to lamb, pasta. Very versatile as a food matcher.

It also is a featured wine in provocative book, The Wine Trials 2010 where inexpensive wines are pitted blind against some exceeding expensive wines and you can guess which comes out on top. The tasting note from The Wine Trials,

The winemakers at Campo Viejo have clearly resisted the trend for syrupy fruit bombs; instead, they produce subtle, idiosyncratic wines. We recommend that anyone who’s never had a distinctly Old World wine try it. Red fruit, vegetables, barnyard, and even motor oil aromas; spicy dark cherry flavors.

Price: 9-10 yoyo

The good news is that it will only set you back around €9-€10 and it’s available from Tesco, O’Brien’s and many other supermarkets, convenience stores around the country.

Olé.