Some wine pics from one of my partners

One of my partners Carlos Valdecantos loves facebook and uploading real time pics. On these case he did some pics of wines he liked through the year
An interesting selection based on Spanish Red Wines
Enjoy!!


Link to Carlos Facebook Wines Pics Album )

Upcoming blog posts

Just wanted to force myself to write some more post in the near future and also keep some of the ideas about what will those be handy :-)

Wine ones:
- Couple of Osborne 3 and 4 grape red wines
- Jimenez Landi
- La casilla - manchuela
- Laus - Chardonney Somontano

Food:
- Mexican restaurants in Madrid
- Some of my favourites international restaurants in Madrid
- A nice dinner (one cheap and one expensive) in San Francisco
- A hotel and dinner in Dubai (good value for money)

More to come
CAM

Wine from Valencia: Mestizaje Bobal 2006

Once again looking on the lower end (in terms of pricing) of the wine menu I found the other night while having dinner at Xamán Ek, one of my favorites Mexican Restaurants in Madrid together with La Taqueria de Birra (both deserved a future post on my side)
this wine from the Utiel Requena region. And yes there are wines from the Valencia State, in fact there are 3 regions or DO Valencia, Alicante and Utiel Requena

The D.O. Utiel-Requena is a region of mostly red wines. In fact 94.27% of the wine-growing area is given over to red varieties. White varieties represent 5.73% of the vineyards of Utiel-Requena (while whites are actually a big part of the production in Alicante and Valencia DO)

The grape varieties protected by the Denomination of Origin Utiel-Requena are:

* Reds: Bobal, Tempranillo, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah (recently authorized).
* Whites: Macabeo, Merseguera, Planta Nova or Tardana, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc (recently authorized).

The Bobal grape is probably the most interesting one of them. You will not find a single wine made purely of Bobal (will not be that good) but combined with other grapes the result is really nice and again on the less than 10 EUR in retail category

Bodegas Mustiguillo Mestizaje Bobal 2006

As usual taking a quote from Gerry Dawes Blog about the winery, "Mustiguillo, a charming small winery built on the site of a former stable, has become the star of the Utiel-Requena, despite the fact that they sell their wines with non-denominación de origen status"
The star winemaker Antonio Sarrion is a champion of the local grape varity Bobal and is convinced the best way to obtain top quality fruit from this variety is to use the bush system of training the vines.

The wine

Colour: Red
Grape Types : Cabernet Sauvignon,Grenache,Merlot,Syrah/Shiraz,Tempranillo,Bobal
Country : Spain - Utiel Requena
Vintage: 2006

As mentioned before this is an example of combining Bobal with other grapes. On this case it is a blend of 50% Bobal with the other 50% comprising of Garnacha, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo grapes. Could sense several smells, maybe vanilla or black cherry, red fruit for sure. Thick and almost you can chew on it on your mouth and the palate. Firm yet round tannins. The wine is medium to full bodied with a good length. It went really well with the spicy mexican food

Some vegetarian options in Madrid

If you are vegetarian and contrary to what people think Madrid is becoming a great city for you. Obviously if you eat seafood and fish your options multiply by 100x but even if not there are many options for you. As Andrea does not eat beef or pork I do get to sample of these restaurants mny times and I have been through the veg. dilemma myself a good number of times

Let me give you some tips, combining Italian restaurants (pasta and pizza are always a safe bet for you and some vegetarians restaurants or restaurants with vegetarian menu):

- Pulcinella: in my opinion the best Italian in town. There are 2 restaurants one in front of each other (one is smoking and the other is not), both have 2 seatings (21 and 23). Great italian decor and good service. Pasta is amazing so does risotto. Also all the plates with tomate are a killing. Try the provolone with tomato, quite melted and combined with bread, just amazing. All the pasta with "calabaza" are great and also unique in Madrid. But anything you will ask you will have a great dinner (have not tried the pizza but they say they are also very good). And the plates are huge so ordering 2 pasta plates will be more than plenty for 3 people
For Friday and Saturday you need to reserve for sure
C/ Regueros 7
28004 Madrid, Spain
+34 913 197 363

