2008 Bodegas Pedro Escudero "Fuente Milano"

Dear Rene, As the warmer months of spring approach it will be time to get the deck chairs out and enjoy a relaxing meal al fresco before the real summer heat hits. For casual weekday meals or relaxed weekend lunches a light, crisp white is made to order. And all the better that you can get something delicious and distinctive for ten bucks a bottle. Mike and Shem recently travelled to Spain visiting some of our favorite estates and also sampling wines from new suppliers. The full fruits of this trip will be shown in later email offerings, but to start, the 2008 Bodegas Pedro Escudero "Fuente Milano," is a wine perfect for the season: a crisp white wine from Rueda in north central Spain. This will be the one white wine to set the standards at this price. Will Argentina, France or Italy step up to challenge Spain? Who knows. Why wait, this beauty, bottled in late February is as fresh and delicious as they come. The doors have been repaired and reinforced and we're ready to do it again... another famous Arrowine Door-Buster sale! Are you ready? This Friday and Saturday come in to Arrowine (sorry, no phone or e-mail orders) to get the 90 point (at $11) 100% tempranillo 2007 Campellares Rioja Rosado for just $5.99 per bottle by the case. Save over 45%!! Please come by this weekend. In addition to the Door-Buster sale we have delicious cheese and charcuterie specials and wine tastings. Doug Rosen 2008 Bodegas Pedro Escudero "Fuente Milano" 2008 Bodegas Pedro Escudero "Fuente Milano" (Rueda, Spain) Regular: $11.99 Half Case (6): $10.99 per bottle Case (12): $9.99 per bottle A Crisp White Perfect for the Warmer Spring Months Shem and Mike's Top White Wine Pick from their Trip to Spain The White Wine Value to Beat This Spring Recommended in The Wine Advocate's Spanish Wine Values Shem and Mike recently visited this estate in north central Spain and fell in love with this delightfully crisp, refreshing white. They signed up right on the spot to do an email special. When they got back and showed the rest of the staff the wine we were all very impressed. For ten dollars this will be the white wine value to beat in the warmer months of Spring and Summer. The Fuente Milano blend is made of 50% viura, 50% verdejo. Verdejo is the distinctive blue-green grape made famous in Rueda. The light-skinned Viura grape, most frequently used for making Cava, is fresh and floral when picked early, and richer with lower-acidity (increasing aging potential) when picked later. Many of Escudero's viura vines are up to 80 years old. The viura grapes slated for the Fuente Milano are hand picked early to have a light, crisp flavor. The fully modern winery uses the latest equipment to produce the cleanest, purest wines with minimal intervention. To maximize the potential of this wine there is cold maceration of the grapes for 12 hours which is then lightly pressed to extract the free run juice. A long, slow fermentation is utilized then aged sur lees in stainless steel tanks. The wine is lightly filtered for clarity before bottling. This excellent vineyard site has been in the Escudero family for several generations. The soil and growing conditions here are highly regarded (and envied) by other producers, consisting of large stones, gravel and sand over a red clay sub-soil. The day Shem and Mike visited was bitterly cold and blustery. That is common in this area, along with occasional hail. Although the summers are warm and dry, much of the growing season has the cool climate perfect for stressing the vines and retaining acidity for bright, vibrant flavors. Here's how it tastes: Pretty aromas of lime, green grass and lemon oil. The mouth is teeming with flavors of lime and succulent sweet pink grapefruit, with a long, clean, complex mouthwatering stone dust finish. Food pairing is as you might expect: light summer fare and summer salads with citrus or melon. The wine's crispness also compliments strong salty or briny flavors. Our favorite recipes are for sautéed shrimp in lime, tequila and sea salt sauce, or sautéed shrimp with arbequina olives, scallions and anchovies. To order, please call 703.525.0990. We need your Visa or MasterCard information including expiration date. Wine arrives tomorrow, Friday April 17th. Enjoy! -- Graham Reid