I am starting the month of September
– and the appearance of this column on Fridays – with an
introduction to some Spanish wine and food.
I am starting the month of September – and the appearance of this column on Fridays – with an introduction to some Spanish wine and food. This is the third installment in a series, following French and Italian, that pairs wine from certain countries or regions with some traditional cuisine found in those areas. The inspiration for these columns comes from a wine-dinner group that I am in.
To celebrate the wonderful wines from Spain, our gracious host started the evening off with an assortment of tapas. Tapas are basically small bites of food that serve as snacks between the end of the work day and the late dinner that Spaniards usually have. Many people in Spain will go “ir de tapas” or “tapa hopping” – visiting many bars or cafes just for one tapa – then on to the next!
The wine featured with the tapas was a special type of sherry called manzanilla. It is made in the southern most part of Spain in a village called Sanlucar de Barrameda. Sherry, like champagne, is a great drink to get your palate jump-started. Our host warned us that this wine, technically a kind of dry fino sherry, would be unlike any sherry we tasted before. He was correct.
The one we enjoyed was from Kermit Lynch, a NV La Guita Manzanilla that runs about $8 for a half-bottle. The sherry was dry and had a very pale yellow color. Some cohorts found hints of olive and even a bit of saltiness to the sherry.
An aroma I found in the wine was like ethanol, but again, not offensive in either taste or smell. This austere wine is not for everyone, but I am glad to have experienced it. It did go well with the food, which included some manzanilla and arbequina olives, chorizo sausage, smoked sardines, manchego cheese, caper berries, grilled artichoke hearts sauteed with Serrano ham, bread, and almonds that had been fried and salted.
The shining star of the tapas was the tortilla de patata, a type of potato/egg omelet with onions. Cut into wedges, this light fare was the first thing to disappear.
Another wine that I have tried that would go well with the tapas is a 2005 Talai Berri Getaricko Txakolina. This is a unique wine from the Basque region. It is slightly effervescent, has little or no color, but is very light, refreshing and approachable.
For the second course, our host did a neat take on gazpacho, a traditional tomato soup that is served cold. Rather than serve soup (not a good mouth feel with wine), he created a gazpacho salad. Fresh heirloom tomatoes (yellow, blood red and green) were sliced and plated. This was then topped with sliced cucumbers, Anaheim chilies and a vegetable salsa comprised of more tomatoes, cucumbers, Walla Walla sweet onions, scallions and lime juice. The salad was then drizzled with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. Colorful, healthy and delicious, this could have been a meal itself.
A white wine was chosen to pair with the salad, and a 2005 Blanco Nieva Verdejo Rueda was presented to the group. This wine comes from the northern part of Spain and is primarily composed of the verdejo grape. The Rueda is reminiscent of sauvignon blanc, but tends to be drier with more acidity. It was crisp, with some grassiness that worked harmoniously with the tartness of the salad. The wine had low alcohol – around 12.5 percent – and was less than $12.
Knowing we had about three more courses to go, the group decided to take a rest from the dinner table. We took an intermission, just like at the theater. We decided to soak in the sunset and take a nice stroll in the garden, but of course we had to have some wine to take on the journey.
We chose a 2004 Pago de los Capellanes, a wine comprised of 80 percent tempranillo, 10 percent merlot and 10 percent cabernet sauvignon grapes. This wine is considered to be a young Ribera del Duero, and like young French Beaujolais, this wine is meant to be consumed right away. This blend had subtle flavors of spice and vanilla, with a vibrant cherry color that radiated against the setting sun. It was smooth and immensely enjoyable. The cost per bottle is around $19.
There is much more to share next week, including some great pairings with the paella dish we had and another sherry that finished off the meal. Stay tuned.
Cheers!
