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Spring FeaturesIsidre Gironés’ Paella:Sourcing Out the QualityIsidre Gironés is just about the best person in Spain to followaround a market. His keen eye and nose allow him to always findthe best produce on offer, which he then cooks up at his famedBarcelona restaurant. We join him on a mission: cooking up a vegetable paella.........................4

Navarra: Prime BottledVegetables The Spanish region of Navarra owes an eternal debt to the first person that discovered that theirseasonal and delicate asparagus,Piquillo peppers and artichokescould be perfectly preserved andshipped away in glass jars. And, as we find out, so should anyrespectable gourmand ...............12

La Vie en RoséAfter years condemned to ostracism, rosé wines have againbecome acceptable in polite society.Reporting from New York and Spain, Spain Gourmetour investigates how this perception has changed and why it is goodnews for foodies ........................18

Valencia’s Food and Wine: Full Speed AheadCoinciding with its election as host to the 2007 America’s Cup,the region of Valencia – and its foodand wine scene – has experienced atrue revolution ..........................28

Regular FeaturesSpain: Small bites Our guide to aSpain close to home 3. A word inyour ear… Spain Gourmetour inter-views the people in the know tobring you top tips on eating, drink-ing and cooking ‘Spanish style’ 37.Recipes Chef Elías Murciano andsommelier Francisco Trujillo of Citrarestaurant in Madrid offer you sixdelicious ideas and their choice ofwhat to ‘wash them down’ with 38.Vistas Wylie Dufresne claims not tobe good at rules. So we’ll call hisdecalogue to eating and drinking inSpain ‘sound advice that you’d dowell to follow’ 48.

As Spring begins to break we are reminded of Emily Dickinson’s verseadvising that “A Little Madness in the Spring is Wholesome even for the King.”

So go a little crazy and order a bottle of rosé with your next meal. You will find, much as we have done in this issue, that rosés are not only finding renewed popularity in the U.S. but that Spanish rosadosare amongst the world’s most refreshing and food-friendly wines in the world.

You might prefer to enjoy that rosé at home. Be warned, though, that in Spain we are completely opposed to drinking on an empty stomach,so you could use some of the adventurous spirit of Spring to dare makea quintessentially Spanish dish: paella. Need help? No worries. We haverecruited a top Barcelona chef to guide you on how to make one fromstart to finish.

Speaking of paella – the region of Valencia, from where it originally hails,is getting ready for a fascinating event. Late June will see its capital, theMediterranean port of Valencia, host the final leg of the America’s cup.The ships preparing to set sail from this city will find, apart from a landfull of tradition, a food and wine scene going through a major shake-up.We bring you an insider’s take on the changes there.

Keeping the madness for Spring is all very good for some, but in other places the madness came earlier. The final months of 2006 sawhectic activity in the region of Navarra – time to collect the crop ofasparagus and artichokes, clean, prepare and preserve them in jars thatare to be shipped early in 2007. And a good thing that is too, because it is the only way that those of us outside Navarra can enjoytheir very special vegetables.

And to top things off, we interview our favorite American chef in Spain,bring you Elías Murciano’s recipe suggestions and have Wylie Dufresneoffer you some advice on eating and drinking in Spain.

Cathy BoiracEditor in Chief

CONTENTSSPAIN GOURMETOUR SPRING 2007

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FIVE CENTURIESOF SPANISHPAINTING AT THEGUGGENHEIMThere is still time to visit one ofthe most thorough exhibitions ofSpanish art ever organized in NewYork. “Spanish Painting from ElGreco to Picasso: Time, Truthand History” features nearly 140works by the great Spanishmasters of the 16th through the20th centuries, includingVelázquez, Goya, Juan Gris, JoanMiró and Salvador Dalí, as well asEl Greco, Pablo Picasso, and manyothers. Instead of displaying thepaintings in chronological orderor by style, this exhibition isbroken into 15 distinct content-based sections running throughthe past five centuries of Spanishculture. Do not miss thisretrospective that ends March 28.The Guggenheim Museum islocated at 1071 Fifth Avenue (at89th street) NYC.

MONO-TONETo set the tone for the nextstop take a few seconds tolook side by side at JuanGris’ and Pablo Picasso’sown takes (dated 1914 and1915, respectively) of the Anísdel Mono bottle. Next, headdowntown NYC to Casa Mono.In December chef Andy Nusserand sommelier Nancy Selzer wereselected as the U.S. representativesto the 2nd International CopaJerez, a competition thatchallenges chef/sommelier teamsto create the perfect food andsherry match. They then

competed on January 10-12, 2007in Jerez, preparing their dishesand justifying their matchingsherry for a panel of judges thatincluded Heston Blumenthal ofFat Duck, Juli Soler of El Bulli,and Doug Frost, MS, MW. CasaMono is located at 52 Irving Place,NYC.

SPRINGAWAKENINGTinto Fino (with the subtitleVinos de España) is the first winestore in Manhattan (NYC) to sellonly Spanish wines. Althoughbarely 400 square feet, the EastVillage shop has over 150selections representing everycorner of Spain. Organizedgeographically to help guide thecustomer on an easy-to-followtour through Spain’s numerouswine regions, the store featuresboth the classic wines that putSpain on the map and athoughtful selection of value winesfrom newly emerging areas. TintoFino also places a specialemphasis on sherry and the store

offers a variety of sherry styles andproducers, showcasing “one of thegreat – and greatlyunderappreciated – wines of theworld”, according to proprietorMani Dawes. Tinto Fino is locatedat 85 First Avenue (between 5thand 6th Streets.), not far awayfrom Degustation (239 East 5thStreet), a wine and tasting barserving Spain-influenced disheswith more than just a creativetouch. For a market-based taste ofSpain don’t miss Boquería at 53West 19th Street.

A BOOK AND AROSEIf you visit theother Boqueria,the market inthe heart ofBarcelona, at theend of April youmay experience one of ourfavourite traditions anywhere. ForSt. George’s day, a book is given tothe beloved one in exchange of arose. Simple, right? Here are a fewbook suggestions: José Andrés,owner of Washinton, D.C.-arearestaurant Café Atlántico and Jaleoand one of Spain’s most celebratedchefs explores tapas and thedelights of Spain’s irresistiblesmall bites in “Tapas: A taste ofSpain in America”. (ClarksonPotter / Publishers). Anya vonBremzen, who has trumpetedSpanish cuisine for more than adecade in Travel + Leisure, Food& Wine and other publications,reveals how Spain eats today in“The New Spanish Table”(Workman Publishing). Ferran

SMALL BITESSpain

Adrià, his brother Albert and JuliSoler will soon add the Englishversion of elBulli2005 (Ecco Press)to their comprehensive collection.Teresa Barranechea covers thecountry’s varied tables thoroughlyin “The Cuisines of Spain:Exploring Regional HomeCooking” (Ten Speed Press),whereas Janet Mendel’s “Cookingfrom the Heart of Spain” focuseson one single captivating region:La Mancha (William MorrowPublishers).

25 YEARSSHOWCASINGDIVERSITY ANDTRADITIONWines from Spain, a marketingarm of the Spanish Institute forForeign Trade, is turning 25 thisyear. There will be plenty ofoccasions to celebrate across thecountry. Join us for a tasting ofSpanish wines at the Aspen Food& Wine Classic, June 15 through17 or at any of our Great Matchevents (www.greatmatch.org)hosted by Wines from Spain inthe Spring and the Fall. For acomplementary guide on Spanishwines please visitwww.winesfromspainusa.com.

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Paella has long been one of Spain’s most popular dishes, and with good reason, for a good paella is both mouth-

watering and healthy. Its popularity, however, has had its pitfalls – those looking to treat themselves to a plate of

this quintessentially Spanish delicacy sometimes find themselves before dishes made with poor or inadequate

ingredients and ‘creative’ versions of paella that often disappoint.

Cue in Isidre Gironés. His expert topic and passion: finding the best products available in Barcelona to serve up in

his restaurant. Today he is making a vegetable paella. Rohan Daft joins him for the day.

market which, nowadays, is asmuch of a tourist attraction inthe city as any museum oranything by Gaudí. Petràs, oneof the Boquería’s 350-odd stallsfor thirty years now, is theproperty of Lorenç Petràs, ajolly, bearded, Puckish figurewho couldn’t try to look morethe part.

Today, ceps aside, the frontof the stall is dominated by avivid spread of flat, rusty redrovellóns (níscalos in Spanish ormilk caps in English). Such istheir popularity (andpreponderance in a goodseason) that they are prettymuch the national mushroomof Catalonia. There are somelocal camagrogs (rossinyols de pior yellow trompetes), too,some shitake, and something

The first thing that caught hiseye – or possibly his nose –was a box of immoderatelylarge ceps (Catalan for boletusedulis or Porcini mushrooms).“Ceps,” he says, matter offactly, as he lifts one to hisnose. “What do you think ofthat? Big? It’s the smell thatmatters. We could use themchopped.” Eight forty-five am,and this morning – just likeevery other morning, Sundaysaside, at around the sametime for the last 36 years –Isidre Gironés has started hisworking day at the market.

It’s an early DecemberWednesday and we’re at Petràs,the mushroom stall (or ratherThe mushroom stall) at theback of La Boquería, Barcelona’sexpansive, much saluted food

that looks like puffballs andcould be lengua de buey(beefsteak mushroom or poorman’s beefsteak). And then, bycontrast, dusty like slate blacktrompetas de los muertos (blacktrompetes) sit right next to abig box of the daintiestrossinyols (rebozuelos inSpanish or chanterelles). Onone side of the stall are bankedboxes and sacks of anynumber of dried varieties. Thesmell is all you would imagine.We retire to the nearby BarCentral for a quick cortado(espresso with a dash of milk)whilst Isidre finalizes ourshopping list. Lorenç sits twoplaces down eating a plate ofcigalas. “Scampi. From Almería.Probably,” says Isidre, noddinginstinctively towards the plate.

Fit for the KingIsidre searches – and sniffs –out all the very best things atLa Boquería for his restaurantCa L’Isidre, a cozy, family affairon Carrer Les Flors, an easilyoverlooked little street on theother side of Barcelona’scentral Raval district. It’s arestaurant that is justlycelebrated and patronized byall – Ferran Adrià and KingJuan Carlos amongst them –who appreciate classic Catalanand Spanish dishes doneexceptionally well and,equally, and as importantly,that a good restaurant willlook after you properly fromthe moment you walk throughthe door until the momentyou leave. “I’ve always askedpeople to tell me if there’s

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Sourcingout the quality

anything wrong,” says Isidre.“I always tell them that if thereis anything wrong I want tohear about it from them. And Iwant to hear it when they arethere in the restaurant, so Ican do something about it. It’sno good to anyone if I hear ofa problem when it’s in thepast.”

When Ca L’Isidre opened inMarch 1970, the nearbyavenue Parallel was lined bytheatres and music halls andpopularly known as ‘TheBroadway of Barcelona’, so therestaurant was a popular hauntof writers, actors and directorsalike. Though the theatres andmusic halls have nowdisappeared from Parallel, CaL’Isidre continues itsrelationship with the

TextRohan Daft

PhotosTomás Zarza/ICEX

performing arts, attracting thelikes of the Spanish actressand singer Ana Belén, theBarcelona bornsinger/songwriter Joan ManuelSerrat, Woody Allen (who saysCa L’Isidre is his favoriterestaurant in Europe) andCatherine Deneuve. GiorgioArmani was in a couple ofweeks ago, too.

Isidre sees himself as CaL’Isidre’s Director (obviously, ina more orchestral thancorporate way) and he isclosely supported in his workby his wife, Montserrat (who,with regards to Ca L’Isidrebeing Woody Allen’s favoriteplace to eat in Europe, says,“Mmmh… Europe is a bigplace. This is a smallrestaurant.”) His daughterNúria is the Pastelera, taking

charge of the puddings andsweet things.

