09/06/07
One of the many fun parts of being the ‘wine guy’
is finding new, exciting wines made by little known producers in far flung
regions. Another rewarding part of the job is watching wines change from
vintage to vintage. This week we have some excellent wines that showcase both
the new and the re-new.
Our little corner of the wine world (
We are happy to report that several of our favorite
wines from last year are back again in fine form, demonstrating that high
quality wines are now made all across
For new-new wines this week we have a couple of whites
that satisfy even the most jaded of been-there-tasted-that palates. The
Montebaco Verdejo is a new wine from a winery normally associated with hearty
red wines and our latest Basque white is from the lesser known D.O. Bizkaiko
Txakolina region that surrounds
Finally, in the newer-than-new category we bring
you a unique and novel concept in wine production. Patrick Campbell from Laurel
Glen winery in
You can check out the details on each wine below,
but meanwhile, here’s a quick recipe for a wine friendly snack, adapted from
the inspirational Tapas: A Taste of
Spain in America by celebrated chef José Andrés. He made these for a demonstration in our store back
when the cookbook first came out. We’ve been making them ever since.
Green
Olives filled with Piquillo Peppers and Anchovy
1 jar
Ybarra pitted Gordal Olives
1 jar
Matiz organic Piquillo Peppers
1 jar Ortiz
skin-on Anchovy fillets in Olive Oil
Extra
Virgin Olive Oil
Toothpicks
Cut
through one side of each pitted olive so that it resembles an open clam shell.
Slice the peppers and the anchovy fillets into long thin strips. Wedge one
strip each of pepper and anchovy into the cut side of an olive so that the
strips poke out each end of the olive and clamp shut with a toothpick. Repeat
this process until you have a plate full these little one-bite tapas. Drizzle with Olive oil and serve.
Vino Blanco:
Terra
Buena Torrontes 2006 $10.99 Floral aroma and rich texture characterize
this Argentine white wine. Abundant pear and melon fruit character with enough
acidity to give the whole ensemble an unexpected lightness. A delicious
bargain.
Gurrutxaga
Txakoli 2006 $15.99 Our latest Basque Txakoli wine comes from the
Bizkaiko Txakolina region located a bit inland from the Cantabrian coast. The
firm flinty minerality of a coastal Getariako Txakolina wine is moderated here
and replaced by a more pronounced yet still gentle fruitiness with notes of
melon and grapefruit.
Montebaco
Verdejo 2006 $17.99 Montebaco is best known as a producer of top notch
Ribera del Duero red wines (see below). This is their first white wine, made in
D.O. Rueda from the Verdejo
grape. A lively mouthful of finely tuned
quince and quinine flavors makes this an instant crowd pleaser. Josh Raynolds reviewed this wine for Steven Tanzer’s
International Wine Cellar. He rated it 89 Points and said: “Pale yellow. High-pitched citrus and pear aromas are impressively
vivid and expansive. Crisp lemon-lime and orchard fruit flavors display an
intriguing blend of depth and energy, picking up a zesty white pepper quality
with air. Finishes clean and brisk, with very good length.”
Pétalos
2006 $23.99 The 2001 vintage of Pétalos was a profound
experience for me. I’d never previously tried any Mencía grape wines from D.O. Bierzo but this wine won me over
instantly with its combination of poise and power. Loamy dried leaf aroma and
berry-like fruit with deep, dark garnet color. Subsequent vintages have
reaffirmed my appreciation of this grape/region/producer. The 2005 was opulent and assertive. The new
2006 shows more elegance and precision.
Juan
Gil 2005 $17.99 The biggest success story of the last year has
certainly been the huge upwelling of interest in the wines of D.O. Jumilla. The
dark, ripe Monastrell grape has
become extremely popular among appreciators of dark, full-bodied red wines. The
2004 Juan Gil sold out in a matter of months. The new 2005 vintage delivers
more of this same abundant, spicy, rich fruit character with foundational
minerality.
Montebaco
Crianza 2004 $23.99 We have previously carried the Semele crianza from
this winery. Montebaco crianza is a fuller, more concentrated wine than the
lower priced Semele. Traditional Ribera
del Duero style is much in evidence here, with earthy tannins, bold black
cherry fruit character along with spicy oak in the mix. Jay Miller reviewed the wine for The Wine Advocate.
