One again we find ourselves drinking Monastrell (a.k.a. Mourvedré, a.k.a. estrangle-chien, a.k.a. Mataro, a.k.a. Esparte) from Spain.  Why?  because there are SOOO many good ones.  This is a different style, light and fruity, but it fits with the spring weather that is finally descending on the Northwest, and the rest of the country.

Bodega J. Belda is a family winery founded in 1931 near Valencia on Spain’s Mediterranean coast. The current generation to oversee the operation is Daniel Belda, a professional enologist who inherited a long family tradition, and spent recent years bringing his family business to the forefront of the region’s wine production. With around 160 hectares, Belda produces noble French varieties along with Valencia’s great native varieties like the fresh, aromatic white grape, Verdil as well as the famed Monastrell (which Belda makes into a deliciously soft, easy-drinking bistro wine called Ponsalet).vineyard/cellar practices | The vineyards are rooted in a limestone-layer drained, sandy loam soil at the foot of a hillside facing southwards, at a height of 600 meters, perfect for slowly maturing fruit on the vines. All vineyards are dry farmed, and yields are kept low for the region.

Try this fruity, playful red with cheeseburgers, sausages, and herbed mushrooms.  Drink now – 2013.