Bierzo: Spain’s little-known wine region

Bierzo, in northwestern Spain, was granted status as an official wine region only in 1989, said Dave McIntyre in The Washington Post. It even briefly challenged Priorat in eastern Spain “as the country’s hot new wine region.” Priorat prevailed because wine drinkers were more familiar with its main red grape, Grenache, than with the Mencia grapes grown in Bierzo. Still, adventurous wine drinkers will enjoy these three challengers to Priorat’s “reign in Spain.”

Viña Caneiro 2007 ?Ribeira Sacra ($24)

Made in Galicia, Bierzo’s western neighbor, this wine seems “a bit unripe” when opened, but after an hour it takes on a silky texture

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and the flavor of cherries.

Tercer ‘Motivo’ 2005 ($15)

New oak gives this wine a cola-like flavor at first, but the wine mellows as it airs, and the oak yields “a delightful, minty wine” with impressive structure.

Luna Beberide ‘Finca la Cuesta’ 2007 ($24)

“Great value.” This smoky, earthy wine is made with grapes from 60-year-old vines on steep hillsides. “A sense of place with every sip.”