He rated the wine at 90 Points, saying: “The 2004 Montebaco is 100% Tempranillo aged for 15 months in French and
American oak, about one-third new. The color is a glass-coating opaque purple
and is followed by intense aromas reminiscent of vintage port. In the mouth the
wine is super-ripe with oodles of sweet, tightly wound black fruits, a firm
structure and good acidity, all of which are in harmony. Give this full-bodied,
tasty wine 3-4 years of additional cellaring and drink it for 10-12 years
thereafter.”
September
13, 2007
I am excited about a new class that I’m doing in
October at Kitchen On Fire. The class is called Clay Pot Cookery and, as the
name implies, is all about using the wonderful terracotta cookware from The
Spanish Table to create hearty and rustic traditional Spanish meals at home.
Here are the details from the Kitchen On Fire website:
In this class, Kevin Hogan from The Spanish Table will
share his passion for terracotta cookware as he prepares his version of several
classic Spanish recipes for the class to enjoy.
All of the food for
this class, from quick cooked appetizers to slow braised stews and even
dessert, will be prepared using Spanish clay cookware. Cooking in clay is an
ancient way to transform simple ingredients into delicious meals. In
Gambas
al Ajillo (sautéed shrimp in olive oil with garlic and
chilies)
Setas
Al Fino (sautéed mushrooms with Fino Sherry)
Carcamusa
Toledana (
Arroz
con cosas (baked rice with assorted vegetables)
Buttermilk
flan (Kevin’s own recipe)
Now that I have decided on the menu, I’m busy
deciding which wines to serve with the meal. I plan to serve 5 different
selections that are appropriate to the dishes we will be eating.
If you are interested in attending this
demonstration dinner (due to the slow cooked nature of some of the dishes this
is not going to be a hands-on class), please sign up on the Kitchen on Fire
website. Their address is:
https://www.kitchenonfire.com//course_class.php?class=348
The class is limited to 30 guests so sign up soon
to reserve your spot.
Meanwhile, back in the wine department, we have
some excellent new selections in our ‘house wine’ department. For those of you who are not yet familiar
with our ‘house wine’ selections, here’s how it works: We carry a selection of
traditionally styled wines (red, white, rosé) that taste like what you would be
served in a little Spanish or Portuguese bar. We sell all of these wines at a
special price of $6.99 per bottle and we give even deeper discounts ($5.99 per
bottle) on mix-and-match 12 bottle purchases. This allows you to buy a case of
wines for $71.88 (+ tax) that you can have around the house for whenever the
need arises. Our newest arrivals in the
‘house wine’ department are:
Alandra
Tinto $6.99 From the makers
of Esporão in the Alentejo region of Portugal comes this youthful, rich,
fruit-filled red wine made from Moreto and Periquita grapes. This bright and spicy non-vintage
red will compliment a wide variety of meals.
Primavera
Bairrada Reserva 2003 $6.99 This earthy blend of 60% Baga, 30% Tinta Roriz and
10% Castelão is perfect for hearty
meals. This Portuguese wine displays brick red color and smoky aroma with dried
cherry fruit character and tannic foundation. Mature reserva wines don’t make it into the ‘house wine’ section very
often so take advantage of this excellent value in red wine while it lasts.
Lavradores de Feitoria Douro Tinto
$6.99 The Douro
region in
We also
have some exciting new wines from all over:
Vino Blanco:
Follies
Branco 2005 $10.99 This medium
bodied, Portuguese blend of Chardonnay
and Maria Gomes displays lush
melon-like fruit character and gentle acidity. Steel tank fermentation (no oak)
maintains a fresh, ripe aspect that is particularly delicious when paired with creamy
soft ripened cheeses.
Luis
Pato Maria Gomes 2006 $11.99 Luis Pato is one of
Blanco
Nieva Verdejo 2006 $14.99 The new vintage of this perennial crowd
pleaser has just arrived. Grapefruit and
flint come to mind as descriptors here. Additional quince-like fruit character
and a bit of residual effervescence are most noticeable while the wine is very
young.
