So if you’ve never heard of Monastrell that is just the Spanish name for the Mourvèdre grape. And if you’ve never heard of Mourvèdre, well we think you're missing out because if you are a cab lover, Mourvèdre is gonna be your new best friend. 

Monastrell originated in Spain, most likely in the Valencia region in the town of Murviedro. In fact, it is the fourth most planted red variety in Spain. And Spain is still home to the majority of vines planted worldwide. However, it has also been planted in Southern France for centuries and while it is still a prominent grape in Spain, it is losing ground in favor of grapes like Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Monastrell began to fall out of favor in Spain because traditionally it had been used to produce a high quantity of wine, instead of high-quality wines. Forcing vines to produce high yields of grapes typically results in fairly weak tasting, uninteresting fruit, and therefore wine. More recently, some producers have begun experimenting with lowering their yields. Additionally, some of the older vines, which inherently have lower yields, are producing some very high-quality fruit in Spain. These wines are full of black fruits, dark spices, fresh herbs, and leathery notes. 

Much like Cabernet Sauvignon, Monastrell is an excellent pairing with rich meats. Anything from red meat to game, to stews and sausages will do the trick. Because peppery and spice notes are a prominent feature of the wines, matching those flavors in the food is always a good call. Nutty cheeses, like Parmesan, are also an excellent match with Monastrell. Rule of thumb with pairing, many strong-flavored foods, that could potentially overwhelm other wines are often a great companion for a well structured Monastrell. 

For our next suggestion we’re traveling to Italy, or really Sicily in particular because this tiny island is pretty different from the Italian mainland. As you will find with most of Italy the vast majority of the grapes grown in this country are native varieties. So while some, like Sangiovese AKA the grape behind Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino, have been able to gain international recognition many others may not be quite as familiar. 

But if you’ve never heard of Nero D’Avola we highly encourage you to check it out. Nero D’Avola is arguably the most important and certainly the most planted red grape in Sicily. This grape has been grown on the island of Sicily for centuries, but for most of its life it was used mainly as a blending grape and its name rarely ever appeared on wine labels. But in the early 2000s Sicilian producers started producing single varietal bottles of this wine and they quickly gained popularity. 

Nero D’Avola is a full bodied red wine with medium acidity and strong tannins. It is known for its bold fruit flavors that range from black cherry to prune. It is also often aged in oak barrels to add a little more spice to the flavor profile. 

In terms of food pairing, if you’re into meat then this is wine to stand up to things like beef stew and bacon burgers. Or if you’re on the veggie train it's time to bust out the mushroom and black lentils for this. But whatever you’re cooking, if you can incorporate spices like anise, sage, cocoa powder or plum sauce this wine will feel right at home.