You will have to excuse me as I am writing this post in a public room with lots of computers. The upshot is that I am squeezed next to some weird bloke who has his racing post out and appears to be gambling online. This brings with it his odd distracting groan of disappointment along with an almost unbearable whiff of cheap aftershave that he seems to be covered in (presumably to mask the nervous sweating). I am sure with prolonged exposure, any wine I drink this evening will have it’s virtues masked by my damaged nostrils that feel like they have been invaded by a heady mix of rose water and pigs urine.

Sorry , back to the bottle in the title...

Some friends gave me three bottles of rather nice looking red wine the other day completely out of the blue. Their reasons were simple. They prefer white wine, and these bottles were gifts in the first place. There was no hesitation from me. I am now working my way through them and this is the first bottle from ‘Bodegas Faustino’.

The bottle is dark, and the whole package is almost cartoon like. If Mickey Mouse drank wine....In fact it would also not look out of place on the film set of a Spaghetti Western, soon to be crashed over some poor unsuspecting head. It is adorned with bold red lettering on a smokey yellow label with a large picture of Mr Faustino (presumably) in a neck ruff looking rather serious. The Faustino brand is very well know due to Faustino I, Gran Reserva in its famous wired frosted glass packaging. Again a bit like a forger has recreated an ancient bottle but forgotten to give it that imperfect genuine look and feel.

My bottle’s looks may be dubious, but as far as brand awareness is concerned it has done the job. An instantly recognisable bottle that promises a good drink, and appears a cut above the run of the mill supermarket brand.

Faustino VII Rioja Tinto 2007 is 95% Tempranillo (which I am sure you are familiar with) and 5% Mazuelo (aka Carignan, know for being planted in great quantity in the Languedoc region of South France. It is a heavy grape with big tannins, colour and acidity, therefore perfect for blending. The third most planted grape in Spain). It is 13%ABV and has been aged for 10 months in American oak from Pennsylvania and West Virginia (much like adding a vanilla pod).

I cut the ample foil and pulled the proper cork. I finished off preparing my baked beans on toast (I know what you are thinking, but there is quite an art to making good beans on toast. It will act as a modern take on a typical tapas bean dish in my overactive imagination).

The wine was very smooth and smokey with that distinctive Rioja drying road tar aroma punching through. An almost overwhelming experience. As distinctive in character to red as New World Sauvignon Blanc is to white. Much like the aromatic chap sitting next to me, I certainly will not forget it, except I actually quite liked the wine. After all it was free and for that I am really grateful.

Lets dig deeper into the Faustino empire. There is actually a ‘Grupo Faustino’ which has several brands, one of which is called Bodegas Portia. At this point I will make reference to a news story that was released today about Winston Churchill covering up a UFO sighting. The new winery built in the Ribera del Duero for Bodegas Portia looks exactly like one of Winston’s UFOs has landed. Designed by the creators of the famous London Gherkin, Foster+Partners (Norman Foster), it is the most extravagantly modern winery you could ever see (not that I am a winery aficionado, I just cannot imagine anything more outlandish). Even the constituent parts are carefully thought out, as it it made from just four materials that are part of the wine making process - concrete, steel, oak and glass. Check it out.

It can produce one million bottles a year. Impressive. The design somehow injects character to the unattractive concept of mass produced wine.

Who knows it may even take off and deliver the bottles personally.

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