Tapas Cooking Demonstration and Spanish Wine Tasting
April 17, 2010
Epicurean Ways joined forces with some our favorite local foodies and international travelers last night for a tasting event The Art of Spanish Tapas. On the menu: Gilda–Olive, Anchovy and Pepper Pintxo; Pa amb tomaquet–Catalan Bread with Tomato; Tortilla española–Spanish Potato Omelette; Chorizo a la sidra–Spanish Chorizo Cooked in Hard Cider; Habas rondeñas–Fava Beans Ronda Style; Spanish Cheeses–Manchego, Idiazábal, Mahón; Toasted Marcona Almonds.
The tapas were executed with precision by Marisa Catalano, a talented local chef. Thank you Marisa for cooking, Speak! for hosting the event, all who attended and Robert Harllee for the wine tasting.
Thanks to the wine pairing skills of Robert Harllee, owner of Market Street Wine Shop in Charlottesville, each tapa was beautifully matched with a Spanish wine. Here are Robert’s tasting notes:
Gilda Pintxo
Bodegas Lustau Manzanilla Sherry
“Papirusa” NV, $16.99
(100% Palamino Fino; Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain)
Manzanilla is a dry Fino sherry that ages for an average of five years in old wooden barrels without oxidation under a protective layer of yeast called “Flor.” (Yes, I know this calls the ceiling a floor.) This wine shows the glory of Manzanilla: bone dry, very mineral, full of fruit with a touch of a salty tang followed by a full, fresh, round palate. This beautifully focused wine is the epitome of crisp and vibrant. I know Americans do not like dry sherry, but if you try it with food and take more than several sips, your taste buds will break the “sherry is strange” barrier and you will understand and enjoy one of the world’s unique and delicious wines. As & Larry Walker wrote in A Season in Spain(1992), “fresh manzanillawith a plate of simple fried fish at a beachfront restaurant in Sanlucar [de Barrameda] is one of life’s great delights.” After ending a fantasticowine tour of Spain in just that manner, I heartily agree. Try with olives, anchovies, and any manner of shellfish (shrimp, clams) or mollusk (octopus and squid). There is a code on the back label of every Lustau bottle that reveals the bottling date. This one’s code is “L9124.” The 9 means it was bottled in 2009. With Manzanilla and Fino you want the freshest bottle available.
Catalan pa amb tomàquet
Bodegas Borsao, Garnacha
“Monte Oton” 2008, $7.99
(100% Garnacha/Grenache; Campo di Borja, Spain)
Sales of Spanish wines are soaring and Garnacha is one of its best ambassadors. Along with Argentina’s Malbec, Garnacha is a great source of reliable, delicious, inexpensive reds. We have sold, and enjoyed, the wines of Bodegas Borsao for over ten years. It lies west of Zaragoza in Spain’s Campo di Borja wine region. Vineyards for Borsao’s Monte Oton bottling sit high on the sunny, windswept slopes of the extinct volcano, Moncayo. This is an ideal setting for producing fully ripened Garnacha (aka Grenache) grapes. Smooth and juicy, it shows engaging red berry fruit both in the nose & in the ripe, plump palate. A smashing picnic & BBQ red.
Tortilla Española
Marquis de la Real Defensa,
Navarra Crianza 2006, $10.99
(50% Tempranillo, 25% each of Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon; Olite, Navarra, Spain)
Bodegas Vega del Castillo is a union of three cooperative wineries in the region of Navarra which lies on the northern border of Rioja. Made in the town of Olite, due south of Pamplona, this label is named for Sebastián de Eslava y Lazaga (1684-1759) a Spanish general and colonial official during the War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739). This excellent value is a blend of half Tempranillo with quarters of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon joined together in a richly balanced wine aged in American and French oak casks for twelve months and in bottle for another year.
Chorizo a la Sidra
Marquis de la Real Defensa,
Navarra Blanco 2008, $8.99
(Viura, Chardonnay, Moscatel (Muscat); Olite, Navarra, Spain)
Bodegas Vega del Castillo is a union of three cooperative wineries in the region of Navarra which lies on the northern border of Rioja. Made in the town of Olite, due south of Pamplona, this label is named for Sebastián de Eslava y Lazaga (1684-1759) a Spanish general and colonial official during the War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739). A combination of the traditional grape Viura and the cosmopolitan Chardonnay, with a special touch of Moscatel, responsible for a floral, fantastic nose.
Habas Rondeñas
Bodegas Aldeanueva, “Shaya” Verdejo
Old Vines Rueda 2008, $13.99
(100% Verdejo; Rueda, Spain)
“Light, bright yellow. Intensely perfumed bouquet of Kaffir lime, lemon pith, mint and ginger, along with a subtle peppery undertone. Bracing and sharply focused, offering pure citrus and green apple flavors complemented by succulent herbs and spices. Finishes dry and precise, with the lime and ginger notes repeating.” –Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar
“This new project is a joint venture between Jorge Ordonez, Enrique Busto and the Gil family of Jumilla. One of the most impressive wines I have ever tasted from the region of Rueda, the fruit is sourced from very old low yielding vines whose average age is between 75 and 112 years old. Great nuances of fig, citrus and melon. This is like high class Sancerre for a fraction of the price.” (Keith Mabry, K&L Hollywood)
An Assortment of Spanish cheeses
Toasted Marcona Almonds
Bodegas Mont Marçal, Cava Reserva NV, $12.99 (normally $14.99)
In 1975, Manuel Sancho, a noted Spanish recording impresario, purchased an old abbey and its vineyards with an eye to transforming them into a winery. Today Mont-Marçal makes an internationally recognized sparkling wine. In fact, this past November, Michael Schachner of The Wine Enthusiast said, “Rarely does a sparkler at this price register so high on the quality meter.” Pear and apple are in the nose while lemon, green herb, and pastry flavors are on the palate. So, if you think that your event deserves a little Spanish flair, try the Mont-Marçal. Also delicious with tapas, brunch, or a fruit tart. Mont Marcal blends the traditional grape varities of Parellada, Macabeo, and Xarel-lo.
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