Hello Spanish Table wine friends!

Lend me your palm, I believe I hear the sound of corks popping in your future... I see something with the letter "c"--but wait--it's not from France. Could it be, cava? Well, if you're throwing a party this season, I hope this fortune comes true since it could literally save you one! Not to sound like Crazy Eddy, but we have dozens of sparkling wines at ridiculously low prices, considering that many of them are hand-riddled just like their cousins in champagne. So come in & check out our parallel universe...

As promised, this week I'm sharing a list of Top Ten Customer Favorites of 2005 from all different wine categories. It may not be the most scientific of all wine surveys, but these are the wines that stick out in my memory as most beloved by our customers. Perhaps even more importantly, I just got word that Clos Mogador 2003 ($80) has just landed so PLEASE let me know if you would like to pre-order as it sometimes sells out in just a few HOURS, especially in a good vintage such as '03! I will offer our 10% discount on wooden six-packs for those interested.

Ever been to Spain for New Year's? One of my favorite holiday traditions is that of eating grapes at twelve o'clock. With each stroke of midnight, revelers pop a grape in their mouth to give good luck throughout the coming year. However you celebrate, I wish you all a happy & healthy 2006! Best, Catherine CHICKEN DRUMETTE TAPAS from The Spanish Table Cookbook by Steve Winston Roasting chicken drumettes in a hot oven and then covering them with a sauce yields lots of great little tapas. Brush the bottom of a cazuela with olive oil and put the drumettes in it. Turn to coat with oil, sprinkle with sea salt and bake in a 400º oven for thirty minutes, turning them once or twice. When golden brown, remove them from the cazuela and use the drippings to make a sauce. Once you are happy with the sauce, return the drumettes to the cazuela, toss to coat. Heat before serving. If you do not want chicken bones in the post-party debris, use bite-sized pieces of boned chicken and spear each one with a toothpick. Here are ideas for the sauces: Sauce: De-glaze the cazuela with wine then thicken it with breadcrumbs and season with some freshly grated nutmeg. Green Sauce: Add ¼ cup minced parsley or cilantro leaves to the white wine sauce, omitting the nutmeg. Moorish Sauce: Add 2 tablespoons homemade or prepared Pincho Seasoning to white wine sauce. Sauce: After cooking a tablespoon or two of finely diced chorizo sausage and some minced onions in the drippings, add a cup of red wine and reduce it by half.

Garlic Sauce: Use one head of garlic and a half pound of chicken or meatballs. Slowly cook the minced garlic in drippings and olive oil until very soft. Whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons flour, then ½ to one cup white wine. Picada Sauce: After de-glazing the cazuela with ½ cup white wine or fino , add 2 tablespoons picada (recipe in cookbook). Romesco Sauce: Use homemade or prepared romesco in place of picada. Saffron Sauce: Season either picada or garlic sauce with a pinch of saffron threads steeped in some sherry or white wine. Sidra Sauce: Use the recipe for Catalan Chicken a La Sidra (recipe in cookbook) Tomate Frito: De-glaze the cazuela with a splash of Spanish before adding the homemade or prepared tomate frito, a tablespoon of minced parsley and ¼ teaspoon of pebrella or cumin. TIP: To make two versions of this tapa, you can roast a double quantity of the chicken drumettes and then split the pan drippings to make two sauces. (I asked the author about the quantity of chicken to be used & there is no definitive answer... Steve made up these recipes in Santa Fe for a giant tapas party & used a tray of drumettes for each flavor. I did squeeze it out of him that each tray contains more than 24 drumettes, so use your best judgement. The results are sure to be delicious! --CR) TOP TEN CUSTOMER FAVORITES OF 2005 Castillo del Corzo 1999, Vino de la Tierra Castilla $5.99 Many people ask about our bin marked, "An Unbelievable Bargain from Beautiful Toledo"... "Is it any good?" they ask, & folks, it is. This is the wine that you had at the local tapas bar that was smooth & earthy with a little spice, that went down so easily with chorizo, at a price that made you love Spain from the first sip. This is the wine that you can stick in your "cellar" & break out a couple of bottles guilt-free on Friday night while eating Pagliacci's & watching a campy old Almodovar flick. Is it complicated, complex, mind- blowing stuff? Get real. Will it put a smile on your face for $5.99? You bet. Our most popular "house wine".

Broadbent Vinho Verde 2004, $8.99 (11 bottles left in stock) Vinho Verde’s are just plain FUN. The British call this type of wine "more-ish" because when you taste it, you want to drink more! Light, citrusy & spritzy, Vinho Verde can take you to a beach in Portugal. To capture the spirit of youthfulness, Bartholomew Broadbent had his 4-year-old niece design the sunny label on this new white. Super-fresh flavors of peach fuzz & tart/sweet green apple that reminded me of a Jolly Rancher! The perfect wine to bring to a party & my personal favorite.

