Look to Spain to find great wine deals

I find the fact Spain has more acreage of wine grapes than any other country an amazing fact. I find the fact the airen grape is not only the white grape with the most acreage in Spain but in the whole world.

Spain has the world's third-largest production of wine. The Spanish make some very high-quality wines, yet Spanish wines are not given their due share on the shelves of wine stores in the United States.

Maybe this is a good thing. The longer the quality wines of Spain stay under appreciated, the longer the price of these great wines will be suppressed. There are some very great values to be found in the Spanish wine section.

I have tried a few airen wines. None were particularly good. They have a clean refreshing crispness when very cold but lack fruit impressions. A lot of the production of airen-based wines is used for other purposes such as to create brandy or vinegar.

The great red grape of Spain, tempranillo, is used to make very fine world-class wines. Airen wines are sometimes blended with tempranillo wines to create a finished wine offering.

The most well-known wine producing region of Spain is Rioja. The tempranillo is the base red grape of the region. Wines are created to three levels in Rioja. A wine labeled as "crianza" is aged in wood for one year and one year in bottle before release. Crianza wines are generally in the $10 range.

Rioja wines labeled as "reserva" carry a little higher price. Many are in the $15-$20 range, but some will command $35 per bottle. They are aged for one year in wood and then another two years either in barrel or bottle.

Try a bottle of the 2004 Campo Viejo Reserva Tempranillo ($15-$20) to experience a wine from this level. There are loads of earth tones with truffle and mushroom impressions dominating the wine. Spice develops next with sassafras, clove, anise and cinnamon traits being joined with coca and vanilla. It took a whole day for the fruit traits to develop in this wine. Plum and cherry emerged after the wine was paired with a Stilton cheese.

The best wines are classed as "gran reserva." The wines are aged for a minimum of five years before release, two in barrel and three in bottle. Gran reserva are only made in exceptional years. Look to pay $20-$50 for a bottle of gran reserva.

Gran reserva is quite a bargain. Think about it — the wine is from exception vintages, so you don't have to worry if the vintage was good or not. The wine has been aged for a minimum of five years before release, so you are buying a wine that developed to a point of being drinkable upon purchase. Wines that have been made in other parts of the world with this much care (such as Californian cabernet based wines) will start at $60 a bottle and break through the $150 mark.

There aren't too many Spanish dishes that come immediately to mind, but one that is found in almost every Spanish-themed restaurant is paella. This is a versatile dish that gets its name not from the ingredients, but rather from the pan in which it is made. A paella is a two-handled shallow round pan.

A paella can feature a number of highlighted ingredients. Chicken is common. So is seafood, pork or chorizo paella. The style of paella I enjoy the most is called mixed paella. It is a combination of many items. I like shellfish, so mussels and clams are found in my recipe. I also like sausage, but I prefer to use Hungarian sausage instead of chorizo.

Sauté some strips of onion, bell pepper (use different colored peppers for a better presentation) and pimentos. Add diced tomatoes, rosemary, thyme and ground cumin along with a bit of chicken broth and let this mixture simmer and thicken.

Poach the shellfish in a bit of vermouth and chicken stock. Cut the chicken into strips, dust with paprika and brown. Cut the sausage into medallions and brown.

Make a pot of rice infused with saffron. Try a white wine as the liquid to brighten the flavor of the rice.

When the rice is done put it on the bottom of the paella pan. Top the rice with the other ingredients. Sprinkle on a few capers and bake at 200 until the liquids are absorbed.

The combination of flavors will bring out the fruits in the Campo Viejo Reserva. If you want to drink a white wine with this dish, try to find a viura or macabao wine.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Lobster goes very well in paella. So does sea bass. Do one with just fish. Another with just meats. Vegetarian versions can be created.

Spanish wines and Spanish foods are under appreciated. They offer great values. Pick up a bottle of Campo Viejo Reserva and enjoy it tonight while you are planning a Spanish meal.