WBW #35 Spanish Wine Values: Castillo de Liria 2006

This fantastically appealing WBW theme (I bet there will be more participants than ever even though blogging efforts tend to wane in the summer) seems to pick up where mine left off. Like WBW #33 Languedoc-Roussillon value wine, this event is based a huge wine-producing area and an effort to seek out strong values.

I definitely found an outstanding value. It's so cheap I can't remember ever paying so little for bottle. And the beauty of it all is that a lot of plonk is more expensive than this $8 wonder.

It's called Castillo de Liria Valencia Rosé 2006 and it rings in at only $8.15 in Canadian funds. If you were to convert that to the US dollar it would be $7.70 -- well under $10 limit suggested in the WBW 35 theme. (In fact if you factor in the relatively high taxes levied on all wine bought in Quebec, this is basically a Spanish wine that retails for $6.65 US.)

Opening a bottle this affordable is what I call a no-risk endeavour. Nevertheless, I have the usual consumer-guide notes to provide.

This rosé is a transparent but bright fuschia in colour. On the nose there are strong scents of strawberry shortcake -- both sweet and fruity and bready and yeasty.

On the palate this wine is all juicy cherries but with some minerality for structure. A stunning crisp and clean finish that's quite tight is what convinces me that this a fine value. It's not at all cloying or syrupy. This rosé had none of the sugary aftertaste that I was expecting.

It went down great with pizza garnished with green peppers, tomatoes and ham. Overall, Castillo de Liria makes a unidimensional wine but renders it into such a nice and versatile quaffer, I'd gladly recommend it, especially for scarfing down simple dinners or for having a drink in the sun. It is 100% Bobal grape, which was introduced to me only recently at a wine shop tasting in the form of an interesting Languedoc-Roussillon sparkling rosé.

I've had some of the line of products made by Gandia Wines in the past and nothing from Vicente Gandia ever grabbed me. I'm happy to see that one of his most rock-bottom-priced wines is convincing.

Thanks to Michelle at My Wine Education for getting me back into the wine-blogging-Wednesday game after a month off to recuperate from my WBW hosting duties. Michelle, I hope you enjoy all the reviews you're getting sent your way and I'm looking forward to the round-up in a few days!

Chiva, Valencia, España. 12%.