Monastrell - September 10th, 2008 - Hostess: Ms Sarah

Monastrell - September 10th, 2008 - Hostess: Ms Sarah

Wikipedia: About Monastrell. Red Wine.
Food Pairings: roast or grilled meats, barbeque, North African dishes
Other info.

Abbie's Tasting Notes:
1) 2006 Vinedos de El Seque Monastrell $12 @ Ansley Wine Merchant
Dark, not see-thru, smells astringent, rich and smooth, youthful, medium dry, heavier tasting, powerful, medium finish.

2) 2005 Hecula Monastrell $12 @ Ansley Wine Merchant
dark, but a bit lighter than the last one, smells lighter too, spicier, strong, medium finish, tart-ish, ginger

3) 2006 Luzon Verde Jumilla Monastrell $8.99 @ Old Milton Pkg Store
deep color, sort of see-thru, smells like iodine, smooth, fruity, silky, long finish

4) 2006 Castano Yecla Monastrell $10.99 @ Publix
tastes of clove, smells of onion, dry with medium finish, sour astringent taste

5) M3 by Diego Fernandez La Manch $9.47 @ World Market - FAVE
dry, smells clean, lighter color, smooth, fruity, buttery

6)2005 Juan Gil Jumilia Monastrell $14.00 on sale @ Ansley Kroger
dark color, slightly stinky smell, meaty, dry, tart, astringent

7) 2005 Valencia Casa Mon Frere Monastrell $11.99
meaty bacon smell, dark thick color, strong acidic, sour, yucky at first, but after it opened up very good.

BONUS - Sarah's Guacamole Recipe:
2 Haas Avocados
1-2 plum tomatoes seeded and diced
1/4-1/2 of an onion (usually she uses red onion, but this time she used white) diced
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)

Directions: mash avocados in a bowl. dice and seed tomatoes. dice onion. Add tomatoes and onion to the avocados. mix well. add lemon juice, stir again. add salt (recommends doing a little at at time, then tasting with a chip so as not to over-salt).
Variations: sometimes add a seeded or finely diced jalapeno or serrano pepper and/or chopped cilantro. you may substitute lime juice, but Sarah prefers lemon.
*Kosher salt is the key, if you used regular table salt the result is not the same (per Martha Stewart's advice, and Sarah says it is true).