Spain's attraction as a wine-producing country is that it is a constant source of surprise.

Unlike France, say, or especially Germany, where the wine areas have been mapped and regulated to the point that the only suspense is the quality of the next vintage, Spain is always showing us a new side. But it also is important to know that Spain is an ancient wine region that has contributed much to today's global wine industry.

For example, garnacha, perhaps the most famous grape you've never heard of, is the second most-planted red grape in the world. Known elsewhere as grenache, it is indigenous to Spain.

Monastrell is another gift from Spain. This is a big, inky dark grape that plays an important role in the vineyards of Southern France (and increasingly in California and Washington), where it's called mourvedre. In Spain it is so important (second only to garnacha) that Olé, a young and passionate importing company, has commissioned five versions of monastrell to be made from five wine regions. Each wine is depicted on its label with a circled letter M followed by a number. For example, M1 is from Alicante, M4 from Valencia and M5, today's wine pick, from Yecla.

Yecla is a small region in the southeast of Spain that previously supplied oceans of uninspired wines but recently has reinvented itself as a source of good-quality value wines. And its most important red grape is monastrell.

The 2005 M5 is a big mouthful of wine. The hallmarks of monastrell are dense color, intense fruit and often massive proportions, and that pretty much describes the M5. I get lots of aromas and flavors of strong blackberry and other dark fruits, as well as some smoke and tar (these are good things). This wine would be a perfect match for a big bowl of spicy chili on a cold night.

To find the wine, contact Unique Wine Co. at 425-255-8646.

-- Richard Kinssies