Juan de Juanes (from Virgin Wines)

After a gap of posting, the blog is back.

I have just arrived back in Boulogne, and of course I will be buying some wines from France. However I did run out of my reds from France, but fortunately had funds in my Virgin Wines account to get a delivery of 12 bottles. I purchased some of my favourites from Virgin Wines that I bought before. This post reviews Juan de Juanes, a very nice wine that blends Garnacha, Tempranillo, and Syrah grapes.

Using The Periodic Table of Wine

I wanted to research the wine using both online searches, and using some of my wine books. However before heading off to Boulogne, I only had space for one book in my luggage. I chose to take ‘The Periodic Table of Wine’ by Sarah Rowlands. You can read my previous review of this book here.

It is the best book to get good basic information about different types of wines. It explains which wines are named by grape, and which by region. And it categories the wines into an easy to understand table of how full bodied the wines are.

Click here to buy the book.

The wine I am reviewing (Juan de Juanes) is a blend of three grapes, so it gives me the chance to use the Periodic Table of Wine to learn more about each grape variety. The three grapes are:

• Garnacha (listed in French as Grenache in the book. Garnacha is Spanish spelling)
• Tempranillo
• Syrah

Here are the relevant pages from the book.

Hard to read from the photos, here are some of the main points from the book.

Grenache

“A leading red wine grape variety… used for making usually juicy, strawberry-filled, popular high alcoholic wines.”
It is often blended with the Tempranillo grape as it softens the wine. And also often blended with Syrah. A versatile grape.

Tempranillo

Flavours for this grape “range from red fruits such as strawberry and rasberries, with herby and dusty notes in relatively cooler vineyards, but darker fruits like cherries, blackberries, plums or prunes emerge if the grapes are grown in hotter areas”
Young, affordable wines are easy-drinking, with red fruits like cherries and plums, plus herbs and medium acidity levels.

Syrah
“Syrah is deeply coloured, usually full-bodied and packed with dark fruit flavours. Age adds black pepper, black olive, herb, liquorice and sometimes savoury bacon notes”
Some wines “might mix Syrah with Grenache” interesting that the Juan de Juanes does this.

Reviewed with my good friend Mary. Tasted with a spicy meat and chicken pasta dish.

Juan de Juanes

• Juan de Juanes Garnacha Tempranillo Syrah 2023
• £9.99 from Virgin Wines (online order)
• 13% alcohol
• 70% Garnacha; 20% Tempranillo; 10% Syrah

For the front image of the label, I cannot resist showing a photo with the bottle next to a rose from my garden.

Aroma: Musky aroma, dark fruitiness.
Taste: Red and dark fruit flavours, and mildly sweet. But also a dark chocolate and oaky richness.

Paul

Aroma: A nice delicate and musk aroma.
Taste: Nice. Dark fruits, but mellow with no sharpness. Rich and warm. Earthy and tannic.

Mary

Mary and I enjoyed this Spanish wine and it complemented the spicy pasta meal. A very smooth but rich in flavours wine that I will purchase again. You can buy from Virgin Wines here.

Conclusions

Originally I wanted to review a pure Tempranillo, but tasting this wine with a blend of three grapes, I could use the book to read up on the three grapes. I could taste and appreciate the juicy red and dark fruitiness of the Grenache, the smoothness of the Tempranillo, and the extra full body of the Syrah.

I usually buy mainly French wines when in France, as they are cheaper, so I have appreciated trying out wines from different countries from Virgin Wines.

And The Periodic Table of Wine was useful in teaching me about the different grapes in a simple but comprehensive style. It explained how Grenache (Garnacha) is often blended both with Tempranillo and Syrah as this wine has done nicely. It was interesting to read the different flavours from the grapes as described in the Periodic Table of Wine book. A reminder of what I wrote in the About section of this blog. “I know very little about wine…I am on a journey to learn more“. And reading the relevant sections in this book helped me learn more. A reminder of the link to purchase here.