Good, traditional Catalandishes that you might comeacross at Ca L’Isidre includebaby broad beans (habitas)with baby squid and mint,rovellons with butifarra(Catalan sausage of infinitevarieties), baked salt cod withwhite beans, kid with sweetonions, pigs trotters stuffedwith mushrooms, truffle andduck liver, mel i mato (honeyand sweet cheese) and cremacatalana (Catalan crème bruleeof a sort.) King Juan Carlosfavours sautéed baby squid,peas, shoulder of kid andcrema catalana. And QueenSofía, sole and vegetables. Butthe menu changes every day,all in keeping with what Isidrefinds at La Boquería everymorning.

The shopping listToday, a couple of white vealchops for a regular who likesthem plainly done on thegriddle with a little localArbequina olive oil and saltand served alongside a fewwhite ganxet beans from theCatalan Pyrenees aside, Isidreis after the ingredients for anarroz de verduras (vegetablepaella), one of the moredelicate Spanish rice dishesand one that he is going toteach me to cook toperfection. “Ceps, green beans,broad beans, peas, artichokes,carrot, leek, fresh garlic, springonion…” Each one is rattledoff onto a finger, and notwithout enthusiasm. “And weneed two chicken carcasses tomake a white chicken stock.That’ll give it more flavor.” The

products that it most excitesIsidre to see appear in LaBoquería every year are, hesays, “Múrgulas (Morelles)….and the langoustine of 200grams or so that come in fromArenys de Mar in March.” Weare joined at the bar by JordiJuán, Isidre’s head chef, andthen, suddenly, we’re off.

Isidre is dapper in histailored dark chocolate browncorduroy jacket and his orangestriped silk tie, cutting quite adash as he moves quicklythrough the market, onautopilot of sorts, his routealready set. We pass PescaSalada, one of his favored saltcod stalls. “Too much flour,”he says, pointing out a readymade mix for buñuelos, ballshaped salt cod fritters. “I’vetold them.”

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Baby Broad BeansFirst stop is Fruitas Teresa,towards the front of themarket, for some broad beans.Here, Josep, a smallish, wiryman is perched on a stool,head down, his face obscured,hurriedly shelling broad beansand sorting them into threedifferent sizes. “He does thisfor me,” says Isidre as heselects a 150 gram bag of thesmallest, which are in theregion of a centimeter across,an almost luminous green andsharply fresh to taste. Thebroad beans come straightfrom nearby El Prat deLlobregat, not far from theairport, which is where theartichokes also come from.Isidre picks six small, firmartichokes with tightly packedleaves. They’re a perfect green,with not a touch of black or

brown on the tips. From alook at the end of the stalks,as Isidre points out, it’sobvious that they’ve been cutthis morning. We add a nicebunch of fat carrots and asmall green pepper and we’reoff again.

Black Parsnips Next stop is Soley, near themain entrance to the market,where Isidre considers addinga few leaves of wild spinach toour arroz before quicklybowing to Jordi’s immediatereservation. But we do pick upa handful of fantastic lookingfresh, white ganxet beans, stillin their dappled, pale lemonyellow pods. What makesthese beans special, as Jordidemonstrates by cracking oneopen, is the smoothness oftheir texture. Next to the

beans there is a box of small,springy looking and, ataround $10 the pound, clearlyspecial turnips from Cerdanya,also in the Pyrenees. And nextto them, a box of prize blackturnips from Vic, Catalonia’spig country, an hour or sonorth of Barcelona. “Mmmh,”muses Isidre. “In the ovenwith pigs’ trotters.”

PeasFrom Soley it was straight toRamona, sixty five years at LaBoquería, she says, and herpretty, ornate, iron, stainedglass decorated stall of thesame name, for some specialpeas. “Look,” instructs Isidre,holding a bunch of a dozen orso pods between his hands,“and listen.” He rolls his handsgently and the pea pods emit ahigh pitched sound. “They

squeak,” he says. “If they’re notfresh they don’t squeak. Thesepeas come from the village ofLlavaneres. They’re the best.”Llavaneres is in the region ofMaresme, just up the coast byMataró. He points out somestrings of perfect round,squash ball sized and deeporange Penja tomatoes. “Theseare the best for pan con tomate(bread rubbed well with freshtomato),” he says. “Six to sevenmonths on the string.” And hepicks up a large, bulbous,pinky red, local Montserrattomato. Save for a cluster ofdewy, crimson flesh coatedpips – which could have comefrom a pomegranate – they’rehollow and weigh nothing inthe hand. “Such a thin skin,”says Isidre, almost mistily.“Salads.”

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Blue Feet ChickenWe leave Ramona and makeour way to Avinova on theeastern edge of the market forthe carcasses. Isidré points outthe chickens that he uses atthe restaurant. “These are froma village next to the town of ElVendrell (towards Tarragona,home of Isidre’s wifeMontserrat and, as she will tellyou, of the late cellist andconductor, Pablo Casals). Theyroam freely for four monthsand their feed is all natural.“Blue Feet, they’re called.”The chickens are lean, pale incolor, and do, indeed, haveblue feet. We admire somewonderful looking, glossyfeathered, wild, red legpartridge and Isidre comparesthe large, heavy rabbits fromthe Pyrenees to the smaller,leaner variety from Aragón.

“There’s more to eat in thePyrenees,” he says. “And theydon’t have to move very muchto find it. They get fat. InAragón, the rabbits have towork a bit and run around tofind something to eat. I preferthe meat on the Aragoneserabbits.” As we leave Avinovawe pass yet another pile ofrovellons. “Look,” instructsIsidre. “If they glint it meansthere’s sand in them. Thesedon’t. These ones are good.”

PreparationBack at the restaurant, and thefirst thing to do is prepare theingredients. This, says Isidre,is essential when it comes tomaking a paella: eachingredient must be preparedand to hand; timing is of the

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Serves 4

1 2/3 cup Bomba paella rice

5/6 cup (6.75 fl oz) Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 mange tout

2 fine green beans

1 medium red pepper

1 medium green pepper

2 cloves of fresh garlic

1 small salad onion

4 artichoke hearts

1/3 cup (1 3/4 oz) peas

1/3 cup (1 3/4 oz) fresh baby broad beans

1 1/2 tbsp (3/4 oz) fresh ganxet beans

1 1/2 tbsp (3/4 oz) garrofóns (large Valencian beans)

2/3 cup (about 1 1/2 oz) yellow trompetes mushrooms

1 3/4 ounce green or white cauliflower

1 carrot

2 pieces green asparagus

2 threads saffron

3 tablespoons of tomato pulp or tinned chopped tomato

4 1/3 cups stock

Salt

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essence. Our ganxet beans areshelled and placed on a smalldish next to a handful ofgarrofòns, a large bean that, inValencia, is considered anindispensable part of a paella.The garlic and onion ischopped finely. So too, the redand green peppers, a smallcourgette and some camagrogmushrooms (we don’t use cepsin the end). The asparagusand a few fine green beans arechopped into centimeter or solong pieces and placed besidea dozen or so small florets ofgreen cauliflower. Fourartichoke hearts are quartered.A few threads of saffron arecounted on to a small saucer.

“The best saffron comesfrom three villages,” saysIsidre. “Barax, Munera and ElBonillo, near Albacete inCastile-La Mancha. The

current price for saffron of thisquality is € 2,400 a kilo($3,156 for 2.20 pounds) butit keeps and it goes a longway. I bought this lot twelveyears ago. It’s got any numberof aromas… pipe tobacco,some figs..., dates…” There isalso some salt to hand, a largeflagon of Catalan Arbequinaextra virgin olive oil and, ofcourse, the rice, which isround-grained Bomba fromthe Delta del Ebro, in the verysouth of Catalonia, borderingthe region of Valencia. “Italways retains a bit of a bite,”says Isidré. “It doesn’t go over(become pasty when cooked).”

Our paella is to serve four orfive and our paella panmeasures 17.7 inches across.We will allow a touch underone cup of rice per person (asafe rice/stock ratio for paella,

THE SOUL IS IN THE STOCK

Ingredients

2 chicken carcasses

2 1/4 pounds chicken wings

1 veal knuckle bone

1 stick celery

1 leek

1 carrot

1 onion

10 cups water

1. Peel the carrot and onion and discard the outerleaves of the leek. Clean the celery. Chop all thevegetables finely.

2. Bring the water and all the ingredients to a rollingheat in a large stock pot.

3. Leave to simmer for 2 hours.

4. Strain before use.

Note: For a vegetable stock, omit the carcasses,chicken wings and veal bone and add a good handfulof mange tout or fresh pea pods.

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says Jordi, is 1 pound of riceto 1.8 pounds of stock). Agood point to note is that thethinner the layer of rice in thepan, the better.

The ValencianWayThe paella pan is placed overa medium heat and threetablespoonfuls of olive oil areadded. The asparagus, greenbeans, artichokes andcamagrogs go in first. Themixture is stirred well (with awooden spatula, wood isalways better) to coat with oiland then the cauliflowerfollows. Three minutes more,and the garlic and onion arestirred in. Five minutes moreand in go three threads ofsaffron. And then, half of the

red and green peppers. “Halfis enough,” says Isidré. “Wedon’t want anything todominate.” We then add twosmall ladlefuls of tinned,chopped tomato and, withthat and the saffron, all turnsbrick-red. Next, we add sixlarge ladlefuls of hot stock(This, in the Valencian way, as,Jordi explains, in Valencia thestock is added to the panbefore the rice and inBarcelona vice versa), a goodpinch of salt and stir well. Andthen, in go the beans andpeas. Next, we up the heatand sprinkle in the rice by thehandful using the spatula toquickly spread it evenly. Thepaella is moved around a littlein the cooking to ensure thatthe heat is evenly spread andwhen the stock begins to boil

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CA L’ISIDRE’S VEGETABLE PAELLAIN EIGHT STEPS

1. Add the olive oil to a paella pan of approximately 16 inchesdiameter and heat gently.

2. Chop all the vegetables

3. Add the garlic, onion and red and green pepper. Sauteegently for 5 minutes stirring well.

4. Add the rest of the vegetables (minus the ganxet andgarrofón beans) and saffron. Sautee, stirring well, for 5minutes.

5. Add the stock, the ganxet and garrofón beans and a pinchof salt. Stir well and leave to simmer for 2 minutes.

6. Add the rice, spreading it evenly across the paella. Simmerfor 5 minutes, increase the heat if necessary and spreading itevenly (revolve the paella over the heat if necessary).

7. Remove the paella from the heat and place it in an oven at400ºF for 15 minutes or until all the stock has been absorbedby the rice.

8. Remove from the oven and leave to stand at roomtemperature for 5 minutes before serving.

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the paella is taken off the hoband placed in an oven at400ºF. Ten minutes and it’sdone.

“Beautiful flavor, but it’smissing some salt,” says Isidré,as, after correctly having let itsit for five minutes, we eat.“And maybe we should haveput a little more of everythingin.” The texture is good, withthe rice retaining a little bite.And we’ve also got asemblance of soccorat, thedelicious chewy, almostcaramelised deposit of ricethat you will find stuck to thebottom of the pan of any goodpaella. “But the flavor isbeautiful. No single ingredientdominates and that is whatyou want with a paella.” Thesecret, he says (and as youmight expect him to say), is allin the ingredients.

Rohan Daft (left) lives in Barcelonaand Ibiza and has written on Span-ish food and wine for a number ofpublications. He is currently writinga book on traditional Spanish foodfor Simon & Schuster in the USAand studying oenology.

Ca L’Isidre. Carrer Les Flors, 12Tel: + 34 934 411 139www.calisidre.com

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...AND TO DRINK

For the paella, Isidre selects a firm, fresh, slightly honeyedand not too oaky 2005 Avgvstvs Chardonnay from CellersAvgvstvs Forum, situated just outside Montserrat’s hometown of El Vendrell, in DO Penedés.

“THE FLAVOR IS BEAUTIFUL,NO SINGLE INGREDIENT DOMINATES: THAT IS WHATYOU WANT IN A PAELLA”

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Justly renowned throughout Spain, Navarra’s asparagus, Piquillo peppers andartichokes are an affordable treat found in jars and cans the world over. MikeElkin finds out the whys and hows of Navarra’s famed vegetable preserves.

