First Drop 2018 ‘The Matador’ Garnacha is a seriously good find

The First Drop 2018 ‘The Matador’ Garnacha completely blew me away with how delicious it is. Don’t be fooled by the light colour of this wine – it’s punchy with its flavours and perfectly balanced with a great spicy end to every sip. And at around $25 a bottle, you won’t need an excuse to pour yourself a nice big glass and enjoy with a good meal! 

I’ve spoken before about how our local bottle store does tastings on a Friday. My partner and I have become frequent visitors, often making the excuse of needing to walk the dog and ending up there. I mean it’s a pretty good excuse right? Other than the benefit of being able to bring our pup into the store, on a Friday we get to sample different wines we’ve never tried before. And I can attest to the fact that putting on something like this for free definitely works on us. Usually, we are trying to be good and not buy any more wine. Naturally, we walk out with at least one bottle.

Our bottle store will normally get producers in so you can try a few of their wines, but last week they admitted there were just a few bottles they wanted to try around the store. What transpired was a tasting of Italian and Spanish wines that I absolutely loved! However, there was one that truly knocked my socks off: the First Drop 2018 ‘The Matador’ Garnacha.

The First Drop 2018 ‘The Matador’ Garnacha knocked me off my feet

I’ll admit, I never would have thought to buy this wine. I don’t normally buy Grenache, especially as my partner isn’t usually a fan. I normally would have glanced over it at the bottle store not thinking to try it. But trying this wine at a tasting reminded me how you really have no idea what you are going to like until you taste it. And now I am absolutely obsessed with this wine. In fact, as I write this I’m thinking about how I need to go and stock up on a few bottles because I drank the one we bought so I could write about it. First world problems I know!

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the First Drop 2018 ‘The Matador’ Garnacha was from Spain. The label and name itself make you think of Spanish wine. We were surprised ourselves to find out that this wine is actually from the Barossa Valley, from a producer called First Drop. A bit of clever marketing on their part if you ask me! I was interested to try a Grenache from the Barossa Valley which is known for big, punchy reds. Grenache, on the other hand, tends to be quite light and fruity, sometimes almost too fruity.

This is why my partner was sceptical of this wine when we tried it. He isn’t a big fan of Grenache, and so didn’t think he would enjoy this one. I fell in love with the variety when we were in McLaren Vale myself. But we both met in the middle with this wine because it gave us something we both loved, all wrapped up into a delicious drop! If you’d asked us what we were going to buy before, the last thing I would have said was Grenache!

Why I loved it

Forget what you know about Grenache, because the First Drop 2018 ‘The Matador’ Garnacha is unlike any other Grenache I’ve had before.  Sometimes Grenache is a bit too fruity and light, but this wine was far from it. The wine is punchy with its flavours and perfectly balanced with a great spicy end to every sip. If you are after a flavourful wine, this is going to be your jam! You get strawberries and raspberries on the nose, but when you sip the wine these are balanced out by a great spice explosion at the end of the palate.

As a result, this wine is quite Moorish. Looking at how light it is, you would be forgiven for thinking it was going to be a light wine. However, the First Drop 2018 ‘The Matador’ Garnacha definitely is more of a medium-bodied wine, making it perfect with food. It’s got a lot to it and leaves you wanting another sip, another glass, and pretty soon the whole bottle is gone!

So who will enjoy this wine? Well if you aren’t normally a fan of Grenache, I would try this one. My Shiraz loving partner even enjoyed it, and so I would say it is a good option for heavy wine lovers. If you aren’t into the heavy reds, but still want a bit of punch, this wine is also for you. It’s a great happy medium wine, bringing together light and heavy wine lovers with its spicy raspberry deliciousness!

What to enjoy it with

The First Drop 2018 ‘The Matador’ Garnacha is best enjoyed with food, so do yourself a favour and crack it out with a killer meal. Because of the spiciness of the wine, it goes so well with grilled meat dishes. I wouldn’t pair anything too heavy like a creamy casserole, but something like steak will definitely be your friend. We enjoyed this one with an eye fillet and salad and it was divine.

If you are curled up on the couch and considering takeout, I also think this wine would go so well with pizza! Because it isn’t too heavy Italian food would be a dream with this wine, especially something with a tomato base. Or you could do as the Spanish do an pair it with Paella!

The final word on the First Drop 2018 ‘The Matador’ Garnacha

I’m so glad I got the chance to try the First Drop 2018 ‘The Matador’ Garnacha! If I hadn’t, I may not have ever thought to buy it, and my world would be without this killer drop. My wallet may have thanked me because now all I can think about is buying more of it, but I am definitely happier for it!

If you are after a crowd-pleaser at a great price, this is the wine for you. It pleases light and heavy red wine lovers alike, and the spiciness of its flavour profile makes it a perfect food wine. Whether you are getting together with friends or simply cuddling up on the couch on a Sunday night, this wine is sure to improve the evening!