Tag Archives: Protocolo

Wine of the week: Protocolo Tinto 2020

protocolo tinto label
Protocolo Tinto 2019/$6-$8

Spend $7, get quality wine for dinner — what a revolutionary concept

An Italian wine that I paid $10 for in September cost $14 when I bought it a couple of weeks ago – same wine, same vintage, same retailer, and likely sitting in the same warehouse since the middle of last year.

So raise its price 40 percent!

Which is a roundabout way to sing – once again – the praises of the Spanish Protocolo wines, which come in red, white, and pink, as well as organic. Consistent, fair price, fair value, and enjoyable – without any mysterious 40 percent price increases.

The Protocolo Tinto 2020 ($7, purchased, 14%) is one more example of how this works. It tastes much like the 2019, though a bit more rustic. That means it’s far from smoooth and certainly not sweet; rather, it tastes like tempranillo from Spain — maybe some dark berry fruit, and enough acidity but not so much in the way of tannins so that it doesn’t taste like a focus group wine.

Yes, simple, but what’s wrong with simple for dinner on Monday night with the leftover pot roast from the weekend? Or one of those Jacques Pepin tortilla pizzas? And, believe it or not, two of the wine magazines like this wine, too, naming it a best value.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy is the only person who doesn’t know what a great deal the Protocolo is.

Imported by Fine Wines of Spain

Wine of the week: Protocolo Tinto 2019

protocolo tinto label
Protocolo Tinto 2019/$6-$12

Once again, Spain’s Protocolo delivers a dependable and reliable cheap wine

Want to know the biggest problem with the various Spanish Protocolo wines, which have made regular appearances as wines of the week over the past couple years? They’re so well priced and so well made that when I buy wine, I buy them just to drink – even when I should be buying different wine to review.

The Protocolo Tinto 2019 ($7, purchased, 14%) is no exception. It’s the kind of dependable, reliable, and professional red wine that tastes like red wine that we see less and less of these days. (And is one of the reasons why I worry about the future of the wine business.)

What does that phrase, dependable and reliable, mean? It means the Protocolo tastes like tempranillo from Spain, and offers value at this price. So maybe some black cherry fruit and the requisite temparnillo acidity and background tannins. It’s not very complicated, and there won’t be orange zest or Rioja dustiness, but this is a $7 wine and not a $30 one.

And don’t worry about the 14 percent alcohol – that seems more of a labeling trick to evade the Trump tariff than an actual measurement. The wine is neither especially hot or rich; rather, it’s just a red wine to have with dinner, whether takeout pizza or meatloaf. Plus, it’s so widely available that even the crankiest among you should be able to buy it.

Imported by Fine Estates from Spain

 

Mini-reviews 145: Even more rose reviews 2021

rose reviews 2021
What is more fun than quality rose and a picnic?

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the fourth Friday of each month. This month, five rose reviews as part of the blog’s 14th annual rose fest.

• The 14th annual Memorial Day and rose 2021 post

• Perrin & Fils Côtes du Rhone Rose Reserve 2020 ($10, purchased, 13%): This is a top-notch $10 French rose from the same producer that does WC favorite La Vieille Ferme. Look for some berry fruit and even some spice, but it’s not soft despite grenache in the blend. Imported by Vineyard Brands

• Josef Leitz Rheingau Rose 2019 ($17, sample, 12%): Well-made and enjoyable German rose made with pinot noir and without a spec of sweetness — almost Provencal in style, with strawberry fruit and stoniness. Price is problematic. Imported by Schatzi Wines

• Rocchetta Futurosa Rosato 2018 ($8, purchased, 13.5%): This Italian pink is one of the best roses I tasted in the past year — stunning, almost savory, with cherry fruit and a finish that seems to go on forever. Highly recommended, though availability may be a problem; I bought it on close out at half its normal price. Imported by Serendipity Wines

• Protocolo Rose 2019 ($9, purchased, 12,5%): The Protocolo wines are mostly known for their price, so quality is inconsistent. Having said that, this is an amazing Spanish rose — tart and fresh, despite the vintage, with almost orange-ish fruit. Highly recommended. Imported by Fine Estates from Spain

• Jolie Folle Rose 2019 ($13/1 liter, purchased, 12.5%): This is a pleasant, well-made French pink that sits between Provencal and the New World in style — strawberry fruit, but not too much, and a lingering minerality on the back. Plus, it’s a value at 1 liter, even with the tariff. Imported by T. Elenteny Imports

Photo: Jep Gambardella via Pexels

Wine of the week: Dominio de Eguren Protocolo Tinto 2017

protocoloThe Dominio de Eguren Protocolo Tinto is cheap Spanish tempranillo the way it should be

The Spanish wine regions around Madrid aren’t famous, unless someone is sneering about the tanker cars of cheap red wine produced there every year. Let them sneer, because they’re missing out on terrific cheap wine like the Protocolo.

In fact, one reason why Spanish tempranillo is among the best red wine values in the world is that regions like Castilla-La Mancha do more than make tanker cars of cheap red wine. Much of it is cheap wine the way it should be – varietally correct and following the style of the country, simple but not insulting. And, since producers in these regions can do cheap so well, it holds down the price of better quality tempranillos from Rioja and Ribera.

The Protocolo ($9, purchased, 13.5%) is everything one hopes for in a cheap Spanish tempranillo — soft tannins, just enough acidity to show that it’s red wine, and ripe but not too ripe berry fruit. Plus, it has flavors at the beginning, the middle and the end (a sort of rustic earthiness), just like more expensive wines.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for both the 2020 Hall of Fame and the Cheap Wine of the Year. Drink this with almost any spring and summer barbecue, and then keep drinking it the rest of the year.

Imported by Fine Estates from Spain

Wine of the week: Protocolo Blanco 2009

image from www.synergyfinewines.comThe Spanish have been making vin ordinaire for what seems like forever, but given that Spanish wine has traditionally been overlooked in the U.S., the only cheap Spanish table wine that most of us know is Sangre de Toro.

Which is too bad, since the company behind Protocolo does a more than decent job as well. The red was a little boring — mostly fruit that had been too heavily handled, though not nearly as overdone as some. The Blanco ($7, sample, 12 1/2 percent alcohol), on the other hand, was a nice little surprise in the midst of holiday wine tasting. It's made with two Spanish grapes — air n and macabeo, which is also used to make cava. The Blanco had a little lemon fruit, some earthiness and even a bit of minerality, though not as much acid as I expected. This was probably because it was a previous vintage; even so, it held up well.

Chill this and keep a bottle handy for wine with dinner (chicken comes to mind, though takeout that's not too spicy would work, too). It's mostly a warm weather wine, but I'm not going to pass up a chance to drink good cheap wine just because it's cooler in December.