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Friday Tasting: Abacela Wines
June 04, 2009
In the late 1980s, Earl and Hilda Jones set out on a quest to produce fine wines from the noble Spanish Tempranillo grape. They found that the only Tempranillo being grown here in the States was being used as a blender in California jug wines, and decided to establish a vineyard someplace where the climate is comparable to the Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions of Spain. They searched the entire US, and finally settled southern Oregon’s Umpqua Valley, planting the first Tempranillo vines there in 1995. They were soon producing delicious wines, and expanded their vineyards to include nearly twenty other varietals including Garnache, Merlot, Malbec, Syrah, and many others. This Friday, June 5th, Dickie Mallison of Galaxy Wines will be pouring samples of their Spanish collection from 4:30 - 6:30pm. Drop by the shop and taste the 2006 Tempranillo Umpqua Cuvée, 2008 Albariño, 2006 Garnacha and 2008 Rosado. What better way to end the week than by sampling some delicious, perfect-for-summer wines?
