First off, allow us to congratulate Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours for the 50th Anniversary of Wine Blog Wednesday, and to Russ Beebe of Winehiker for choosing such an appropriate theme for WBW #50: wine you’d go hiking with

And oh how we wish we were hiking right at this very minute. To be up in the mountains hearing the crackle of the leaves underfoot, the gentle brush of the cold wind across your cheeks, and the awe inspiring vision of the valleys sweeping down below you, while perched on a small outcropping. Sigh, I wish I could teleport us there, feeling my head on the soft, slightly wet ground staring up at the wispy clouds. But alas, we are here, in Terrassa, imagining a beautiful, relaxing day in the mountains, pondering what we would bring.

At first, we considered a light red to pair with our traditional hiking cuisine, consisting of cured Manchego cheese and a freshly baked baguette. But then we thought, “what about a big bold Spanish red that is so tightly wound, it would take hours for that bad boy to open and relax?”.

After much contemplation, we both agreed that this would be a great way to go. Pack in some fuet, a sharp Manchego and a baguette, hike for 3 to 4 hours after double decanting your bottle, and voila, you’ve got a fabulous little lunch. The only problem being, you’ve got to get back down the mountain. And as many of you know, these big ass Spanish reds pack in a fair amount of alcohol. So unless you’ve spend the entire afternoon tossing around a Frisbee, while downing a few bottles a water, you might as well curl up and take a long luxurious nap, because we highly doubt you’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.

Hmmm, anyone for a hike?!

That said, we cracked open both the 2001 Bodegas Bilbainas La Vicalanda Gran Reserva from La Rioja, made with Tempranillo, along with the 2005 Casa de la Ermita Petit Verdot. And alas, the Petit Verdot was as mild and harmless as spring doe, with gorgeous dark fruit and spice aromas. Light, elegant and delicate, we fear that this one just wouldn’t make it for a full on arduous hike. It would however, make a killer pairing for a picnic in the park, but full on backpacking adventures are just not in this wine’s future. The Bilbainas however, is a fabulous choice for a long afternoon hike. Big, bold traditional Rioja wine, it could easily age for another 5 years before we see it in its full glory. However, the caveat being that the weight of the bottle is ridiculously heavy, and would be better used as a door stop than a wine to go backpacking with.

Thanks again to winehiker for a great theme and to Lenn for surviving 50 Wine Blog Wednesdays. Hopefully, we’ll celebrate with a hike in the mountains surrounding Terrassa soon! For now though enjoy a video of our last wine hike!

Saludos,

Gabriella and Ryan Opaz

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