2018 Mairena Ocasión Cabernet Sauvignon

My reina! This is good stuff. No allergy info but I've had so many of their wines that I feel pretty safe with it. Couldn't get to any beef empanadas (yet?) but this is fine on its own; reliable and classic.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [18$]
Taste: 7/10

2018 Mairena Ocasión Malbec

Huh, who knew I had had so many Mairenas! I guess they're all solid, even if the allergy info is a mystery. I drank this one at my parents' house, and at first I was vibing with it, feeling happy, enjoying the Malbec flavor, and then I found out I had to stay home longer than expected for car repairs and the wine tasted less good. Just goes to show how emotions infuse our preferences!!!! But I think this was basically solid, regardless. 

Now the food pairing of Fried Bologna Sandwich was another story. The recipe is now paywalled, but don't worry, you aren't missing out. I don't like bologna, but I thought "hey, maybe frying it and adding all these other ingredients will change things". It didn't change things. This was a waste of good sandwich materials. All other sandwiches are superior to bologna. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [18$]
Taste: 6/10

2021 Mairena Extra Brut Sparkling Rosé

Bubbly! I avoided drinking this one for a while because I'm scared of popping corks, lol. But I did it! It was scary but ultimately lead to this bubbly rosé, which had a nice fizz, isn't super sweet, and was generally nice. Kind of dry for a rosé, but that's not a bad thing.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [17$]
Taste: 7/10

2021 Mairena Ocasión Torrontés

Hello, other white Mairena. Even though this isn't an SB, it gave me the typical tropicalfruity white wine vibes. No issues with it, a perfectly serviceable wine, but nothing special about it either. Didn't change much warm or cold for me. And didn't pair with the seafood curry either! I did drink some after eating a mint chocolate and I got strong jasmine vibes after that, but I think it was a fluke interaction, lol.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [17$]
Taste: 5/10

2021 Mairena Ocasión Sauvignon Blanc

Not MY rena! This wine makes me think about my mom never pronouncing the name "Mai" correctly, even though it is, like, also an English word. It's as if the foreign filter is activated. Anyway, just a fun anecdote before we dive into the review. Like all SBs, I got big tropical fruit vibes here. Mango, papaya, pineapple, maybe? It was sweet and not too acidic, although I think I liked it better warm than cold, contra the white wine norm. Ah well.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [17$]
Taste: 6/10