Navarra: prime bottled

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TextMike Elkin

PhotosJuan Manuel Sanz/ICEX

While Spain was once thegranary of ancient Rome,Navarra might be consideredSpain’s vegetable garden. The lure to align with theformer kingdom is so greatthat even companies hawkingproducts from as far as Chinatry to link them to the region.Don’t be fooled at thesupermarkets. Many brandsdisplay “Navarra” prominentlyon labels or attempt to pass off a quaint image of an old-fashioned Navarranfarmer or grandma. Flip thepackage, however, and you’lloften see the words “Made inPeru”. But there are still a fewauthentic producers around,sporting a Denomination of Origin (D.O.) badge like a sheriff from the Old West.I spent a few days learningabout Navarra’s famousvegetables, includingasparagus, artichokes and Piquillo peppers and the rituals surrounding their preparation.

AwesomeAsparagusHusband and wife José Salcedoand Amalia Herce founded ElNavarrico out of theirbasement in 1960, bottlingtomatoes in their spare time.Back in the day sealingpreserve bottles was no easytrick, but José was a natural.Soon their three teenagersjoined the team, and now thetrio runs the company.

At Navarrico, located in SanAdrián in southern Navarra,the crops are D.O. and the

preparation is all by hand – cleaning, peeling, cutting,bottling. The companyspecializes in Piquillo peppersand asparagus, the latterlabeled “Cojonudos,” a slangexpression for “great” or“awesome.” Managing directorPepe Salcedo suggested it yearsago as a joke, until thedistributors told him that theAwesome Asparagus sold morethan just plain Asparagus. But because he couldn’tcopyright slang, there are othercopycat brands that useCojonudo as well.

You’ll notice that mostNavarran asparagus are white.This happens simply becausefarmers pick the vegetableswhile they are stillunderground – they only turngreen when exposed to air.Pickers tend to work at nightor early in the morning whentemperatures are low. Once outof the ground, asparagus beginrapidly losing water and haveto be transported to the factoryand bottled as soon as possible.This is the reason why only thepreserved version is availableoutside Spain – fresh oneswould not arrive in the rightconditions. José Luis Pérez, theproduction manager at theBajamar factory in Carcastilloinstructs me on the finer pointsof asparagus as I watch a lineof workers cut out the heartsand stems of peppers with thespeed of a Benihana chef.Asparagus and artichokes gothrough similar selectionroutines, Pérez says, only that a machine peels them beforebeing bottled.

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ONCE OUT OF THE GROUND,ASPARAGUS BEGIN RAPIDLYLOSING WATER AND HAVE TOBE BOTTLED AS SOON ASPOSSIBLE

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Aside from the youth band’s massacre of Flashdance’s What a Feeling, the town of Tafalla wasbusy watching an important soccer match. Not a soul dared miss the game, not even for ameal at Túbal, one of the region’s top restaurants. Despite their 150 seats being full for lunch,dinnertime was as empty as the chilly streets. Only three chairs were occupied: owner AtxenJiménez, her son and head chef Nicolás Ramírez, and me.

Túbal uses only fresh vegetables. “We work with five farms,” says Jiménez, who over the past30 years has converted the family bar into an award-winning restaurant. In the spring, they offera vegetable-only menu of eight courses. “The people who come to Navarra want to taste fresh,Navarran vegetables. Every day food arrives from the fields and by 2 pm it’s on the tables.” So,as is the case with preserves, the trick is to cook the food as soon as it is picked: Navarravegetables, as good as they are, quickly begin to lose their properties if they travel when raw.

Túbal, the bar and later restaurant, dates back to 1930, although the name boasts a longerhistory. The town’s moniker Tafalla derives from Arabic, most likely from the Moorish influence inthe region between the 8th and 12th centuries. But some say the original town name wasTubala, possibly for the biblical figure Túbal, Noah’s grandson. Several Spanish historians fromthe 16th century claimed that Túbal and his descendants populated the Iberian Peninsula.Basque culture – which is closely related to Navarran culture – later adopted Túbal as anancestor. Jiménez says there is another legend of Túbal-Cain, a descendent of the biblicalCain who was a blacksmith and is said to have helped invent the musical scale. “I like thisstory better,” she says.

Chef Nicolás, who has worked in his mother’s kitchen for 14 years, offers hisrecommendations:

Piquillo peppers: Eaten by themselves or stuffed with meat, baby squid or cod. “They go wellwith almost anything – fish, eggs, meats, roast. But the pepper season is short so you mustconserve them well.” One tasty first course on the current menu comprises the peppersunderneath a poached egg inside a fried potato shell with a small toasted strip of bread withSerrano ham. And El Túbal serves a filet of sole with a Piquillo pepper sauce.

White asparagus: “The best ones are always tender, but not soft.” Eaten plain with extra virginolive oil or vinaigrette, fried, grilled, or using the bottom ends to make creams. All go well withhake, a Spanish specialty.

Artichokes: A winter food, now served sautéed over a layer of foie and Boletus (Porcini)mushrooms.

Restaurante Túbal

Plaza de Navarra, 4 Tafalla (Navarra) - Tel: +34 948 700 852 / +34 948 701 296

www.restaurantetubal.com

Íñig

o Ú

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Popular PeppersSmaller, family-run companiesshun the use of automaticpeelers, arguing that too manymachines strip the “carequality” from the products.Such is the case at ElNavarrico, where “Cojonudos”and other products are nowmaking the trip to the UnitedStates with clients in Virginia,California and Florida. “Piquillopeppers are our number-oneseller in the U.S.,” says PatxiPastor, Pepe’s nephew and headof the sales department,referring to the small,triangular, blood-red peppers.For these peppers to receive theD.O. Piquillo de Lodosa theymust hail from Lodosa inNavarra and conform to thestrict rules regarding selectionand processing imposed by theD.O.’s governing body.

Last May, Patxi took a shorttrip to New York and Chicagoto get a taste of the U.S.market. “For Americans,Mediterranean cuisines used tomean Italy, but people are now

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16 SPAIN GOURMETOUR

PRIM

E VE

GETA

BLES

WHER

ETO B

UY Most of these products can be found at fine retailers allover the U.S. Also, they are just a few clicks away fromyou at:

www.casaoliver.com

www.despanabrandfoods.com

www.fromspain.com

www.laespanolameats.com

www.oleolefoods.com

www.spanishtable.com/merchant.mv

www.tienda.com/food/vegetables.html

WORKERS CHOOSE THE BESTVEGGIES, CLEAN AND CUT

AND PREPARE THEM BYHAND, AND FIT THEM INTO

THEIR CONTAINERS

factory to process artichokes,its key product. But his chefsare reluctant to move from the existing factory… about200 feet down the road. Eventhough they will be using thesame workers, equipment andraw product, there’ssomething about the currentplace that makes theartichokes emergeoutstanding. The magic justdoesn’t work when they’vetried it in other places. And they’re serious. “Thetrick is that there is no trick,” Sota jokes.

Well, the trick could beNavarra’s vegetable cultureand the optimal conditions for growing in the Ebro Valley.“There is a long-standingtradition of caring for crops inNavarra,” says Sota, who grewup in Lodosa and whosegrandfather was a farmer.“People learned this backwhen they worked the fieldsfor their families and wantedto send the best food home.Later they started preservingthe foods so that in bad timesthey wouldn’t go hungry.”

La Lodosana’s artichokeshave, for the past 15 years,come from the same farm.Every night during artichoke

paying attention to Spain. TheFood and Drug Administrationis also a new experience for us. They ask a lot of questions,which is good, although onetime they asked why ourasparagus were bottledvertically instead ofhorizontally.”

Down on the factory floor,workers choose the bestveggies, clean and cut andprepare them by hand, and fitthem into their containers – it’shard to believe that the smallcompany is able to supplySpain and a half a dozen othercountries. But that’s the workethic José has taught. “This is afamily business,” Pastor says.“For instance, I handle nationaland international sales. But ifI’m around when a truck pullsup, I help unload it.”

Artichokes andBaby BroadBeans: Handlewith CareNot far to the north, inCorella, Francisco Sota,managing director of LaLodosana, has a problem. The company, founded in1992, is building a new

Luis

Prie

to/IC

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SPAIN GOURMETOUR 17

Workers in the field chartthe crops as they are picked:Color, size, defects. Piquillopeppers are also delicate. Onlythe finest make the cut. Herein Corella they make twotypes: those that are washedafter being roasted on a fire (inthe jars they look immaculateand shiny) and those whichnever touch water, calledartisan peppers. “Water washesaway vitamins and flavor,”Sota says. “Granted, the artisanones are less-attractive, butquality-wise there is nocomparison. They are works ofart.”

Mike Elkin is a freelance journalistbased in Madrid who regularly contributes to Newsweek, AmericanLawyer Magazine and MLexNews.

season-roughly March to June-the trucks deliver theartichokes to be processed the next day. And even thougheverything is done by hand,the workers churn out a bottle of artichokes everyfour minutes.

The production of babybroad beans also requirespeculiar skills. Although alsogrown in southern Spain, thebeans are one of the fewvegetables that Navarran firmsexport. Because the best aresmall, selection in the field isthe most important step in theprocess. Farmers know thatthe company will not takebeans larger than a certainsize. Once picked, a machineremoves the beans from their exterior layers and thenline workers pick the best for bottling.

THE F

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S AND

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S Piquillo means “small beak”and refers to the shape of thesesmall, triangle-shaped peppers,which are grown and bottledthroughout north-eastern Spain,even though the onlyDesignation of Origin currently inexistence is reserved to thoseproduced in the regionof Lodosa (Navarra). The peppers are roasted in a fire,seeded and peeled before being bottled, a processwhich is commonly used to preserve peppers all overSpain, be they Piquillo or from another variety.Designations of Origin for roasted peppers from othervarieties include Pimiento Asado del Bierzo and PimientoRiojano, produced in the north-west of Castile-León andLa Rioja, respectively (www.piquillopepper.com)

Espárragos de Navarra are white, thick and fleshy. Thisis achieved by having them grow underground until theyare collected, preventing them from turning green andfibrous. After being collected, they are simply washed,peeled, cut to size and scalded in boiling water beforebeing bottled. Once again, the “Navarra” in the namerefers to the variety of asparagus, not to the region itself.The Espárrago de Navarra D.O. allows for production in anumber of Spanish regions around Navarra (such as LaRioja, Aragón and a small part of north-eastern Castile-León), provided that the variety, way of growing them andpreparation process is respected.

ENROSÉ

SPAIN GOURMETOUR 19

La Vie

Long dismissed as too sweet, too cheap and suspiciously colored, rosé wines have oftenfaced an uphill battle to prove their worth. The battle, judging by the The New York Timeslifestyle section’s observation, back in August, that rosé was “The Summer Drink to be SeenWith” would appear to have been won. This “resurrection of rosé” is good news for Spanishwine aficionados, since rosé has remained a staple of many Spanish wine growing areasand is considered as an ideal companion to many of its foods. Reporting from the city that never sleeps, New Yorker Pameladevi Govinda scans its winescene to find if Spanish rosé has found its way into the wine racks, glasses and hearts of itsclients. Meanwhile, back in Spain, Mike Elkin visits one of Spain’s prime rosé areas andhas winemakers tell their side of the story.

20 SPAIN GOURMETOUR

Spanish Culture and ‘Rosado’A Spanish food and wine trendhas hit New York big time.Stylish Iberian bars andrestaurants have popped up allover Manhattan. Spanish winesare steadily gaining space inthe shelves of wine stores. Wealso saw the opening of thecity’s first ever all-Spanish winestore in the East Village. Eachenclave aims to offer NewYorker’s a slice of Spanishgastronomy and with it comesthe rosados that are so integralto the lifestyle in Spain.

“Rosé is a major part ofSpain so their rosés are

generally very good comparedto, say, Italy, which has acouple of good ones but theytend to put more effort intotheir red wines. Spain has avery keen sense of rosé: regionslike Cigales only recentlystarted to gear their productiontowards red wines because themarket was heading that wayand they could charge more forthem, but in the past that wasrosado country – it’s whatSpaniards drank,” offers AdamRieger, wine director of BarAmericain.

