Albiker is back

I sang the praises of Bodegas Luberri's Rioja Joven 'Albiker' 2004 in August 2005. When the 2005 vintage landed a couple of months ago, it was a little discombobulated, so we haven't had the wine since then. But we retasted the 2005 today, and it's back in form (wines, like people, often need some time to grow up). This is a positively slurpable red, all fruit and no oak, plenty of acidity, and just plain delicious. It's hard to imagine food that it wouldn't accompany gracefully, and it plays particularly well with spicy dishes (including tonight's spaghetti all'aglio e olio, which I laced with extra pepper flakes).

In August 2005, I asked, "So where the hell does the name 'Albiker' come from?" Our distributor for the wine, Sean Diggins, set me straight. The winemaker' s two sons are named Alberto and Iker, and he came up with Albiker as a name that gives each of them their due. For most Americans, the name probably suggests a guy named Al who rides a Harley. For me, however, the name will continue to call to mind an Arabic member of Hell's Angels ("Al" being the Arabic definite article: "The"). Yes, a little learning is a dangerous thing. But a little Albiker is a wonderful thing, and a lot of it is even better.