Oranges and Avocados

Last Christmas, we tried something different. Instead of exchanging gifts, the husband and I bought a case of wine. 12 bottles to drink over 12 months. The wine was Beronia Reserva, a Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain. A bottle of really good Spanish wine turns dinner at home into a romantic date any night of the week. We were guaranteed one of these date nights every month for a year. The Beronia was a worthy complement to steak dinners and to hearty pastas, perfect with the Husband’s creations, and made our pizza feel extravagant.

We first tasted Beronia at Jose Andres’ restaurant, The Bazaar, and liked it so much that we sought it out. It was bold and juicy, delicious. The experts at Wine Enthusiast describe it this way: “Aromas of leather, smoked meats, charred oak and lacquer are not for the weak, while the mouthfeel is firm, deep and just right. Juicy and bright in terms of flavors, with black cherry, vanilla and coconut. Toasty and alert on the finish, but with smacking tannins.” I just learned that it was rated one of Wine Spectator‘s Top 100 Wines of 2010. I don’t pretend to know much about wine, but I liked learning that my palate got something right.

This month we arrived, reluctantly, at our last bottle of Beronia. It was celebrated with aged New York steaks, smashed potatoes and braised swiss chard. During dinner we remarked about how much we had enjoyed sharing this Christmas gift to ourselves all year and decided to make it an annual tradition. What wine will we choose for 2012? We are having fun auditioning candidates, but so far none have surpassed the Beronia.