Leo Barrera, BeverageDirector at Craftsteak agrees,“the Spanish really take theirrosados seriously. Take Rioja:

some of the oldest and mostrespected wineries, such asMarqués de Riscal, Muga,Marqués de Murrieta andLópez de Heredia, they allmake rosé.”

Not Your WhiteZinfandelTía Pol offers food lovers andart buffs a taste of Spain.Smack in the middle of thegallery hub of Chelsea, thetapas bar hosts a hip art-viewing crowd by day and alocal neighborhood clientele bynight – you’ll often find themsipping glasses of Spanish roséwith their small bites. Owner

NEWYORKKnown only to a selected but notorious few, Spain’s traditionand reputation for making excellent rosado (rosé) has long beena secret to most in the States. The list of American connoisseursof Spanish rosé was headed by none other than literary bonvivant Ernest Hemingway, who never hesitated to enjoy a bottle(or two) of vibrant pink vino during his travels to Navarra. Recenttimes, however, have seen increasing numbers of New Yorkersswelling to these ranks – many now talk of a “rosé renaissance.”From pale salmon pinks to robust ruby hues, rosé is as fashio-nable as it is delicious and many of the city’s hippest boîtes areserving it up with glee.

Spanish rosé takesTextPameladevi Govinda

PhotosJuan Manuel Sanz/ICEX

SPAIN GOURMETOUR 21

Bodegas Aurelio Pinacho,which he describes as a heartierpink. They also pour a uniquesparkling rosé called Cava RosatCastellRoig (pronounced kas-tel-roych) which, he explains, is“a very unusual rosat (Catalanfor rosé) in the sense that it ismade from an indigenousCatalan variety called Trepat,usually used to make a redwine. It’s got that great Cavayeasty and bread-like qualitywith more concentrated berriesand earth tones.”

Another fantastic effervescentpink can be found at Suba onthe Lower East Side, wherethey run through flutes of the

deep pink-hued LlopartReserva Brut Rosé, made fromMonastrell (Mourvèdre) andPinot Noir. Suba’s sommelier,Roger Kugler, also declareshimself a staunch roséaficionado, “I’ve been a fan ofrosé for the last fifteen years.There is an incredible diversityin these wines.”

Kugler is also the winedirector at Boquería in Chelsea,which opened last August. Oneof their best selling wines lastsummer was the BodegasCastaño Rosado from Yecla. Hesupports, “that wine was such abig hit because it was one ofthose rosés you could drink

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The Still Winesand the BubblesOne of the three rosado winesthat flows at Tía Pol is theSeñorío de Sarría Rosado, aGarnacha-based wine fromNavarra. Dawes describes it as“a gorgeous ruby-hued winethat’s crisp and dry.” They alsooffer a sparkling pink, theCodorníu Pinot Noir, whichconsistently outsells the regularCava on the wine list.

Back at Bar Americain, Riegerhas quite a few rosados on hislist, including the PinachoRosado produced by famedenologist Ana Martín for

Mani Dawes remarks, “there’sbeen a huge increase in rosésales at Tía Pol. Last summerour Spanish rosé by the glasssold better than anything elsewe were pouring.”

Since opening almost threeyears ago, Dawes maintainsthat her rosados weren’t alwaysso popular, “It definitely wasn’tlike this before. Customersused to come in and wheneverwe’d mention a rosé they’dkind of cock their head to oneside and worry about the pink,thinking it would be likeWhite Zinfandel. Now they’rerealizing that isn’t the case.”

THE RULE OF THUMBAMONG THE PROS IS“WHEN IN DOUBT,DRINK PINK. IT WORKSWITH ALL FOOD”

Spanish wines are steadily gaining space in the shelves of wine shops, bars and restaurants

22 SPAIN GOURMETOUR

AVAIL

ABLE

IN TH

E U.S. D.O. Alella: Marfil Alella Vi Rosat

D.O. Calatayud: Las Rocas Rosado (Bodegas San Alejandro)

D.O. Campo de Borja: Verasol Rosado (Bodegas y Viñedos Santo Cristo)

D.O. Cava: Gramona Rosé; Cava Torreblanca Brut Rosado;Mont Ferrant Brut Rosé; CastellRoig Rosat, Cava Jaume Serra Rosado

D.O. Cigales: Docetañidos (Bodegas Lezcano-Lacalle);Valdelosfrailes Rosado

D.O. Jumilla: Mayoral Rosado

D.O. Navarra: Nekeas Rosado; Gran Feudo Rosado(Bodegas Julián Chivite); Señorío de Aristu Rosado (Bodegas Arista)

D.O. Penedés: Jaume Serra Rosado; Heretat-Vall Ventós Merlot Rosat (Raventós Rosell)

D.O. Rioja: Esencia Valdemar Rosado & Conde de ValdemarRosado (Martínez Bujanda); Marqués de Cáceres Rosado;Muga Rosado; El Coto Rosado; Marqués de Riscal Rosado;Aradón Rosado (Vinícola Riojana de Alcanadre); Faustino VRosado

D.O. Somontano: Pirineos Rosado Merlot Cabernet

D.O. Utiel Requena: Mas de Bazán Rosado

D.O. Yecla: Castaño Rosado

with or without food, it went inall directions.”

He anticipates that therosados on his lists will be evenmore popular this year. “Therehas definitely been a bigincrease in rosado sales and Ithink next summer they aregoing to be huge. Provençal rosés were so popular last summerthat the future is there forSpanish rosado.”

Rosado Branches OutPink wines are becoming somainstream that FrederickTwomey, owner of Bar Carrerasays that, unlike in the recent

past, guys come in and don’thesitate to drink the BorsaoCampo de Borja Rosado that’son offer there. “Even straightguys are coming in andordering up without fearing thatit compromises their masculineidentity, ”Twomey quips.

Wine Directors andsommeliers love the fact thatconsumers are waking up toSpanish rosado wines but thereis some frustration that thedrink has been confined tosultry summer sipping. Daweslikens it to the archaic rule of,“no white clothing after LaborDay,” but she was pleased tosee rosado wines fly off theshelves way into the fall lastyear at Tinto Fino, the wine

SPAIN GOURMETOUR 23

shop she owns in addition totapas bar Tía Pol.

Rieger says, “it’s cool and hipto drink rosé in the summer,which is odd since the rest ofthe world doesn’t drink roséaccording to the season butaccording to the meal.”

Despite the efforts to getwine drinkers to sip rosadoyear round, most pinks are theultimate summer quaff becausethey are so incrediblyrefreshing and possess thekind of zippy fruit characterthat is perfect when theweather heats up. Twomeyoffers, “rosé, almost bydefinition, is meant to be fun,quaffable and summery.”

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Tía Pol205 Tenth Ave.Tel: 212 675 8805www.tiapol.com

Tinto Fino85 First Ave.Tel: 212 254 0850

Bar Americain152 W. 52nd St.Tel: 212 265 9700www.baramericain.com

Suba109 Ludlow St.Tel: 212 982 5714www.subanyc.com

Boquería53 W. 19th St.Tel: 212 255 4160www.boquerianyc.com

Photos courtesy of Suba (left),Boquería (center), Bar Americain (right)

Insider PicksTwo rosados from Rioja thatconsistently come up whensommeliers talk about theirfavorite pinks are Muga andLópez de Heredia. The formeris made from Garnacha, Viuraand Tempranillo, and carries apretty ballet-slipper pink hue.Rieger raves, “Muga’s Rosadois one of the great ones outthere,” while Dawes describesit as, “highly aromatic, cooland crisp.”

The other rosado thatappears on almost any seriousrosé list also hails from Riojaand it is possibly one of themost distinct and uniquewines available anywhere.Aged for four years, first in

oak and the rest of the time inbottle, López de Heredia’sViña Tondonia Rosado is oneof the rare examples of anaged rosado. With its color anorange-pink hue and anincredible complexity, it is theantithesis of the summerquaffing pink. “We do offerthe Viña Tondonia Rosado butit’s really a geek wine. Awinery like R. López deHeredia-Viña Tondonia hasremained very traditionalthroughout the years despitethe trend towards lighter,fresher rosé styles…I meanright now the current releaseis a 1995 vintage, which isawesome,” enthuses Rieger.

Many Spanish rosés are

touted as great food wines.Pera Mediterranean Brasseriesells a lot of Fra GuerauRosado from Montsant withtasty Turkish inflexed mezzesand succulent grilled meats.Managing Partner, CemErenler shares, “Fra Guerau isreally amazing because it has amore spicy character than theusual fruity berries.We sell alot of it because not only doour guests enjoy the wine butour staff love it too.”

Over at Craft restaurant it isa flavorful Garnacha rosadofrom the CatalayudDesignation of Origin that flieswith the food. BeverageDirector, Andrew Fortgangexplains, “Las Rocas is so greatbecause it’s a grown up rosé, itstill offers that berry fruitcharacter but you also getsome nice peppers on thepalate. It’s really yummy fromstart to finish.”

Final tip: the rule of thumbamong the pros is “when indoubt drink pink. It workswith all food. If the same tablehas an order for steak, porkand fish, a rosado will cover itall,” advises Kugler. It’s adviceworth taking because not onlyare many Spanish rosados goodwith chow they also offerunbeatable value. Most run forunder thirty dollars a bottle atthe city’s chicest restaurantsand they are a steal at retail.The different styles of rosado atTinto Fino start at sevendollars – a bargain for a coolquaff.

Pameladevi Govinda is a New Yorkbased beverage and lifestyle writer whose contributions have appeared in Decanter, Cheers, Vibe, City and Zink.

Bar Carrera175 Second Ave.Tel: 212 375 1555www.barcarrera.com

Tribeca Grill375 Greenwich St.Tel: 212 941 3900www.myriadrestaurantgroup.com

Craftsteak85 Tenth Ave.Tel: 212 400 6699www.craftrestaurant.com

Craft43 E. 19th St.Tel: 212 780 0880www.craftrestaurant.com

Pera Mediterranean Brasserie303 Madison Ave.Tel: 212 878 6301www.peranyc.com

24 SPAIN GOURMETOUR

The War of

Matching a fine wine with a good hot

dog baffles most experts – enologists

and wiener vendors alike. But the pla-

nets aligned four years ago when a

New York Times photograph married a

ballpark frank with a glass of Spanish

rosé from the Navarra region. Bacchus

blasphemy, you say? Be brave and

open a bottle of rosé at the next barbe-

cue. Hailed by its makers as the most

versatile wine on the market, the pink

drink is lately making a name for itself

at the expense of rivals Red and White.

Light as a white with the bodyof a red, Spanish rosados aimto turn traditional wine theoryinto sauerkraut, as I had agood chance to find out in myvisit to north-eastern Spain.Common myths: rosé is amixture of red and whitewines, rosé is drinkable onlyin the summer, rosés are allthe same. For those winerieswhich churn out crafted roséseach year, these fallacies arefinally crumbling.

“The perception of rosé haschanged completely,” saysJavier Basabe, export directorfor the Julián Chivite winery.“Every year there is moredemand for rosé, and not justin a few places – everywhere.And listen to this, at some ofour blind tastings, people haveconfused it with a red, and I’m talking about people who should know one fromthe other.”

Winemaking for the Chivitefamily dates back to 1647.Since then, small wine cellarspassed from fathers to sons.Ten generations later, in 1930,Julián Sr. began the currentbusiness. His sons Julián andFernando now run the winery,exporting to 60 countries.

Chivite’s rosé, Gran FeudoRosado, celebrated its 25thanniversary last year. Andwhile the family produces somereds and whites in other places,the rosé has always been madeat its oldest winery in theNavarran town of Cintruénigo,a labyrinthine structure built in 1872 called La Cascajera – a name which derives from a large gravel pit next to the winery, but could also be loosely translated as TheGritty Girl.

