Sure you'll all the thrilled to know I just went to the wine story (hey, if MM can talk about his coffee table and carpet cleaning... and doll collection...!!)... stocked up on a nice, and inexpensive spanish cava, Segura Viudas. Bought some of my favorite Riojas. But I am always curious about the Navarra wines... any good ones? I've had some cheap ones and not great. Also brought home my favorite Albarin~os (Burgans, Martin Codax) as well as a nice Marques de Caceres ROSE RIOJA wine (one of the best roses out there).

rgf, roses are some of my favorites...very hard to find here in California, as everyone seems to think you want PINK-(white zinfindel)YUK!!!
Can you give any more recommendations on vino from Spain?

Yes, very interested in vino recommendations. A big fan of Shiraz and Merlots, I'd love to take advantage of being in Spain and trying something new.

OK, for Riojas: I love a good Cune, say, 1991. Will run you close to $20. The Cune Rioja CLARETE is spectacular, and cheap. It's a lighter red wine, kind of more in the Valdepen~as line. From Galicia, a stunning white wine is Godeval (runs around $20, too). Marques de Caceres red rioja is always a good buy. Got money and good taste? Bodegas MUGA sells unfiltered Rioja wine that is very complex (and also in thge $25 range!!). Best cava for my taste: Juve y Camps, but i cannot get it in USA-- if you are in spain, buy, enjoy! The Vega Sicilia (Ribera del Duero) is supposedly out of this world (and in price, too). There's a thread called RIBERA DEL DUERO on this board that has all sorts of pricey nicey recommendations, too. Happy drinking!!

Great thread idea.. Hey, you'll all get some fantastic ideas from long and dust-covered " Ribera del Duero " thread.

You should see the top of my refrigerator! It's covered with mostly empty Spanish wine bottles, maybe 20 of all different brands and styles. Only a couple of them are still full, including a cava.

Saludos, MadridMan

MM, you posted ONE MINUTE after I did with the same suggestion to visit the Ribera del Duero thread... so... does that mean I get promoted to administrator now?? No, just borracha in chief with all that wine I hauled home....

The Bodegas Muga is a superb wine - and can be found, at least in Boston, for about $18 a bottle. Still pricey but better than $25.
Seems that Sapnish wines are growing in popularity, so often times liquor stores, in conjunction with the distributor, will do specials. Keep an eye out for specials and if you see Muga - it's really good.

Re: Navarra, Bodegas Nekeas has some good, reasonably priced reds. I'm fond of the Cabernet Sauvignon-Tempranillo and the Garnacha. A local merchant who specializes in Spanish wine recommended these to me, saying they can go toe-to-toe with many Californians at twice the price. I agree; these wines sell in his shop in New Jersey for around $10.

Anything 95 is excellent if you can find it. It was a great year for Spanish wine. For good deals try Coto, Muga, Faustino and Mauro. Vega Sicilia is great but expensive.
There's a wonderful website that only features Spanish wine: www.elvino.com
A Vuestra Salud!

For Leuci:
Getting back to Cava and speaking of New Jersey: Roger Wilco's Christmas flyer lists Freixenet at $6.99 (750 ml). I usually buy my Codorniu there for the Holidays but both are excellent 'Cavas' and now Freixenet and Codorniu are one and the same company.
That's a merger I can live with.