It’s been such a great year to travel virtually to Spain with the #WorldWineTravel group. This month, our guide Cindy Running from Grape Experiences took us to Murcia and Valencia.

I was excited to join and write about Monastrell, the premier grape from the area. I went to the store-bought a Rosado and lo and behold discovered that it was made with Garnacha rather than Monastrell. Despite the surprise, I loved the wine from Bodegas Olivares.

This dry farmed Garmacha had loads of strawberry, raspberry, and a tart note on the palate. It also had a saline quality to it with racy acidity.

The winery has a vineyard at 825 meters above sea level called Hoya de Santa Ana where they grow ungrafted vines.

Their bush trained vines in that dry landscape reminded me of the trip I took to Valencia in 2000. I remember traveling to the hills and Alicante and how dry the whole region was at elevation.

The heat and the food from Valencia, Paella and seafood are perfect for Rosados. This led me to think of all the Rosados coming from this area and how they can be made with Monastrell, Garnacha, Tempranillo, and even Cabernet Sauvignon. Those made from Monastrell are also quite fruity and elegant, like this one from the Bodegas Olivares.

This eighth stop on our travels through Spain confirms what a fascinating and varied country it is for wines.

World Wine Travelers Share their Valencia and Murcia Finds

Take a look below at all the great finds from Valencia and Murcia from my fellow writers. Join our chat, Saturday morning, August 28 at 11:00am EDT. Just search on Twitter for #worldwinetravel. See you there!For more articles about the regions of Murcia and Valencia, enjoy those from my #WorldWineTravel colleagues.

• Monastrell from Murcia and Valencia Paired with Lamb-Beef Burgers and El Taberno from Gwendolyn Alley at Wine Predator……Gwendolyn Alley
• Getting to Know the Grape Known in Spain as Monastrell from Linda Whipple at My Full Wine Glass.
• Rosados from Jumilla from Susannah Gold on Avvinare.
• Valencia Inspires My First Paella from Jeff Burrows at Food Wine Click!
• Light up the Grill and Open that Bottle of Jumilla Wine from Wendy Klik at A Day in the Life on the Farm.
• To Valencia with Sobrasada, Other Spanish Nibbles, and Enrique Mendoza Alicante La Tremenda Monastrell 2018 from Camilla Mann at Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
• Muscatel Sparkling Joy by 100-Year-Old Bodegas Reymos – First Wine Cooperative in Valencia, Spain from Pinny Tam at Chinese Food & Wine Pairings.
• Coca am Recapte and Chopo Jumilla Monastrell Rose on a Summer’s Day by Terri Steffes at Our Good Life
• On Monastrell, Three Wines from D.O. Jumilla and Foods for
  Pairing by Cindy Rynning at Grape Experiences.