Gran Feudo is made fromGrenache grapes, or Garnachain Spanish, which grows well

THE ROSÉS

TextMike Elkin

PhotosJuan Manuel Sanz/ICEX

SPAN

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in the Navarran climate. Likemost other rosé makers in theregion, Chivite bleeds its grapesto produce the wine. Thisprocess, known as sangrado inSpanish, crushes dark grapesnormally used for red wineproduction. After a certainamount of time – usually nomore than a day – the juice isdrawn from the skins andfermented separately. And donot confuse rosé with whatSpaniards call clarete, a mixtureof white and red wines. Mostmodern rosé wineries considerthis practice sacrilegious.

“Navarra has good soil forthe Garnacha,” Basabe says.“We bleed our grapes for about24 hours until we get what’scalled mosto de lágrima (tears ofmust, because gravity separatesthe juice from the grapes). It’sclean, aromatic. Then itferments at low temperatures,like a white would.”

Do Rosés Bloomin Winter?Rosés made solely fromGarnacha grapes do not agewell (they are designed to bedrunk young and fresh), sodon’t bother storing GranFeudo in the cellar for yourkid’s future wedding. Becauseof this, other wineries haveexperimented with mixtures ofgrape types. About 40 milesnorth of Cintruénigo andtucked into the Nekeas Valley,

in the village of Añorbe, wefind the Nekeas winery, whoseworkers have amazing views.Coffee-brown dirt contrastswith the almost radioactivegreen of the wheat fields thatrun from hill to hill along thevalley. Here the Nekeas Rosadois a 50/50 blend of Garnachaand Cabernet, courtesy ofenologist Concha Vecino. She’sbeen working for the family-run winery since the projectbegan in 1993 – the vats weredesigned so she could reachthe valves and spigots.

The vineyard runs for about2.5 miles and the altituderanges between 1,300 and2,000 feet above sea level.This, plus temperatures thatcan vary up to 7˚F dependingwhere you are in the valley,makes the wine makingprocess a complicatedexperiment. By norm, saysCarlos Biurrun, the winery’sexport manager, the youngestwines come from the loweraltitudes. “Temperature has a big influence,” he says, “for the wine and for thedrinker as well.”

Rosé has always beenthought of as a hot-weatherwine, something to sip whilepeeling shrimp at an outdoorrestaurant during the stiflingSpanish summers. But Spanishwineries aim to change thismentality, to allow theoccasion to dictate the wine,not the thermometer.

“TEMPERATURE HAS A BIG INFLUENCE FORTHE WINE AND FOR THEDRINKER AS WELL”

26 SPAIN GOURMETOUR

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THE U.S. IS BY FAR THELARGEST MARKET FORWINERIES SUCH ASMARQUÉS DE CÁCERES,NEKEAS OR CHIVITE; BUTIT WASN’T ANOVERNIGHT SALE

SPAIN GOURMETOUR 27

about a week we served himnothing but rosé. He got thehint.” Now Marqués deCáceres exports about 180,000bottles of rosé per year to theUnited States.

At Nekeas, 85 percent of itswines are exported – mainly tothe United States, but Biurrunsays rosé’s versatility overcomesgeographical differences. “Roséis a very flexible wine when itcomes to food – it works justas well in Bangkok as inHelsinki,” he says. “We are alsoseeing a huge following in TheNetherlands. Even in thenightclubs. We haven’t figuredit out yet, maybe because itreminds them of theirvacations?”

“The reaction in the U.S. hassurprised us,” says Chivite’sBasabe. “People usually identifyrosé with White Zinfandel,which is sweet, while rosé isdifferent, dry and fresh. We’reselling double what weexpected in the United States.”

As you can surmise, rosémakers rarely talk badly aboutrosé – especially their rosé. Butindependent evidence of thewine’s versatility and popularitysurfaced just before my visit toMarqués de Cáceres. Whileenjoying a beer at a localbar/restaurant aroundlunchtime, I spied a group ofburly construction workerswashing down their meat andpotatoes with a bottle of rosé.The place must have run out of hot dogs.

Mike Elkin is a freelance journalistbased in Madrid who regularly contributes to Newsweek, American Lawyer Magazineand MLex News.

“On my last trip to London,we sold just as much rosé asred – and in November!” saysFelipe Aizpún, managingdirector of Marqués deCáceres, located just across theborder in La Rioja. Thecompany, a Goliath of Spanishwine makers, was founded in1970 by Enrique Forner. Itsenologists use 70%-80%Tempranillo grape in theirrosado, completing the blendwith Garnacha. “Rosés have alot of personality,” Aizpúnsays. “It’s not an in-betweenwine. It’s one for manyoccasions, many seasons,many meals. It’s often moreagreeable than a red or white.”

The Marqués de Cácereswinery is located in the townof Cenicero. It would seem astrange name because ceniceromeans ashtray in Spanish, butthe town dates back to the12th century. Wanderingthrough the foggy streets, Istumbled upon a 4-foot Statueof Liberty. It was too cold toponder at length so I duckedinto a pharmacy to ask. Thetown had erected themonument in 1897 – 11 yearsafter the New York version wasinaugurated – to honor themen who in 1834 repelled asiege during the Carlist wars.

Rosé State of MindWith international interest inSpanish wine ever on the rise,rosé makers have been quick totake their wares international.The United States is by fartheir largest market, but itwasn’t an overnight sell.“About 10 years ago our U.S.distributor was alwaysreluctant to really push rosé,”says Aizpún. “That changedduring one of his frequent tripsto the winery. At every meal for

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“When I choose a wine I look for balance between the flavorof the food and the wine,” says wine connoisseur FlequiBerruti. “Some sommeliers here match strong with strong,but I like contrast. For example, rosés that are 100%Garnacha (Grenache) have a strong fruity flavor, so I like tomix them with salty foods such as a pasta dish withseafood. They also go well with cod and potatoes.”

Over the past 20 years Berruti has worked his way up fromwaiter to sommelier. For the past seven years he worked asrestaurant sales director for Lavinia wine store in Madrid andnow is the sales director for Cavinsa. He also co-owns theSan Pablo de los Montes winery in Toledo.

“For rosés that have a certain level of acidity, such as theones made from the Tempranillo grape, I look for rice dishesor fish,” he says. “Sushi is a good dish with this type of rosétoo – both nigiri and maki. Other international dishes thatwork well with rosé – and I mean rosé in general – are thosefrom Chinese restaurants and Morocco. The former have alot of sweet and sour flavors and the latter more wheat,corn, barley and vegetables. Risottos with any kind ofmushroom accompanied by rosé are delicious. In Spainrosés are perfect for Galician and Basque cuisines. InGalicia, hake fish and octopus, cooked with garlic andpaprika, have a strong flavor which is coupled well with rosé.In the Basque Country, the mixture with seafood works thesame... as do any rice dishes, such as seafood paella.”

Another favorite for Berruti is rosé cava, which blends thebody of rosé with the taste of bubbly. “Rosé cavas I highlyrecommend for roasted and grilled meats because they tendto be made from strong-flavored Pinot, although in Valenciathey are also made with Monastrell and Garnacha,” he says.

“Normal rosés made with Bobal grapes also go well with riceand meat dishes – pork, lamb, stews. These wines do nothave the same acidity as Tempranillo, they have moretannins. Yes, actually now that I think about it, rosés andstews – meat, lentils, vegetables – work very well together.The rosé cleanses the palate and you can savor each bite.Some wines really do a number on the inside of your mouth,which destroys tasting the food. Not rosé.”

Valencia’s food and wine

SPAIN GOURMETOUR 29

Full ahead

SPEE

DThe exotic, once Moorish-dominated

Comunitat Valenciana and its capital,

the ancient, but suddenly ultra-modern

and rapidly growing Mediterranean

port city of Valencia has long been

known for its wild end-of-winter fiesta

called Las Fallas and sunny beaches.

Wines were not among the region’s

claim to fame but, as Gerry Dawes

finds out, the emerging wines of

Valencia are hitting their stride as their

home region hosts the America’s Cup.

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Gastronomically, Valencia isknown world-wide for paella,for its Mediterranean seafood,Valencia oranges andclementines from Castellón,almonds and almond turrónfrom Jijona and dates from thelargest date palm forest inEurope in Elche (both inAlicante province). Untilrecently, except for the largequantities of bulk winesshipped most to northernEurope, the only vinos theComunitat Valenciana was

known for were a strange, butexotic and wonderful winefrom Alicante called Fondillón(of which more below) andsweet dessert Mistelas madefrom luscious Moscatel grapesfrom the vineyards of Valenciaand Alicante.

In recent years, however, anew dynamic has emerged.Mega Euros have poured intoValencia and the surroundingregion fueling anunprecedented boom. Valenciarecently completed the multi-

billion dollar Ciutat de les Artsi les Ciències (City of Arts andSciences), Europe's largestcultural-leisure complex (seebox), and will play host in2007 to the world’s mostprestigious yacht race, the32nd America's Cup (see box).This coming of age for one ofSpain’s most historically richregions has spawned a truecultural renaissance.

The influx of money into theComunitat Valenciana has,firstly, provided the essential

platform to support animportant modern cuisinemovement. Led by PacoTorreblanca, one of the world’sgreatest pastry chefs, thismovement has aided inbringing attention to thesecond trend – a new wave ofwines from Valencia’s threeDenominaciones de Origen(D.O.s) – Alicante, Utiel-Requena and Valencia, whichare emerging as serious qualitycontenders.

TextGerry Dawes

IllustrationJavier Zabala

High altitude, blistering heat and low rainfall: Valencia’s signature

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The QuietRevolution

In an epoch with a growinginternational acceptance ofdark, ripe rich, higher-octane,new oak-aged wines,producers in the warmcountry areas of Spain,especially in La Mancha andthe Levante (Valencia andMurcia), have seen apromising opportunity. Afterall, if wineries in warmcountry areas in Australia,South America, South Africaor, indeed, California’s NapaValley, could produce winesthat drew positiveinternational reviews, whycouldn’t similar wines aimed atthe new world wine orderpalate be made in areas such asthe Comunitat Valenciana?

Many producers have thusbegun to draw on high qualityfruit from unirrigated old vinesin higher elevation vineyards.Others have planted newvineyards, often with theforeign varieties such asCabernet Sauvignon, Merlotand Syrah. Successfulproducers from other parts ofSpain – such as Juan CarlosLópez de la Calle, producer of

La Rioja’s powerhouse Artadiwines (Cosecheros Alaveseswinery) or Galicia’s Albariñoproducer Agro de Bazán – arenow making red wines inUtiel-Requena and Alicante.Consulting enologists such asSara Pérez of Priorat’s MasMartinet coached fledglingwineries in the region.American importers includingStephen Metzler of ClassicalWines (Seattle) and EricSolomon of European Cellarsrealized that the region’sconcentrated wines are nomore powerful than averageNapa Valley reds, and have

Meserguera, Macabeo (Viura)and Moscatel Romanovarieties. Also worth seekingout are the fresh, bright,quaffable rosados (rosés),based on the little-knownlocal Bobal grape, producedby several DO Utiel-Requenabodegas.

Fully InternationalA sure sign of the change inthe region is the growingnumber of winemakersproducing quality, affordablewines from internationallyknown non-native varieties.

A clear example of thistrend is Bodegas EnriqueMendoza, regarded by new-wave aficionados within Spainas the great revelation ofAlicante. Mendoza hasreceived rave reviews fromSpanish wine writers for hisbarrel-fermented Chardonnays,full-bodied, ripe CabernetSauvignons, his notable Syrah(now a big attention getter inSpain), a Pinot Noir with realpotential and his famous SantaRosa Reserva 1998 (apowerful, rich, oaky blend ofCabernet Sauvignon, Syrah,and Merlot). At theirimpressive Hoya de Cadenas

made serious commitments in the region.

The major thrust is towardsthe production of red wines,including 100% varietal redwines and blends of nativeValencian red varieties –Monastrell (Mourvedre), Bobal,and Garnacha (Grenache) –,Spain’s most important redwine variety, Tempranillo, andthe foreign grapes CabernetSauvignon, Merlot, and, verypromising for this warmregion, high quality Syrah.They are also producingfresher, cold-fermented whitewines from the traditional

Valencia: inland and costland

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estate near Cuevas de Utiel,well-regarded Bodegas Gandía(Vicente Gandía Plá, foundedin 1885) is making its markwith Hoya de Cadenas ReservaPrivada (85% Tempranillo/15%Cabernet Sauvignon) andCeremonia, (also aTempranillo/CabernetSauvignon blend), whose newoak is balanced with a nicemélange of rich blackberry,chocolate and licorice flavors.

