Reds

Marqués de Cáceres Gran Reserva 2001 - Rioja Crianza
Norton Ridge 2011 - California Merlot

Whites

Terra Mundi - Albariño; discovered at CDLC with Pilar & Alain; cheaper of the two Albariños
Conde de Carralt - dry & cheap
Raimat - Pilar's Conde de Carralt
Veranza - Chardonnay; inexpensive
Cercius - 20$ in 2012
Villa Argento - Pinot Grigio; inexpensive; discovered on first "date" with Gillian Morris
Lockhart - California Chardonnay; 15$ in 2014

Rosés (Rosados)

Juvé y Camps
Anna de Codorniu Brut Rosé - Alain's favorite Spanish
Enanzo - Navarra Garnacha

Champagnes (Cavas)

Veuve Cliquot - drink it before it warms up
Torelló - served at Bilbao Berria
Laurent-Perrier - one of the 10 bottles Su gave me for Christmas 2013

Vocabulary

Reds

Care of Tech Tastings: What follows is a high-level grouping of wines based on overall characteristics of structural elements and aroma/flavor . This is a good shorthand for ordering reds.

Light/Gentle	Soft/Fruity	Zesty/Firm	Bold
Unassuming wines, with subtle, not overly fruity flavors	Easy-to-drink fruit-driven wines with relatively low acid or tannins	Lively wines with noticeable structure/texture, often with spicy/earthy notes	Big, full-bodied wines with intense flavors, usually with higher alcohol & tannins

Structural Elements

Light Red	Dark Red	Black
cherry/sour cherry	strawberry	blueberry
raspberry	cranberry	blackberry
		prune
		raisin
Fruit Modifiers: candied · dried · ripe · baked/stewed

Aroma/Flavor

This is what you normally think about when talking about how something tastes. Fruit, vegetal, mineral flavor, etc.

savory	roasted/sweet	mineral	wood/oak	vanilla/sweet spice
leather	caramel	slate	oak	vanilla
meat	chocolate	tar	cedar	coconut
mushroom	toffee	wet-rock	pine	clove
smoke			pencil shavings	nutmeg

earthy/herbal	spicy	green/vegetal	floral
dirt	anise	green pepper	geranium
dried leaves	black pepper	eucalyptus	violet
tea	horseradish	olive	rose
tobacco		grass	orange blossom
		mint

Flavor Modifiers: sedimenty · syrupy · oxidized

Whites

(Slam dunk descriptor from Mike B at Basic White Wine Styles: butterscotch.)