Luzon Verde 2004, Jumilla $8.99 Never before have I seen a wine take off as fast as this one... The beauty of it is that rather than its popularity being based on a rating alone, this little gem from Jumilla has quickly become a top seller because it tastes so darn good for 9 bucks! (In fact, the wine has been so popular that the distributor has raised the price point by a dollar since I first wrote about it a few months ago...) Here's the deal, it's 100% ORGANIC Monastrell grapes from the southern appellation of Jumilla that produces some of the most killer values in Spain. "Verde" denotes the ecological methods of & the label itself provokes plenty of customer inquiries with its humorous little nature scene. Luzon has plenty of smokey boysenberry & plump black cassis juiciness with typical sun-dried fruits hanging off the vine at the finish. But wait, there's also a second side that's tangy with bright & youthful elements. Hmmm... Parker says, "blueberries, plums, lavender, and anise" & gives it an 89 in case you wanted to know. But when people start ordering DOUBLE cases of things with no sign on the wine, you know you're on to something good! Parés Balta Ros de Pacs 2004, Penedés $9.99 Too late in the season for rosé? Not a chance! People were so crazy about this tasty rosé that I actually called around town to track it down for them, but it sold out at every little shop within two weeks. Now it's back, just in time for the holidays although I don't think there's a bad time of year ever to drink pink. Ros de Pacs is a refreshingly dry Catalan rosé that has tangy cherries, great acidity, dusty texture & great length. A blend of Cab & Merlot that beat every rosé in my wine tasting group when tasted blind, including a $22 Sancerre. Organic to boot, don't miss out this time around. Steve just tried it with rave reviews!

Montsarra Brut Cava, $12.99 #1 Cava!!! This has to be one of my favorite sparkling wines from anywhere in the world. Abundant golden apple & bright citrusy aromas with hazelnut & spice cake flavors. Deliciously toasty & honeyed style. Round & creamy with fine bubbles & rich flavor. There’s even a hint of jasmine tea The package & flavor speaks for itself… Be merry, bubbly & bright! Porto Kopke, 10 Year Tawny $12.99/$22.99 Kopke is frequently acknowledged as the very first house in the history of port making. Their classic style lends itself to this Ten Year Tawny with macaroon & almond flavors along with earthy tones & a creamy finish. Deep, ambrosial flavors & mouth-filling richness are the result of masterful blending & five extra years of aging. Juan Gil 2003, Jumilla $14.99 LAST CALL!!! (2 cases left) Our favorite Monastrell is back, but not for long. I was allotted a whopping two cases as it sold out in it’s first week off the container, now it’s back Read below to see why the Gil is the fastest selling wine from Jumilla. “The 2003 Juan Gil is more structured and powerful than its predecessor, but it may not be any better, at least over the next 12 months. Yet it still offers an incredibly impressive mouthful of wine. This dense ruby/purple-tinged 2003 offers up sweet notes of blueberries, blackberries, graphite, and wood in a smoky, rich, medium-bodied, full, fleshy style. An added attraction is the minerality that comes from these ancient vines’ chalky/limestone soils. It should last 3-4 years ... at a minimum.” –91 points, Robert Parker Monte dos Cabacos 2001, Alentejo $17.99 What are the wines that I love best here at Spanish Table? The ones you can't find anywhere else unless you stuffed some in your suitcase! Local importer Vinum Wine discovered this wine while they were dining in Sao Rosas, a classic restaurant in Estremoz--turned out it was the "house wine" made by owner Margarida Cabaco. When they found out it didn't have a US distributor they jumped at the opportunity. A modern blend of Syrah, Cab, Touriga Nacional & Alicante Bouschet with jewel tones & a modern jammy nose of ink, smoke & ash. Luscious black/blue fruit with serious structure & the juice to back it up, this is a LOT of wine for your money & definitely one for the cellar. This debut vintage received Joao Paulo Martins' (Portugal's most famous critic) highest rating! -90 points, Wine Spectator Pago de los Capellanes 2003, Ribera del Duero $17.99 This entry-level wine from Capellanes is a deliciously beautiful value. It exudes elegance from the get-go with a nose of berries & cocoa. Richly textured with zingy red fruits, the lasting licorice finish will please a serious palate. “This balanced red is focused and expressive, with ripe yet crisp plum and blackberry fruit and underlying notes of mineral and coffee. It's fresh, and firm, but accessible. Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2012.” –90 points, Wine Spectator “Smart Buy”

Esporao Reserva 2001, Alentejo $19.99 Oo la la... This wine was so enchanting, we even pulled staff off their lunch break to taste with us so they didn’t miss out! Alentejo is a hotbed of fine wines in Portugal & it just keeps getting better, especially when you look at the prices. Unlike the powerhouse wines from the Douro, Alentejo’s best wines have elegance & a velvety finesse that makes them feel slightly hedonistic. Truly elegant from the first whiff with decadent chocolate & raspberry on the nose, my notes read "really delicious, refined & super-balanced–I didn’t want to spit!" Add a glycerin mouthfeel & you’ve got a luxurious Cadillac of a wine that I bet would please lovers of a riper-styled Pinot. Wine Spectator "Smart Buy" Catherine Reynolds Seattle Wine Manager

The Spanish Table 1427 Western Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 682-2827