Bodegas Iranzo’s FincaCañada Honda property hasbeen a wine-growing estatesince the 14th-century. ThePérez Duque family says theyhave been making wines since1896, but their ownership ofthe Iranzo property dates to1940 and the plantation of thenon-Valencian varieties,Tempranillo, CabernetSauvignon and Merlot (theyalso have Bobal and Graciano),dates to 1984. Among theirwines, billed as vinos ecológicos(from organically farmedvineyards), are the FincaCañada Honda Tempranillo-Cabernet Sauvignon based; the

smooth, ripe, Tempranillo-basedMi Niña and the round, plummy,spicy Vertus Tempranillo Crianza.

An exceptionally promisingnew Utiel-Requena winery,Dominio de Aranleón, is ownedby Emiliano García, who is also the proprietor of Casa Montaña(in Valencia’s El Cabanyaldistrict), an urban bodega thatdates to 1836 and is one of thebest wine and tapas bars in thecapital. García also owns CasaMontaña wine shop and tastingsalon, located across the street.He makes two very high quality,delicious 50% Tempranillo, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon blendsunder the name of Aranleón,which sport an ingenious snaildesign that spells out thebodega’s creed on the label.

Going Native –Bobal and Utiel-RequenaThis said, anyone planning avisit to Valencia would do wellto investigate the ‘hiddenviticultural gems’ that thisregion, and this region alone,

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AIN The defense of the 2007 America’s Cup, the world’s mostprestigious yacht racing prize – now ironically held by thelandlocked Switzerland-based Alinghi team – began in 2004with a series of Louis Vuitton-sponsored preliminary races(called Acts in yachting terminology) in waters off Valencia,Marseille, Malmö-Skåne and Trapani. The Acts continued in2005 and 2006, mostly in Valencian waters. In 2007, theracing continues from early April through June 12th in Valencia,when the Louis Vuitton Cup will be awarded. The grand finale,the final matches to decide the America’s Cup, will run fromJune 23rd through July 4th (with reserve days, July 5-7th incase of foul weather, etc.)

Becoming the host city for the America’s Cup race was quite acoup for Valencia, since the cup race has never technicallybeen held in Europe and Valencia had to win out over 50 othercities that had expressed interest. The America’s Cup isnamed not for the country, but for the yacht America, a boatbacked by a New York Yacht Club syndicate that won achallenge race in 1851 off the Isle of Wight. After the Americawon that first race they took the Cup home and donated it tothe New York Yacht Club with the stipulation that it be held intrust as a “perpetual Challenge Cup for friendly competitionbetween foreign countries.”

To host the America’s Cup, Valencia built the new PortAmerica’s Cup and renovated the old Grao warehouses, fromwhich Valencia wines had long been shipped, and turned theminto pavilions for the competing yacht teams and their boats.By 2007, there will be 636 new boat berths, six restaurants,several shops and a dozen team bases for the America’s Cupteams. There are also two new museums: The House ofAmerica’s Cup, a multimedia exhibition where visitors can learnabout the history of the event, and the America to Alinghiexhibition, where four-meter long replicas of all winning boatsand successful defending yachts can be seen. Boat tours ofPort America’s Cup will also be offered. Valencia’s great porthas not seen such effervescent activity since the days of thegreat Valencian wine shippers of the Grao.

www.americascup.com

© ACM 2005/Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

SPAIN GOURMETOUR 33

can offer. A prime example ofthis would be Bobal, the maingrape in the Utiel-RequenaDenominación de Origen, whichis, even now, still little knownoutside Spain. This heftyvarietal, apart from being usedin Utiel-Requena to make someof Spain’s best and mostinteresting rosados, is beingused by Mustiguillo, one of thenew wave heroes from theregion, as the basis of severalwines that have drawn highpraise from reviewers, both inSpain and abroad.

Mustiguillo, a charmingsmall winery built on the siteof a former stable, makes twosmall production, high-endwines from their own vines:Finca Terrazo – a blend of 40% old vines Bobal (planted in1912), 40% Tempranillo and20% Cabernet Sauvignon –and Quincha Corral – 76% oldvines Bobal, 20% Tempranilloand 4% Cabernet Sauvignon.These massive, inky, intenselyrich, unfiltered reds tip thescales at 14.5% alcohol.Quincha Corral 2000, a winewith a 500-case per yearproduction and a hefty priceshows very rich, sweet, Port-like, ripe black cherry andcassis fruit and baker’schocolate with a noticeableration of new oak on thepalate.

Mas de Bazán, owned by theproducer of Gran Bazán fromRías Baixas, is anotherimportant Utiel-Requenaproject. The winery, whoseepoxy-lined cementfermentation and storage vats

are decorated with early 20th-century Valencian ceramicstiles, is unusual andexceptionally attractive. Likemost new wineries, the flavorsof new oak – Allier and someAmerican – dominate the redwines, generally blends ofBobal (45%), Tempranillo(45%) and Cabernet Sauvignon(10%). Mas de Bazán alsomakes a refreshing dry Bobalrosado with flavors that bringstrawberries to mind.

AlicanteGrape vines were introducedinto Alicante by thePhoenicians, wine was madethere by the Romans and thepraises of Alicante wines werealso sung by the Moors. Withsuch tradition, it should comeas small surprise that Alicantecan make world-class dessertwines. Amongst the first toprove this point was BodegasGutiérrez de La Vega,producers of the renownedCasta Diva muscatels. Madefrom Moscatel de Alejandría(also called Moscatel Romano)grapes grown in the coastal LaMarina subzone, Casta DivaCosecha Miel is a lusciousdessert wine that is a greatmatch to such dishes as starAlicante chef Quique Dacosta’sláminas de foie gras (layered foiegras with a fragrant applecompote) at El Poblet, innearby Dénia.

Laderas de Pinoso (producersof El Sequé) is an Alicantewinery with a built-inimmediate appeal: it was

VALENCIA WILL PLAY HOST IN2007 TO THE WORLD’S MOSTPRESTIGIOUS YACHT RACE, THE 32ND AMERICA'S CUP LAS

FALLAS

Each year, culminating on March 19th, Día de San José,(St.Joseph’s Day) Valencia also hosts an insane annual fiesta, LasFallas, during which giant papier-mâché and wood structuresstanding several stories high are assembled in the streets andplazas of the city. They caricature – usually in none-to-subtle,often quite graphic terms – current events, movie stars, sportsfigures and politicians, both local and international. On thenight of March 19th, these structures are surrounded by firebrigades, then gleefully torched to the cheers of the citizenryand massive displays of fireworks (imagine a Macy’s parade in which, at the end, each float is set on fire – in HeraldSquare!). Fortunately and most important to food lovers, the Valencia region’s institutionalized pyromania carries overinto its traditional cuisine in the form of wood-fired rice dishes. Valencianos love to cook paellas out in the countryover an open fire.

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founded in 1999 by JuanCarlos López de la Calle of LaRioja’s Artadi fame and AgapitoRico, producer of Carchelo, adelicious Monastrell-basedJumilla D.O. red. The star hereis Laderas de El Sequé, aMonastrell, Tempranillo,Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrahblend that spends fewer thansix months in oak. The bodegais located in Pinoso (Alicante),a town famous in Spain for itsarroz de conejo y caracoles(rabbit-and-snail paella) atCasa Paco, a legendaryrestaurant for this dish, andCasa Elías, in the nearbyvillage of Xinorlet, which is a

lesser-known but exceptionalrestaurant choice.

It was at Casa Elías –accompanied by an excellentplate of assorted curedartisanal sausages, wonderfulgrilled wild mushrooms and asuperb rabbit-and-snail thin-layered paella cooked overgrape vine cuttings – that Irecently tasted a lineup ofwines with Rafael Poveda, fromBodegas Salvador Poveda.Their intense red table winesincluded a good PovedaTempranillo; a big, complex,cherry-and carob flavoredBorrasca from their Finca El Pou estate’s 50-year old

noble wine – a favorite ofFrance’s Louis XIV (the SunKing) and of AlexandreDumas’ fictional Count ofMonte Cristo – is a truerevelation. With over 500years of written history(supposedly Fondillón was onMagellan’s trip around theworld), this semi-sweet,Monastrell-based wine is agedfor a minimum of eight yearsand usually more than twentybefore being released. It alsowas, until recently, nearlyextinct except for a few winesmade by small family bodegas.

Salvador Poveda is largelyresponsible for therecuperation of this legendaryAlicante classic. Rafael Povedaexplains how his Fondillón ismade: “We use 100%Monastrell grapes selectedduring the best harvests. Theyhave a very high concentrationof sugar – always higher than16°Baumé, often 18°. Wesometimes put the grapes outon mats in the sun for several

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As enticing as the food and wine here can be, there is muchmore to Valencia. Valencia’s incredible Ciutat de les Arts i lesCiències or Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias has to be seento be believed. Built in the old Río Turia riverbed, the City ofArts and Sciences occupies an area of more than 3,765,000square feet. The project includes L’Oceanogràfic – Europe’slargest marine center – designed by the late Félix Candela;native Valenciano Santiago Calatrava’s El Palau de les ArtsReina Sofía (performing arts center); L'Hemisfèric (IMAXCinema, Planetarium and Laserium); L'Umbracle (walkway andgarden); and El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe(science museum). The old riverbed of the Turia is now a parkwith bike and jogging paths, playgrounds, fountains and publicbuildings devoted to the arts that runs unbroken for some tenkilometers through the city.

www.cac.es

Monastrell vines. But thisfamily-run bodega’s claimto fame is that it produces

Alicante’s most renownedFondillón.

The mythicalFondillónHistorically, the best wines of the Valencian region weresemi-sweet to sweet wines and Mistelas (fresh grape mustwhose fermentation is cutshort by the addition ofalcohol). Such wines have beenmade here for centuries –probably since before theepoch of the Moors, amongwhom there were plenty ofKoran-defying imbibers(Spanish Arabic poetrysurprisingly celebrated thevirtues of wine and otherbeverages containing al-quol).

Amongst them is Alicante’sclassic Fondillón, a delicacywhich any wine enthusiast insearch of unique wines mustsavor. This red grape-based

The City of Arts and Sciences at night

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Paco Torreblanca. Named Best Confectionery Craftsman inSpain in 1988, the Best Confectionery Craftsman in Europe in1990 and the Best Confectioner of Restaurant Desserts inSpain in 2004. He lives and works in the small town of Elda(Alicante), where his shop, Totel, sells some of Spain's mostsophisticated desserts and chocolates (Torreblanca's specialty).He has recently opened a shop in Madrid (Juan Bravo, 12).Gran Avenida, 103. Elda - www.torreblanca.net

Raúl Aleixandre. His tiny 32-seat restaurant in Valencia,Ca’Sento, prepares some exceptional creative seafood cookingand is considered one of the best in Spain. Aleixandre’s cookingis a unique mix of Spanish modern cuisine maestro-inspireddishes (the cognescenti will recognize the influence of FerranAdriá and Basque star Martín Berasategui, both Aleixandrementors), but his greatest mentor was his mother – one of thefinest traditional Spanish seafood cooks on the planet. Méndez Núñez, 17. Valencia - Tel: +34 963 301 775

Quique Dacosta. Rock star look-a-like Dacosta of El Poblet inDénia (Alicante) ,is one of the handful of rising Spanish superstarcocina de vanguardia chefs, along with Sergi Arola of la Broche(Madrid), Andoni Aduriz of Mugaritz (San Sebastián) and DaniGarcía of Calima (Marbella) who form the honor guard just behindFerran Adrià, Juan Mari Arzak, Martín Berasategui and company.Dacosta is turning out cutting-edge dishes that may contain aloevera or trace amounts of precious metals like silver and titanium(one of his dishes pays homage to Frank Gehry's BilbaoGuggenheim Museum). Carretera Les Marines Km 3. Dénia - Tel: +34 965 784 179

Valencia's L'Oceanogràfic's Submarino restaurant. Thisstrikingly decorated underwater restaurant is not to be missed.Below ground, Submarino is surrounded by the aquarium whereschools of fish, separated only by the viewing glass walls, swimby within inches of your table. One literally ‘eats with the fishes’.Tel: +34 961 975 565 - www.cac.es

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HISTORICALLY, THE BEST WINES OFTHE REGION WERE SEMI-SWEETTO SWEET WINES

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days to increase the sugarconcentration. The must is leftin contact with the skins onlyuntil it begins to ferment, soskin contact is very short. Thewine is therefore born as soft,fruity and light-colored as aBordeaux, but without thetannic astringency. When thefermentation is finished, wehave a very aromatic, medium-dry wine that we age in oldoak barrels, usually in a sherry-like solera. But, in an

exceptional vintage like 1980,we age the wine separatelywithout mixing it in the solerato make an authentic vintageFondillón.”