Vino
Tinto:
Terra
Buena Malbec 2003 $10.99
Terra
Buena Tempranillo 2004 $10.99
I wrote about the Terra Buena wines in last week’s
newsletter, but foolishly omitted the descriptions of the two red wines. Briefly, these wines are made in
Chévere
2004 $10.99 Not only has Paul Campbell at Laurel Glen been
making wine in Argentina, he has also crafted a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon
which, like the Terra Buena wines, undergo primary fermentation in their native
countries with barrel ageing and bottling taking place in Graton, California.
The novelty factor is high here with the image of Che Guevara on the label but
the wine inside is quite tasty. Youthful dark berry aroma encounters nicely structured
tannins in this hearty, full-bodied red wine. The back label states that “A
portion of the proceeds from this sale will be donated to the Lambi Fund of
Les
Terrasses 2005 $36.99 We blew through the 2004 vintage in record
time, so we’re happy to see the new 2005 Les Terrasses. This wine is
consistently one of our best D.O.C. Priorat wines in the under $50 category.
Alvaro Palacios, Priorat’s most celebrated winemaker is best known for his rare
and very expensive L’Ermita, but thankfully he also makes Les Terrasses for
those of us on more modest budgets. 30% Garnacha, 60% Cariñena,
and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark
garnet color, opulent cherry brandy aroma, rich silky dark berry fruit
character and seamlessly integrated oak tannins. Delicious now. Even better
with a few years of cellar time.
September
20, 2007
Part of the fun of shopping at The Spanish Table is
discovering new wines from little known regions and remote corners of
This week we are featuring some of the most
traditional wines of
Bodegas Lopez de Heredia is widely acknowledged as
the most traditional, the ultra-orthodox, the oldest of old-school wineries in
all of Rioja. They make wines as they have done for over 100 years. Only
traditional Rioja varietals are used and these grapes are blended in proportions
that remain unchanged over time. Modern, temperature controlled stainless steel
fermentation tanks are nowhere to be seen in the Lopez de Heredia winery.
Instead, they make all their wines in large oak casks that are built and
maintained by a staff of expert coopers (not too many of those around any
more). The wines are built for long term storage and, as you will see from the
vintage dates, are released only after many years of barrel and bottle ageing.
The ‘new’ vintages we received this week are from 1996, 1997 and 1998.
This week we are also featuring an Oloroso Sherry
that got written up in the San Francisco Chronicle last week, inspiring a
reawakening of interest for this most traditional of Spanish wines.
Additionally, we just received some new vintages of wines that build on a
foundation of historic traditional while expressing a breadth of aroma and flavor that are rejuvenating wine
regions which for years have lain dormant and neglected.
So take a step back from your interest in all
things new (don’t worry, there’s plenty of new stuff on the way soon) and reacquaint
yourself with the classic flavors of Spanish wine, and while you are at it, try
(or retry) this version of one of
Tortilla
Española
(serves
6-8 as a first course)
1
lb. Potatoes ( I like Yukon gold or
russet, but use what you have as long as they aren’t red or white skinned
‘jacket’ potatoes)
8 large
eggs (if you can get ‘pastured’ eggs, they work best and are distinctly more
flavorful. Look for them from Kaki Farms at the
2
tablespoons cold water
2 cups
extra virgin Olive Oil (sounds like a lot, but you don’t consume it all)
1
tablespoon sea salt
Peel
and slice the potatoes in 1/8 inch rounds. (a mandolin slicer works well for
this, just be careful with this very sharp tool). Place potato slices in a bowl
of water for 5 minutes to rinse off the starch and then dry them on a kitchen
towel.
Heat
olive oil in an 8” nonstick sauté pan or clay cazuela. Add potatoes as the oil
is heating and simmerover low heat for around 20 minutes until the potatoes are
cooked and starting to fall apart (try not to brown them). Remove cooked
potatoes from the oil and drain in a colander.
Crack
the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk with the water and salt until
smooth and uniform.
When
the potatoes are barely warm to the touch, add them to the eggs and let the
mixture rest for ten minutes.
