Yeah for our international wine club! Every once and awhile we think about cutting back. I mean, really, how many wine clubs do we need to be members of? How spoiled can you get?

Very spoiled, of course, but hey, we just don't have a lot of time to browse around wine shops, and I tend to be really bad about picking out the same things all the time. I really have to force myself to try something new, and basically, that's exactly is what happens when you are part of wine club.

So a recent home wine tasting included a bottle of Spanish Bodegas Borsao. I was able to dig up this wine review from Bullz-Eye.com:

Borsao has an open, forward nose full of fresh red raspberries and oaky vanilla spice, with hints of black fruit and a touch of something floral -- maybe violet. A soft, velvety texture in the mouth carries bright berry flavors -- mostly ripe raspberry, with a nice touch of vanilla oak spice. It finishes rather quickly, with a chalky acidity. Very mild tannins make a cameo appearance at the tail end of the finish.

This is a soft, pleasant, berry-filled, spicy red wine with a flavor profile that many people will find appealing. It is enjoyable by itself, and will match well with beef (stews, meatloaf, burgers) and sausage dishes (can you say "meat lover's pizza" ?). I made the mistake of trying to match the wine with salmon (before tasting it for the first time) and it didn't work because of the oaky vanilla element -- which is not overpowering in the wine, but is too much for fish. I had a much better experience drinking it with a meatball sandwich, and believe it will also go well with chili, tacos and similar Latin cuisine based on ground beef and beans.