The result, his own SalvadorPoveda Gran Reserva deFondillón 1980 is a splendid,profound, mahogany-coloredjewel that tastes literally likesomeone mixed a greatOloroso sherry with a vintagePort and can justifiably becalled one of Spain’s greatest

‘noble’ wines, a category thatincludes all of Andalucía’ssuperb sherries.

Another example of thisunique type of wine is FelipeGútierrez de la Vega’s excellentCasta Diva Fondillón. Unlikethe Povedas, who do shortmacerations, Gutiérrezmacerates his 100% Monastrellgrapes for 20-30 days. He saysthe wine can ferment up totwo months, which leaves it at17-18 % natural alcohol. Madefrom grapes that are allowed tohang on the vine until theybecome raisiny (unlike thegrapes for many otherFondillóns which are pickedand sun-dried on mats),Gutiérrez ages his wine for 15years. The result is a Fondillónthat is deep, plummy, spicy,very rich and Port-like, but isunfortified, thus natural.

While some Fondillóns arereminiscent of tawny Port,others are very much like greatPalo Cortado Sherries. In eithercase, Bodegas Bocopa’s Alone(Ah-low-nay), Bodegas BrotonsGran Fondillón Reserva 1964,Primitivo Quilés Fondillón(Histórico) ‘El Abuelo’ GranReserva and Poveda Añejo Seco(made from Vidueño, an oldMonastrell clone), are all wellworth a try.

Moscatels andMistelasAnother type of ‘must-try’wine in the region is Vino delicor, in which the fermentation ofgrape must (Mistela) isarrested by the addition oforujo, or grape spirits, resulting inlusciously sweet, fresh tastingdessert wines. Marina Alta isan intense sweet white winewith honeysuckle flavors andthe dark, delicious Sol deAlicante Dulce Negra (100%monastrell) tastes of black fruit compote, raisins, andchocolate-laced coffee liqueur.

Justly renowned, too, are sweet muscatels such asVicente Gandía Plá’s FustaNova Moscatel de Alejandría, a luscious sweet wine, whose historic roots probablygo all the way back to theepoch when El Cid chased the Moorish rulers out of the Valencia.

Gerry Dawes is a New York basedwine writer who has been travelingto Spain for more than 30 years. Heis among America’s most enthusias-tic, authoritative and entertainingexperts on Spanish food and wine.

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The region of Valencia has two major airports: Manises inValencia and El Altet in Alicante. Both have numerous nationaland international connectios, if not direct flights from the U.S.Valencia is also within easy driving distance of Madrid andBarcelona, cities from which two fast train services, the Alarisand the Euromed respectively, are also available daily.

A trip planner and further information on the region can befound at www.comunitatvalenciana.com

FONDILLÓN, A NOBLE WINE, ISAGED FOR AT LEAST EIGHT YEARS

AND USUALLY MORE THAN TWENTY

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As I walk in, I find a fresh,clean cut interior, with warmorange colored sofas andsimple furniture. Blackboardswith the day’s menu hang onthe wall. Sporting a bandannaon his head (he is too tall towear a chef’s hat), NewOrleans native Matthew Scottcomes out of the kitchen,which is already in full swingpreparing the day’s menu.

How did an American with aMasters in architecture end upbeing a chef in the middle ofMadrid? The story starts with ajunior year abroad, a stint inParis in an architect’s studio,and after a year working inSpain, giving up his career inarchitecture. But why? He wasexcited by Spain’s vibrantculinary scene, in which

people were experimentingwith food, trying newtechniques with traditionalrecipes... “I also findarchitecture and cookingsimilar. Although they use adifferent language, they areboth creative. I prefer cooking,though, as it is much moreephemeral: you make a goodplate and you can repeat it.But a building can stand outlike a sore thumb for the restof your life.” He started histraining in Spanishrestaurants, learning with theidea of opening his ownCreole restaurant in Madrid.Three and a half years ago,Gumbo opened to resoundingsuccess (C/ Pez, 15 - Tel: +34915 326 361).

One wonders if cooking inCreole style is easy in Madrid.“The local market has awonderful variety of fresh

vegetables and fish, which areamong the base ingredients ofSpanish cooking,” he answers.“Also, because it caters for somany immigrants, it’s possibleto find more unusualingredients like okra.” All inall, though, Matthew has foundremarkable resemblancesbetween the products andtastes in Creole and Spanishcuisine. “The basis of Creolecooking originated with therich merchants from Franceand Spain, so there are manysimilarities.”

In the spirit ofexperimentation, someadjustments to his “honestNew Orleans cooking” havebeen made. Some of the hotspices in recipes have beentoned down; other dishes havebenefited from the addition ofSpanish products, such asPimentón de la Vera, a smoked

type of paprika he uses in hisRemoulade sauce. “The virginolive oil is very good too,” he adds.

A good wine for Creolefood? Matthew finds thatyoung Catalan reds, such asthe Castell del Remei Merlot(from the D.O. Costers delSegre) go well with his food.Favourite Spanish food?Despite all the creativity inSpanish cooking, tortilla depatatas, (the typical Spanishpotato omelet) is still hischoice. One Spanish productto highlight? L’Estornell brandExtra Virgin olive oil fromCatalonia.

Gillian Watling has lived in Spainfor more than 30 years, from whereshe has contributed pieces to manyEnglish language newspapers andmagazines, including The New YorkTimes and Guidepost.

IN A WINDING NARROWSTREET BEHIND ONE OF THEMAIN THOROUGHFARES OFTHE CITY, SURROUNDED BYTAPAS HAUNTS AND COCKTAILBARS, THE MADRIDNEIGHBORHOOD (ORBARRIO) OF MALASAÑABOASTS A RESTAURANT THATSERVES FRIED GREENTOMATOES, SEAFOOD GUMBOAND PECAN PIE.

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AWORDINYOUREAR...An Americanin Madrid

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SPAIN State of the art nouvelle cuisine is what chef Elías Murciano

is best known for in Spain, and the reason why Spanish national daily “El Mundo”

included him in his list of “most promising young chefs”. But in order to be able to

create new cuisine, a chef has to have his feet firmly grounded in tradition. Like any

artist, one must get to know the classics before venturing into a new style. In this

issue, therefore, Elías shows us his appreciation for the classics, and teaches us how

to cook some timeless Spanish staples. As always, his somellier at Citra restaurant

(C/Castello, 18. Madrid) suggests what wines will make the experience of enjoying

the dishes complete.

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TORTILLA DE PATATAS(Spanish Omelet)

1. Peel the potatoes and onion.Cut into small dices (approx. 1/4 in.)

2. Heat the sunflower oil up to 212ºF, then add thepotatoes and onion. Fry gentlyfor 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.

3. Drain excess oil.

4. Break all the eggs into abowl, add a pinch of salt andbeat them. Mix in the potatoes and onion.

5. Pour some olive oil into anon-stick frying pan (8 in. dia-meter). Place over high heatuntil it begins to smoke.

6. Pour the potato, onion andegg mix in, lower the heat tomedium. Cook for 4 minutes.Flip it over with the aid of aplate (see tips) and cook for 4minutes on the other side.Place on a plate.

7. Cut into small pieces thatyour guests can eat in one bite.

TIPS AND SERVING SUGGESTIONS

The only challenge in cooking aSpanish omelet is flipping it over. Place a plate onto the uncooked sideof the tortilla while it is still in the pan.Hold the frying pan in your strongerhand and ‘press’ the other full handonto the bottom of the plate you areusing to flip it over. Then turn it over inone quick, confident gesture. Pour alittle more olive oil into the pan and slidethe omelet, uncooked side down, backinto it.

In order for the ‘flipping over’ to makesure successful, it is important that theomelet isn’t stuck to the bottom of thepan. Apart from using a non-stick fryingpan, a good trick is to sprinkle somegrains of salt into the olive oil beforeyou pour the omelet mix in.

Piquillo peppers are an ideal side dishfor Spanish omelet.

SERVES 4

PREPARATION TIME 35 minDIFFICULTY Easy-medium

INGREDIENTS5 large potatoes1 onion6 eggs2 cups sunflower oilExtra Virgin olive oilSalt

FINGER FOOD

PIQUILLOS RELLENOS DE BRANDADA DE BACALAO Y BECHAMEL(Cod brandada stuffed Piquillo peppers in bechamel)

SERVES 4

PREPARATION TIME 30 min

DIFFICULTY Easy-medium

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT Food processor

INGREDIENTS

For the peppers and stuffing

12 Piquillo peppers1 fillet of salt cod, cleaned of bones (10.5 oz)1 pint full-fat milk5 teaspoons Extra virgin olive oil

For the sauce

1 pint full-fat milk1 tbsp butter2 1/4 tbsp flour1 pinch of salt1 pinch of pepper1 pinch of nutmeg1 Piquillo pepper

STUFFED PEPPERS

1. De-salt the cod (see tips).

2. Process the cod until it isbroken up into small flakes.Add the milk and a pinch ofsalt. Process.

3. Add the olive oil, a little at atime, and process until the mixhas become a paste.

4. Refrigerate the paste.

5. Once cold and firm, stuffthe Piquillo peppers with themix. Place them in an oven-proof dish.

SAUCE

1. Melt the butter in a panover low heat.

2. Add the flour and mix well.Keep stirring until you have afirm, golden paste.

3. Add the milk, little by littleand stirring it constantly. Thelonger the sauce stays on theheat, the thicker it will beco-me. We recommend you don’tmake it too thick. Season withsalt, pepper and nutmeg.

4. Cut the Piquillo into tourpieces and add to the sauce.Process.

TIPS AND SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Before cooking the cod you will haveto de-salt it by letting it rest in a bowl ofwater. Semi salted cod needs 4 hoursin water, whereas salted cod can needas much as 48 hours, changing thewater every 12. Ask your fishmongerfor instructions, or follow the ones onthe packet.

TRADITIONAL

SPAIN GOURMETOUR 43

RECI

PES

REGIONAL

1. Cut all the vegetables inbrunoise (cut into thin strips,turn over 195º and cut again,producing small cubes).

2. Heat the olive oil to 320ºFand simmer the vegetablesuntil they are cooked but notyet golden.

3. Lower the heat and add therice, stirring it continuouslywith a wooden spoon during 5minutes, so that the rice is coated with the oil and juices of the vegetables.

4. Add the saffron and cookfor a further 2 minutes.

5. Add the fish stock, coverwith some aluminum foil andsimmer for 15 minutes. Addsome salt when the stockbegins to boil.

TIPS AND SERVING SUGGESTIONS

The rice should retain a bit of a ‘bite’ to it. Bomba rice is especially good forthis, since it swells up to four times itssize without breaking, unlike othervarieties of rice.

The ideal way to cook paella is over afire that heats all of the paella panevenly. This makes barbecues an idealplace in which to cook it: just placeyour paella pan on the grill and lower it or higher in function of the heat youneed for each step.

ARROZ CON VERDURAS (Vegetable paella)

SERVES 4

PREPARATION TIME 40 min

DIFFICULTY Easy

SPECIAL EQUIPMENTPaella pan (15 in. diameter approx.)