Pour
off all but ½ cup of olive oil from the sauté pan (you can save the leftover
oil for another tortilla). Heat the pan until the oil shimmers but does not
smoke. Add the potato/egg mixture to the hot oil and stir the contents of the
pan with a spatula until the eggs are about half way set. Turn the heat down to
low and continue cooking without stirring until the eggs are mostly set and
firm. The goal here is to cook the eggs without browning them. If the finished
product is pale yellow with just a hint of browning and cooked through but
still moist, then you are an official tortilla expert.
Find a
plate that fits snuggly over your pan or cazuela (a flat pan lid works well
too). Invert the plate on top of the pan and with one hand on the pan and the
other hand on the plate (here comes the tricky part) flip the pan over in one
smooth motion. Hopefully, the entire tortilla is now resting on the plate. Put
the pan back on the heat and add a few tablespoons of the leftover oil before
sliding the inverted tortilla back into the pan, cooked side up. Turn the heat
to low and let the tortilla finish cooking on the second side. Once it is firm
to the touch, slide it out onto a serving plate, slice into wedges (or little
squares for a traditional look) and serve with some dressed salad greens and a
crisp white wine.
Vino
Rosado:
Viña
Tondonia Rosado 1997 $26.99 The latest vintage of this truly unique rosado is created (as it always has been)
from a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha
and white Viura. Unlike almost all
other rosado wines, this one is aged
for 4 years in oak before bottling and aged for several more years in the
bottle before release. Oxidized sherry-like aromas of toasted almonds and fresh
hay. Distinct yet well integrated barrel tannins add complexity to the
surprisingly fresh berry-like fruit character.
Vino
Blanco:
Viña
Gravonia 1996 $26.99 Composed of 100% Viura, aged for 2 years in oak and 8 years in the bottle. I love
the sesame seed aroma and flavor that I get from this wine. It mixes well with
the assertive acidity and complex yet mellow fruit character. Josh
Raynolds reviewed this wine for Steven
Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar. He rated this wine at 90 Points, saying: “Yellow-gold. Musky, mineral-accented peach, yellow plum and honey
aromas, with a suave vanillin nuance adding complexity. Plush and deep in pit
fruit and ripe melon flavors, with a gentle acid lift adding focus.
Slow-mounting citrus notes provide refreshment on the finish but this has
serious heft and needs to be served with food. There's a lot going on here.”
Nosis
Verdejo 2006 $18.99 It was not so long ago that Verdejo wines from D.O. Rueda were astringent, over oxidized and
musty. Changes in production methods have helped create wines of great character that exhibit fresh fruit
aromas and flavors along with bright and food-friendly acidity. Nosis is one of
the best of these modern Rueda region wines. The new 2006 vintage is exemplary.
Vino
Tinto:
Viña
Tondonia Reserva 1998 $40.99 This deeply structured red
wine is made from a traditional blend of 75% Tempranillo,
15% Garnacha, 5% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo,
aged for 5 years in oak before bottling
without filtration. With a few more years of bottle age (or after decanting for
a few hours) this wine will reveal a core of dark cherry-like fruit that
compliments the firmly tannic barrel character. Josh Raynolds also reviewed this wine for Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar. In October of 2006 he
rated this wine at 93 Points,
saying: “Dark red. Penetrating, complex bouquet of red
berries, cherry skin, minerals, dried rose, tobacco , cured meat and baking
spices. Youthfully taut, but opens slowly to show de ep cherry and plum flavors
with suggestions of succulent herbs and graphite. This medium-bodied wine broadens
on the back, the intensely flavored fruit softening and sweetening. A
remarkably elegant, balanced and complex wine that's still very young : I'd
give it at least another five years of bottle aging.”
Embruix
2004 $37.99 In the ancient but recently rejuvenated Priorat
region, the musician Luis Llach is commonly referred to as the ‘Catalan Bob
Dylan’. He is also a well known and respected winemaker. Embruix is his younger
wine (the flagship wine is called Vall Llach) made from a blend of old vine Garnacha and Cariñena with additions of younger Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Nearly opaque garnet in color with rich
brandied cherry aroma and fruit character. This smooth, elegant wine is an
excellent example of the local style at a very reasonable price relative to
some of its neighbors.
Vino de
Solera:
Dios
Baco Oloroso 18.99 Few wines from