Coto de Imaz Rioja Reserva 2001

Rioja, Spain, £8.99, cork seal

Every time I drink Spanish wine I think I should do so more often; I really must try and sneak a few more bottles in amongst all the stuff from Korea, China and Japan. This wine comes from the Rioja Alta and is 100% Tempranillo. It's had 16 months in new American oak.The book in the background is Simone and Inés Ortega's classic Spanish cookbook 1080 Recipes that I often find myself referencing these days.

Coto de Imaz Rioja Reserva 2001 is a deep dark red, tinged crimson. I can smell smooth vanilla oak and a touch of cinnamon alongside a big basket of berries - boysenberry, raspberries and plums* (*though plums aren't berries). It smells and tastes pretty damn good. Up front it's all sweet fruit; plums and berries but the long, lingering finish is dry. It's pretty oaked up; big, round and powerful, but is well made with fine tannins. I like this wine; it's intense and rich, but balanced and rather delicious.

Visit winery website.