INGREDIENTS4 green asparagus1 onion1 red pepper1 green pepper1 clove of garlic2 cups of rice (Bomba rice is best)4 cups fish stockExtra Virgin olive oilSalt3 threads of saffron

44 SPAIN GOURMETOUR

ALCACHOFAS REHOGADAS SOBRE CREMA DE PUERROS (Sautéed artichokes over a leek cream)

SERVES 4

PREPARATION TIME 10 min for the artichokes 20min for the cream

DIFFICULTY Very easy

SPECIAL EQUIPMENTElectric whisk, mixer or food processor

INGREDIENTS

For the Artichokes

8 large artichokes (preserved artichokes)6 slices Serrano hamA pinch of saltA pinch of pepperExtra Virgin olive oil

For the Leek Cream

2 leeks2 ounces butter1/4 pint cooking cream

TEN MINUTE TAPA

ARTICHOKES

1. Drain the water from the jarof artichokes, rinse them andquarter them.

2. Heat the olive oil in a fryingpan and sauté the artichokesfor 5 minutes. Add a pinch ofsalt.

3. Cut the Serrano ham intothin strips. Add to frying pan.Sauté for a further minute.

4. Set aside and add a pinch of ground pepper.

LEEK CREAM

1. Clean the leeks, discardingouter layers if necessary. Chopit up into smaller pieces.

2. Melt the butter in a panover low heat. Add the leeks.Simmer for a few minutes.

3. Add the cream and simmerover low to medium heat for10 minutes.

4. Process and set aside.

TIPS AND SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Elías has prepared the artichokes witha leek cream for a contrast in taste.For a strictly Ten Minute Tapa, stick tothe artichokes. Also note that, shouldyou choose to use fresh artichokesinstead of preserves, the dish will takeconsiderably longer to make, since youwill have to clean and scald theartichokes before you can sauté them.

Finally, try sautéing other vegetablepreserves, such as baby broad beans,with Serrano ham: a hearty, healthymeal in ten minutes tops.

1. In a blender, mix the eggsand sugar until creamy.

2. Add the turrón, butter, flourand almonds, mix well.

3. Grease four individualmoulds (or one for four peo-ple) with cooking spray, or, ifnone is available, butter.

4. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.Pour the soufflé mix into themould(s). Bake the soufflé for7 minutes.

5. Serve with a scoop of vanillaice cream.

TIPS AND SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Turrón is a Spanish sweet made fromalmonds, honey and sugar is, on its own,dessert enough for many. But if you feellike going all the way and finishing offyour dinner with a bang, try out thissimple recipe.

As you have seen above, using acooking spray to grease the mouldsmakes this recipe even easier, but butterwill do just as well.

SERVES 4

PREPARATION TIME 20 min

DIFFICULTYEasy

INGREDIENTS9 ounces soft Jijona (or Xixona) turrón

9 eggs1 1/2 cup flour1/2 cup butter3/4 cup sugar1 tbsp chopped almonds1 pint vanilla ice creamCooking spray (Eg. Pam) or butter

SOUFFLÉ DETURRÓN(Turrón soufflé)

DESSERT

46 SPAIN GOURMETOUR

Arroz con verdurasWine NAIADES FERMENTADO EN BARRICA 2005Varietal VerdejoOrigin D.O. RuedaWinery Naia-Viña SilaDescription Deep, complex nose, full of character. Scent of tropical fruits, likepassionfruit and pineapple, as well aspeaches, over smoky, floral and herbyundertones. Creamy and luscious entry inthe mouth, good acidity and a long finishwith a kick of biterness at the end that istypical of wines made from Verdejo.Why this wine? Vegetable paella calls for a wine with some wood in it tocompensate the wide array of flavors inthe dish. It complements and highlightsthe flavors of the dish wonderfully.

Pimientos de Piquillo rellenosde brandada de bacalaoWine GRAN FEUDO ROSADO 2005/2006Varietals GarnachaOrigin D.O. NavarraWinery Bodegas Julián ChiviteDescription Potent, fresh and well-defined nose: Ripe red berries, especiallycherries and strawberries, over slightlybalsamic background.Full-bodied, fresh and smooth. Excellentacidity and good tannins. Its refreshingdryness wraps itself around the tongueand ends has a slightly bitter finish, likemost great Spanish rosés. Why this wine? We find many flavors inthe dish, some of them strong and distinct,Duch as the peppers, other smooth andrefined, such as the filling. Rosés marrywell with complex dishes, such as this or,say, a lentil stew. In this case, the goodconcentration of fruit and good acidity arereinforced by the bitter notes of the wine,which blend in particularly well with thebitterness of the peppers.

Alcachofas rehogadas sobrecrema de puerrosWine KRIPTA BRUT NATUREVarietals Macabeo, Xarel·lo and ParelladaOrigin D.O. CavaWinery Bodegas Agustí Torelló MataDescription Very sophsticated nose, full ofsubtle nuances. White fruits, especially ripeapples, on a bed of yeasty tones almondsand elegant toasted and smoky aromas. Subtle, delicate and instantly gratifying on the palate. Fine bubbles, good acidity,long finish, dominated by smoky notes. Why this wine? Artichoke is possibly thehardest ingredient to marry with a wine,and there are many schools as to how todo it. I personally find that a good, drycava is a good choice for it. And if it isone of Spain’s best, as is the case ofKripta, it is hard to go wrong.

WINEMARRIAGE

SPAIN GOURMETOUR 47

Francisco started his career in wine eighteen years ago, back in his native Venezuela. Inhis home country he worked in two prestigious cafes in Caracas, Café del Museo andCafé Olé. Working in this Café Olé was a major boost for his career. “It was there were Iwas given an unique opportunity to grow, thanks to Michel Stauffer, who reallycommitted to me as a professional,” says Francisco in an interview in Citra, where heworks today in Madrid. Also, he feels really thankful for the support he’s always hadfrom his family.

But, why moving to Spain before other countries to pursue a career in wine? Franciscoclaims to faithfully believe in Spanish wines. “I bet that in ten or fifteen years time theywill be the best wines in the world. Spain offers all possible climates and microclimatesand its potential is unique.” In his opinion, the key for real growth is to extend thereferences in foreign countries, provide them with a good variety and make consumerslong to know more about Spanish wines. And that’s what he is here for.Photographs courtesy of the winemakers

YOUR SOMMELIER IS… FRANCISCO JAVIER TRUJILLO MATA

Tortilla de patatasWine ALLENDE 2003Varietals TempranilloOrigin D.O.C. RiojaWinery Bodegas Finca AllendeDescription Fine, elegant and with breed.Blackberries and blackcurrants overbalsamic tones, spices, toffee and coffee.Beefy and intense, yet silky pass on thepalate. Noble tannins, excellent acidityand a long and extremely pleasant finish.Why this wine? Tortilla is a typicallySpanish dish: distinct and flavorful. Thisfull bodied, refined red brings new flavorsinto the mix without killing the ones inthe dish.

Soufflé de TurrónWine VINO DULCE DE MOSCATELOCHOA 2005Varietals MoscatelOrigin D.O. NavarraWinery Bodegas OchoaDescription Very complex nose and greataromatic intensity. Notes of caramel andsharp, candied fruits, mainly pineappleand passion fruit, against a flowery andherbal backdrop.Supple, rich and luscious, with goodacidity and a robust structure. Long finish.Why this wine? Like all Muscatels, this is a sweet wine, but much more containedthan many others. Sweet it is, sugary it isn’t. The caramel notes intertwine with the bitter hints of the almonds in the soufflé, complementing them.

EscalivadaWine MALLEOLLUS 2000Varietal TempranilloOrigin D.O. Ribera del DueroWinery Emilio MoroDescription A mature yet big wine thatfills your nose with the slightest whiff.Blackberries dominate, but we also findtoasted, steely and earthy notes.Powerful but firm on the palate, well builtand with a long finish. Excellent acidity.Why this wine? The combination ofvegetables in an escalivada is far frombland. Quite the opposite, in fact: it has a great kick. I therefore suggest a strongwine that is full of character and a kick to fight back.

Tom

ás Z

arza

/ICE

X

48 SPAIN GOURMETOUR

I’m not very good at followingthe rules. I wear T-shirts to nicerestaurants. I don’t offer saladson my menu. I fry mayonnaise.But when a friend asked me forsome eating and drinkingadvice about Spain, I figured afew rules were in order:

1. Start with Txacoli – and notjust so you can watch thebartender do the traditionalthree-foot pour (although thatis pretty cool). The slightlysparkling white wine tastesgreat with tapas. Which leadsme to rule No. 2…

2. Stuff yourself with pintxos.Or tapas. Or both. For years Ipondered the differencebetween the two until I finallyrealized that pintxos are tapasand tapas are pinxtos and bothshould be eaten with recklessabandon, anywhere andeverywhere.

3. When in doubt, order Jerez(Sherry). In Spain you can finda sherry to go with anything.For years, my father, Dewey,has been expounding thevirtues of the drink and itsextraordinary versatility withfood, and I finally have toadmit that he’s right. At leastabout this.

4. Ask for Pacharán after ameal, even if you’re stuffed anddrunk and just want to go tobed. The red-hued spirit isdeliciously bitter and barky,with hints of anise, but moreimportantly, it’s made in house,and tasting it gives you aglimpse into the soul of arestaurant. Whenever I order aglass, I’m suddenly treated likefamily.

5. One final rule about booze:If you can get your hands on awine called Sketch, buy it. Theproducer, one Raúl Pérez ofBodega Castro Ventosa,employs a bizarre method thatinvolves submerging the bottlesin the ocean for part of theaging process. I tried it duringa phenomenal meal atMugaritz, in San Sebastián, andI can’t forget the taste. It’s likestanding on the beach anddrinking in the ocean air.

6. Did I say that was the lastrule about drinking in Spain?One more: When in SanSebastián, visit the Museo delWhisky… and don’t orderwhiskey. The bar, home to theworld’s smallest whiskey bottleand hundreds of other artifacts,is against all reason famous forits Gin and tonic.

7. If you can’t get into El Bulli,eat at Rafa’s. Granted, it isn’texactly comparable – theowner will greet you with acigarette hanging from hismouth – but Rafa’s is FerránAdrià’s favorite restaurant inRoses, and after he sent me

there it quickly became mine.Every morning the owner goesdown to the docks for thecatch of the day then cooks itall a la plancha. Take one biteand you’ll know why you weresent there by one of the mostfamous chefs on the planet.(Ferrán, of course, not me.)

8. If you’re looking for curedmeat, ask for Joselito lomo(loin). Then seal it up tight inplastic wrap and repeat afterme: “Nothing to declare.”

9. The Cider House rules. Inthe spring, cider houses allover the Basque country taptheir kegs. It’s like Oktoberfestwith better food: cod omelets.

10. Leave your dinner jacket athome. I’ve suspected for sometime that a dress code doesn’tmake food taste better. TheSpaniards have known this allalong, which is why you caneat some of the best meals inthe world at Can Roca, andMugaritz, and Arzak wearing, ifyou wish, a Gray’s Papaya T-shirt. And because you don’thave to pack a jacket you’llhave that much more room forthe lomo. So I guess some rulesare meant to be followed.

Wylie Dufresne is the owner andchef of wd~50, on Clinton St. in Man-hattan’s Lower East Side. In NewYork Magazine’s 101 Best Restaurantsedition 2006, wd~50 was awarded 4out of 5 stars and was ranked 4th bestrestaurant in New York. It also re-ceived a Michelin star in 2006

Editor-in-chiefCathy Boirac

Editorial coordinationEtnín C.B.Saúl Aparicio HillIria González Panizo

JournalistsRohan DaftGerry DawesMike ElkinPameladevi GovindaGillian Watling

Design and Art DirectionEstudio Manuel Estrada

Photo ArchiveMabel MansoEsperanza Ibeas

CoverToya Legido

Colour SeparationsRastercolor

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AS IF IN SPAIN AND IFIN DOUBT, REFER TOWYLIE DUFRESNE’STIPS ON EATING ANDDRINKING SPANISH