First off, allow us to congratulate Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours for the 50th Anniversary of Wine Blog Wednesday, and to Russ Beebe of Winehiker for choosing such an appropriate theme for WBW #50: wine you’d go hiking with

And oh how we wish we were hiking right at this very minute. To be up in the mountains hearing the crackle of the leaves underfoot, the gentle brush of the cold wind across your cheeks, and the awe inspiring vision of the valleys sweeping down below you, while perched on a small outcropping. Sigh, I wish I could teleport us there, feeling my head on the soft, slightly wet ground staring up at the wispy clouds. But alas, we are here, in Terrassa, imagining a beautiful, relaxing day in the mountains, pondering what we would bring.

At first, we considered a light red to pair with our traditional hiking cuisine, consisting of cured Manchego cheese and a freshly baked baguette. But then we thought, “what about a big bold Spanish red that is so tightly wound, it would take hours for that bad boy to open and relax?”.

After much contemplation, we both agreed that this would be a great way to go. Pack in some fuet, a sharp Manchego and a baguette, hike for 3 to 4 hours after double decanting your bottle, and voila, you’ve got a fabulous little lunch. The only problem being, you’ve got to get back down the mountain. And as many of you know, these big ass Spanish reds pack in a fair amount of alcohol. So unless you’ve spend the entire afternoon tossing around a Frisbee, while downing a few …