Bodegas Osborne Seven NV, Spain
Cost: $24
What: Just in time for holiday parties Bodegas Osborne has released its three-liter boxed wine, which sells for the equivalent of $6 per bottle. It’s a wonderful wine at any price, but at this price it can’t be beat.
Winemaker Jose Maria Nieto blended seven red varietals to create a smooth, balanced wine that features New World fruit flavors and approachability with Old World Spain’s structure and earthy complexity. It is a great blend of berry flavors, soft tannins and crisp acidity.
The color is deep red with a slight ruby tint. It has aromas of red fruit and spice with a distinct chocolate note. It’s a medium-bodied wine with a medium finish. It’s a nice, simple wine with delicious flavors.
The grapes are picked in the coolest part of the day just before dawn and fermented separately to allow each variety’s individual character to develop. “We chose to minimize oak treatments to maximize fruit flavors, using micro-oxygenation instead to soften tannins,” said Nieto.
The blend is 25% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, 18% Syrah, and 8% each of Petit Verdot, Tempranillo, Grenache and Graciano.
The Octavin packaging allows you to keep the wine fresh for up to six weeks, so it’s also great for sipping a glass or two each night, while still keeping the wine fresh. It’s collapsing plastic bag keeps oxygen away from the wine. The packaging also keeps down shipping prices.
Winery: Osborne traces its history back 200 years, when a young English trader, Thomas Osborne Mann, settled in Cadiz. He went into business with leading wine traders Lonergan & White, married a local woman and had five children born in Spain.
When Mann died, his sons took over the business and they were succeeded by other family members. The firm is still family-owned. They also own several restaurants. Their wines include sherries, ports, Rioja wines, Ribera del Duero wines, wines from the Tierra de Castilla and wines from the Tierra de Cadiz.
An advertising agency came up with the silhouette of a fighting bull that has been the company’s symbol since 1956. The Seven container has seven bulls of different colors.
Goes with: I had this with hamburgers off the grill and it was a good match. The wine should pair well with just about any grilled red meat, but I don’t think it would stand up to spicy tomato sauces or tomato-flavored soups.
