Event pick-Meet Al Spoler of Cellar Notes and taste some Portuguese and Spanish Wines

Great tasting opportunity in Baltimore this weekend!  Al Spoler, co-host of the Cellar Notes radio program on WYPR 88.1 FM, is presenting wines from Spain and Portugal this Saturday at Wine World Beer and Spiritshttp://mywineworld.com/index.php .  He is also leading a wine soaked historical trip to the two countries with historian Graeme Cooper in the Fall.  Learn how you can join them below!

This Saturday, Starting at 1:00:    Meet Al Spoler!  This is your chance to talk with one of the most informative, and genuinely nice people you would ever hope to meet, on the subject of wine, beer and spirits! Al Spoler is one of the hosts of the "Cellar Notes" radio spot heard each week on WYPR 88.1 FM, and we are very happy to have him return to Wine World this Saturday afternoon at 1:00. Al is involved in a "Vineyards and Victories" tour of the Iberian Peninsula of Spain and Portugal scheduled for this October. He and famed historian and Certified Battlefield Guide Graeme Cooper will lead a lucky group of travelers on a first-class tour through those two countries as they re-trace the steps of Wellington's army, wine glass in hand! To learn more about your opportunities to be among them, click the link provided above. But for those who can't join Al in October, we've arranged for a small taste of what they will be enjoying as we present today's tasting of  Portuguese and Spanish wines with our very special guest, Al Spoler!   2011 Alente White - $9.99:  Alentejo, Portugal - Made from a distinctive blend of the high quality indigenous Antão Vaz variety and the renowned Arinto grapes, Alente White has a golden citrine color with an aroma of tropical fruits and hints of peach and melon. It is rich in fruit, complex and exhibiting volume, it is well balanced, fresh and exciting. 2012 Palacio de Vivero Rueda - $9.99:  Castile-León, Spain - This fresh, lively wine is a blend of 60% Verdejo and 40% Viura grapes from the Rueda region, northwest of Madrid. Its color is a pale golden yellow with glints of green. Offering fresh tropical fruit and citrus aromas, the wine shows good structure and complexity. The palate is fresh and fruity with a mineral note that matches very well with shellfish or salads. 2009 Banda Azul "Crianza" - $17.99:  Rioja, Spain - This blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha shows a bright ruby red color. The bouquet of American Oak barrel aging is predominant with a hint of fruitiness. A well developed wine with rich sensations, a harmonic structure and great persistence. 2010 Porrais Tinto Douro - $15.99:  Douro, Portugal - This aromatic red wine is made of a blend of 4 typical Portuguese grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Sousão, Tinta Barroca. It shows a black cherry color in the glass, with fragrant fruit and floral aromas bursting forward delighting the nose. The first sip is supple and savory with flavors of red fruits and spices tempered by soft tannins. Its dense richness is balanced by a ripe acidity leading to a long and satisfying finish. A very stylish wine! 2011 Tineta Ribera del Duero - $14.99: Burgos, Spain - Sourced from a single vineyard, and made from 100% Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo), this dense red wine offers extraordinary depths of dark fruit flavors such as plums and blackberries with a hint of smoke on the finish. Medium to full-bodied, juicy and succulent, this wine is a perfect pairing with grilled meats! 2010 Mas Sorrer Montsant - $17.99:  Catalonia, Spain - A beautiful red blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah from the hills of the Montsant region, this lovely wine brings aromas of cherry, cedar, earth and spices. The taste is packed with juicy plum and fresh cherry notes followed nicely by hints of spice and cedar with a touch of tar on the lingering finish. A well balanced and complex wine.