Driving > Disco

Set the controls of the time machine for "medieval" and bring your thirst...

Martin Codax, was a medieval jogral who lived in what is today known as the city of Vigo, Spain. Historical studies (ie - Wikipedia), show that he could have lived in the mid-thirteenth century, and that he was one heck of a poet. But, for today's purposes, we are much more interested in his skills as a vintner.

Fast forward 750 years, give or take a year or ten, and you arrive in 2005, in Vilariño, Cambados, a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra. The Martin Codax Winery has just finished bottling up their fine Ergo, a 99.7% Tempranillo, .03% Graciano mix that exhibits "body, structure and layers of vibrant fruit flavor." This particular wine is not quite as "bold," as the Rioja Gran Familia I mentioned last week, but I found it much more approachable (yeah, I just said "approachable"...how pretentious am I?) and therefore a good choice for wine novices, especially if they are interested in reds, or, you are trying to get them interested in reds.

I don't know if the Martin Codax actually ever made, saw or tasted a single drop of wine, but I do know this: if you like tempranillo, then you'll probably like this wine. It is not quite my favorite, but it is definitely in my top five. I'm not quite to the whole "drink this wine with the following foods" stage, but, regardless of what you are eating with it, you can buy some here. Enjoy!