Wine Of Spain
Title: Vino España
Hola mis amigos
We have spent October in a riot of Rioja celebrating this wonderful varietal, who knew there were so many to choose from? Actually we did as we have 27 reds, 13 whites and 4 pinks from the region, and I am sure we will get in more …….
Autumn has now arrived, and we shift our spotlight from Rioja, to the wider wines of Spain. Rioja and Cava we are all familiar with, but have you tried an Albariño or a Godello, a Priorat or a Ribera del Duero? All of which we have stocked a number of in the last year. In particular we have had some mighty fine Albariño (awesome with ceviche or poached white fish), and a Ribera del Duero is an amazing accompaniment to steak, but especially Beef Tappanyaki.
By now you may have noticed the nights drawing in, the temperatures dropping and t shirts making way for jumpers, our thoughts have turned to food and wine. In particular nice warming cosy dishes, the type for which Spain excels.
From patatas bravas, spicy Chorizo, wonderfully tantalising little dishes of tapas, through comforting chicken to crema Catalana there is just something so comforting about Spanish food. How lucky for us that they also have some amazing wines that match and complement amazingly with these dishes.
As we are devoted to our customers and readers we sacrificed our waistlines and put some combinations to the test to make some recommendations. How we suffer to bring you this content.
Tim called owners rights and so he bagged the stunning Castillo de Monseran Garnacha. This light juicy red is packed with plum, cherry and raspberry flavours and is perfect with spicy dishes, so it is logical that Tim chose to enjoy it with a lovely spicy, tomato, chicken and chorizo casserole.
In fact he enjoyed it so much he ignored the rules of food pairing, poured himself a glass (or two I suspect) of the Lobban Sparkling Shiraz and took it to the bath. We have stocked Sparkling Shiraz in the past but this creamy, spicy, dark fruited Catalunyan corker is another level. Perfect on its own, even better with some spicy Spanish meatballs.
My first wine was the wonderful Celeste Verdejo from Torres. This silky, acidic white is delicate but is perfect with seafood dishes so I had it with a Spanish fish stew, but in the summer it would have been the perfect partner to a ceviche.
A good meal isn’t done until dessert is finished. Normally I am not a fan of dessert wines, as they often can be too sweet. But the Libamus Dulce de Mencia sweet red hit the right spot. Perfect with fruity desserts I moved ever so slightly away from the traditional Spanish fruit cup and had this with balsamic strawberries and vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of dulce de leche.
So come on down to see us, join us as we Eat Spain, Drink Spain.
Salud.