Cruz de Piedra Selección Especial

The most wonderful thing about being a non-wine producing country is the variety our merchants can put forward for us. Hypothetically anyway, in reality lots of us could find our favourite wine on a shelf blindfolded. Variety hasn't been a by-word for the Irish wine trade, save now it seems certain people are all ready to shake things up.

So, we've decided that we ought to run a wee series to highlight any wines we've stumbled upon that have just arrived on our fair shores and shelves. First on our merry list is Cruz de Piedra Selección Especial, an old vine Grenache from the D.O. of Calatayud.

With a vine age of about 50 years and with some vines reaching beyond the hundred mark, this wine has all it needs to make a mature expression of a revived style that is fast coming to the fore of "new-Spain", upfront old vine Granacha. Considering the work of pulp-fictionist Alvaro Palacios and his secular obsession with monastic viticulture (and the general success his wines have been met with), it's little surprise that this follows in the same steps. Playing on monastic links the wine is dubbed  Cruz de Piedra translating as cross of stones in reference to the abundant crosses on the old pilgrimage paths in the area. If anything this wine seems to be fitting the boots of new-Spain with ease.

Despite this divine hand, I'm rarely one to be sold on Grenache, finding it lacking a second dimension despite the dizzying levels of alcohol, it often seems a fruit bomb, a one fruit bomb at that. Thankfully, this is a somewhat different, with eight months in new oak. This results is a really quirky not over serious wine with some a eye catching vibrancy.

• Cruz de Piedra Selección Especial (€13.99 O'Briens); Fresh minerality puncturing the velvet texture of juicy red cherry and berry aromas of the nose, revealing a wine that displays it's terroir with ease. Medium body of red fruits again veils the palate, bouncing from intense red fruits to liquorice by times. With a finish of sweet cinnamon spice that lingers on the palate in a lively fashion. (Score: 86 Value: 3)

                                                                                                                                                          

 If you've seen any new arrivals you'd like us to find out about for you or you're the guy importing them get in touch on EmptyGlassIE@gmail.com and we'll seen what we can do to help you!