As the work week was coming to an end I began contemplating which wine we would enjoy on Friday night. I recalled I had a Spanish red sent to me from the great people at Nysus and decided it would be the perfect end to a busy week as well as a great segway into the weekend.

Nysus is an importer and distributor of quality wines with a focus on providing a unique and diverse portfolio for their customers. Nysus derived their name and inspiration from the Greek god of winemaking, wine and grape harvest; Dionysus. Nysus was founded with the idea to share their laugher and passion for living with the world. I encourage you to visit Nysus’ web site to learn more about them and view their impressive portfolio of wines. You may purchase any of the wines distributed by Nysus at Wines by Case Use the code “NYSUS” to receive a discount on your purchases.

Kame Tinto 2009 Vino de la Tierra Castilla: This wine was crafted from 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Tempranillo, 30% Syrah and 5% Petit Verdot. After a one hour decant this wine poured a lovely rich ruby red into the glass. It met the nose with inviting aromas of ripe red berries layered on smoke, pepper and a bit of minerality. It followed through on the palate with dazzling flavors of red cherries, plums, raspberries and cranberries; along with round espresso, white pepper, a pleasing touch of grit from crush stone, vanilla, and a hint of cassis on the back of the palate. I was expected a BIG wine due to the blend of grapes; however, what presented itself was an elegantly restrained wine, smooth with balanced acidity and subtle tannins that were well rounded offering a medium body and a medium finish. The fruit was concentrated and lively; rather than hot and heavy. This wine was aged for 6 months in new American and French oak barrels and contained 14% alcohol. SRP $19.97. I recommend this wine.

As I said the week had been busy and Friday was no different. I had no time to prepare a meal to pair with this wine so I decided on take out. As you know I am a big believer in pairing wines with the food of the same region; however, that is not an exclusive rule, rather, just sound guidance. Since there are no Spanish restaurants in my suburban community I decided to pair the Spanish red with casual Latin cuisine from a nearby restaurant called Mexican Sugar Cocina y Cantina. Mexican Sugar offers a lively menu of casual Mexican cuisine with a Texas twist, an intentionally adventurous cocktail menu, an enticing Latin American dominated craft beer menu and a well-balanced and inviting wine list. It is not uncommon in Dallas to find excellent Latin cuisine, especially some sort of Tex-Mex fusion; however, it is highly unusual to find any one of these restaurants with a decent, even engaging wine list so BIG Cudo’s to Mexican Sugar!

I chose two appetizers and two tacos for my husband and I to share with the Kame Tinto. I will tell you up front the wine paired beautifully with each offering! We began with Arepas (grilled corn cake, slow roasted barbacoa, slaw, cilantro crema) and Tostones (smashed plantains, black bean spread, spicy pickled onions, queso fresca, lime crema). After we shared these appetizers we enjoyed two different tacos: Spicy Habanero Chicken (grilled chicken, avocado crema, corn pico, pickled red onions, arugula, habanero hot sauce, Chihuahua cheese – yes they were hot!) and Lomo (chile beef tenderloin, pickled relish, chimichurri, arugula, manchego, tomato-mango pico, cilantro). As you can see these dishes were colorful and full of diverse flavors and spices, the Kame Tinto worked through all the different tastes and textures with elegance and ease.

Kame Wines are a part of the Eguren Ugarte family of wines. From the Eguren Ugarte web site:

At Eguren Ugarte we make wine with the Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja. Accredited in 1926, we obtained the highest category, “Calificada” in 1991. This family winery has kept up the traditional way of producing its wines, while incorporating innovative techniques both in grape growing and in wine making. The results are exceptional wines, worthy of the national and international awards they have won. The Kame wines combine youth, impetuousity and modernity. We produce them from the grape in our vineyards in Tierra de Castilla by using different methods which combine tradition with cutting-edge techniques.The most modern varieties are those which add an urban touch and the characteristic bite of Kame wines.

And from the Kame web site:

The Tempranillo variety originates from our oldest vines, trained in the shape of a goblet and cared for one by one down to the last detail using traditional techniques. The most modern varieties are those which add an urban touch and the characteristic bite of Kame wines. These younger vines are trained in trellises and we take care of them using modern wine-producing methods.

My Song Selection: The song I have chosen to pair with Kame Tinto 2009 wine is Tighten Up by The Black Keys. The Black Keys are an authentically cool rock duo with a unique sound and style all their own. Sometimes they really bring it; other times they are more restrained but with the Black Keys you always know it is going to be good. The Kame Tinto 2009 certainly had the parts to produce a BIG, in your face sort of wine; but what it offered (like the Black Keys in Tighten Up) was style with restraint. Plus, the video is quite funny!

Get your own bottle of Kame Tinto 2009 (remember your discount with winesbycase.com) and let me know what song you would pair with it. Cheers!