Spanish Albero Tempranillo Barrica offers sustainability, value

Occasion: If you’re ready to entertain in a politically correct way, serving a wine made from sustainably farmed grapes might be your best shot. This Spanish wine called Albero is made from 100 percent organically grown tempranillo grapes. It also is a superstar buy at this price. Spain has been on a tear as of late in my reviews because I am rediscovering several excellent, relatively inexpensive Spanish wines that are again popping big-time in the tastings I conduct to find consumer-friendly wines for you. It’s fresh, it’s PC and it is totally drinkable with a grilled piece of meat.

Wine: Albero Tempranillo Barrica

Grape: Tempranillo (tinto rojo)

Region: Central Spain

Vintage: 2014

In the glass: Albero wine is a deep crimson-red color with a semi-opaque core going out into a violet-red rim definition with light viscosity.

On the nose: The wine has warm crushed black and red fruit, candied cranberries, raspberry coulis, sweetish almost buttery notes of sun-ripened cherries, berry sorbet and underlying white pepper notes on top of vanilla from American oak.

On the palate: This wine is quite mouth-filling on the entry with good concentrated red and black fruit, layers of soft black cherries with black fruits of the forest, definite spice and pepper components, again that unmistakable hint of creamy vanilla from the American oak and very clean and rounded throughout. The midpalate is ripe with firm tannins and yet there is supple fruit and quite a polished backbone in the wine through the nice finish. It is a solidly made wine from this normally rustic varietal.

Price: $5.99

Availability: Trader Joe’s

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears on Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.