150 Years of Wine

*This post is written in paid partnership with Bodegas Faustino. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own, as always.  ;)

Continuing our quest to discover new and tasty wines, we're giving Faustino Rioja wine a try! Mike and I have talked about taking a trip to Barcelona for ages, but I'm beginning to think we should just rent a car and drive through Spanish wine country while we're out there. This wine has me convinced!

Bodegas Faustino is a winery in Rioja, in the Northern part of Spain, that has been around for over 150 years. They know a thing or two about perfectly aged wine. This Faustino V Red Reserva is aged in American oak barrels for 18 months, which gives it a great woody note. Riojas are generally bright, fruitier reds, so the oak hints really round out the flavor. We drank it on it's own while watching a movie one night, but it would go great with pasta or red meat. 

Faustino makes a number of different wines, including a Rosé Tempranillo, and all of them are easy to recognize because of the 18th century portrait of nobleman, Nicolaes van Bambeeck by master artist Rembrandt van Rijn on the side. Can't miss that! Look for them in your local wine shop and head over to Faustinowines.us for more info!

P.S. Spanish wines are also perfect for making Summer red sangria! We had a few friends over the other night and threw together a pitcher using Faustino VII, which is slightly younger red. Definitely not your run of the mill restaurant sangria! It was SO tasty! I'm listing out the recipe below.  ;)

Rioja Sangria Recipe:

-1 bottle of Faustino Rioja wine

-1/2 apple, chopped

-1/2 orange, chopped

-1/2 cup brandy

-1/4 cup triple sec

-1/2 cup orange juice

-brown sugar (optional, to taste)

Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.