We received a bottle of Spainish red wine with just the letter E on the front label. It is produced by Dave Phinney and is a product of Spain. Is bottled by locations Huesca Spain. Can you tell us the story behind this wine and its maker.
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
The story of this Spanish wine is emblematic of exciting new developments in the world of wine, whereby producers source and blend wines globally according to their own philosophies. David Swift Phinney, the person behind this innovative project, has created a number of wine labels with clever names in recent years. California wine drinkers may know his Orin Swift wines, including "The Prisoner" with its dramatic, dark etching by Spanish artist Goya, which quickly acquired a cult following after its launch in 2003 (the brand was so successful it was sold to Huneeus Vintners in 2009, to be produced in partnership with Phinney). He had the inspiration to develop a series of individual wines under the "Locations" brand to be marketed with one or two letters on the front label representing the country of origin: E for Spain (Espana), I for Italy, F for France, AR for Argentina and CA for California. The reds are cross-regional blends which as a rule do not qualify for a specific or official appellation or denomination. Rather, the idea is to take an unconventional approach - focus on the best possible result, even if that means combining grape varieties which would be unconventional in the country of origin. If you have the second release of the Spanish bottling (E 2), it selects material from Priorat, Jumilla, Toro, Rioja and Ribera del Duero, taking in grapes such as Garnacha, Monastrell and Tempranillo. The F French wine blends varieties from Bordeaux, the Rhone Valley and Roussillon. In other words, the "Locations" wines are all about crafting a desired taste profile rather than expressing the character of a specific place. Another extremely unusual point about these wines is that they are not labeled with a vintage date. I have sampled several of the "Locations" wines and have been impressed by their rich, generous, fruit-filled personalities which seem ideally suited to many American palates. They strike me as terrific bargains available well under $20 retail.
