Spanish for Gumbo

The leftover turkey leg confit didn't last too long (lordy, I don't think I'll ever cook turkey by a different method ever again) but, luckily, we didn't finish off the gumbo at the Dinner Club either. Having accompanied the gumbo with a Pinot Noir the other night, I figured we could try it with a white. To our good fortune, there was another bottle still hanging around after the Dinner Club - not because we never got around to serving it, but rather because I'd used a cup of it in the gumbo and the rest of the bottle was simply a bystander until now.

1010. 2009 Castillo de Monséran - Viura (D.O. Cariñena - Spain)

The Viura comes in at under $10 and that's likely why it was never served at the Dinner Club - those wines tend to be a bit tonier and there might have been a few raised eyebrows. Don't be fooled though. This isn't your standard $10 wine. In the Vancouver market, Castillo de Monséran is best known for its Garnacha (or Grenache) wines. It's been a "go-to" bargain for years. Indeed, its premium wine only goes for $14 or $15 and both the premium and the entry level wines always seem to impress when folks find out how much they cost.

I'd grabbed the Viura because I knew the Monséran name and I thought I might gain another new varietal for the Wine Century Club. That new varietal part didn't pan out. Viura is another name for Macabeo and it's one of the primary grapes used in making Cava. Already on my list. But the Monséran label lived up to its reputation. The wine is obviously being made as an entry level wine; however, it had a freshness and pleasant acidity that belied its price point.

I couldn't find any references to the winery - other than sites shilling the wine - but my guess is that it might be a mass market brand, maybe produced by a cooperative of Spanish growers.

I should also admit that I made up the bit in the post title. Viura isn't Spanish for "gumbo," but it went fine as the wine in the gumbo and it went just as well while accompanying the soup. I've often heard that you shouldn't cook with a wine that you're not willing to drink on its own. I think we can work on both fronts here. Too bad that we're starting to run out of Dinner Club leftovers.