- Tono i Pepino: more on the italian restaurant from Napoli. Table cloths with red and white squares. Very good pizzas, with thin crust and large size. Quite a large restaurant, probably easier than Pulcinella to get a table without reservations. Andrea loves this place (I still prefer Pulcinella)
Probably less than 35 eur

Fernando VI, 29
Madrid
91 308 7370

- El Septimo: what a lovely place this is. Great decor (reminds a lot to the decor at La Vaca Veronica but on a larger scale), colorful, great service. It has a large menu, always with seasonal plates and combining platos de siempre (croquetas, ceviche, etc..) with interesting ingredients like apple (aka croquetas de manzana (apple)). Lots of nice salads (try the ensalada Agli), always a couple of soups or creams on the menu. A lovely vegetarian lasagna. And nice coffees to stay chatting for a while. Good price also. Don't miss it

www.elseptimo.com

C/ Diego De León 7
28006 Madrid, Spain
+34 915 622 940

- La Isla del Tesoro: I have not been here for years, but still remains one of the most recommended vegetarians in town (in fact it is the top pick for vegetarians in the Lonely Planet). Interesting proposition in terms of daily menus with international cuisine menus (monday Greek, ... Thursday Bolivian,... so far so on). I was always very full after eating here for a very good value. Check their website for the combination of menu by day and cuisine

www.isladeltesoro.net

C/ Manuela Malasaña 3
28004 Madrid, Spain
+34 915 931 440

Enjoy!!

A night of food and wine to remember

Past thursday we have the opportunity to attend the first event of the Gastronomy Club in Spain which we just started
We prepared an event that was almost 2 events in one in order to be so impressive that we will make sure that even being the first even it will be a success and fully booked. Well we failed here as we only managed to fill half of the planned capacity. However what can I say about the event, it was just amazing, unforgetable

We started the first hour and fifteen minutes was about white wine (including champagne and port) and cheese and what we call in Spanish "maridaje" or the marriage of flavours between the cheese and the wine

Out the 4 wines and the 4 cheeses I want to mention to of the combinations:

The third white wine is my initial recommenation. The name was "Ossian" from Tierra de Castilla (Segovia in this case) with the typical Rueda grape - Verdejo and done under ecological agriculture principles (no chemicals) . The wine has spent 9 months in oak barrels. Really intense flavour, vanilla and small flower touches, improving as it dies on the back of the mouth and capable to increase the flavour of a very intense Italian pecorino cheese, of sheep milk of 8 months.

The fourth one was an increadable cheese to start with. I dont think we left a single drop of cheese. For the Spaniard who dont know this cheese it can be compare with the "Torta del Casar" from extremadura
The name of the cheese is "monte da vinha amanteigado" of Vimiero (Alto Alentejo)
Maturity of minimum 20-30 days done with sheep milk. Soft, creamy intense flavour, extraordinary. Probably the winner of the night

So which wine would you use to battle and even better marry this amazing cheese with? Well the answer is let's marry portuguese with portuguese so we went with a Port. Port from the Osborne house, 20 years. The swetness but strong texture of the port went very very well with this cheese

How do we eat - discussions about what our eating does to the world

This weekend we had the visit of one of the friendliest person I know in this world and a colleague from INSEAD, John McElligott & his lovely wife Maria Abou Khalife
Some of our other INSEAD friends in Madrid (Marco Weigang, Guillermo Falco) and their respective partners meet for a drink and to enjoy la noche blanca in Madrid. We had a wonderful night and also we got into a huge chat about the reasons behind some of them (Marco, Ammon, Andrea) being vegetarian

Just posting here John's view about his hot topic or what our eating habits are doing to fish
The starving ocean
http://www.fisherycrisis.com/

We also got into what some particular animal's farting were doing to the environment and why then we should stop eating food

Cow Farts: Global Warmers Or A Load Of Hot Air?

http://www.show.me.uk/site/news/STO873.html

Always good at least for a reflection

An slovenian trip

Went for a very nice dinner in Ljubljana. The name of the restaurant was Cubo. At first because of its location, in a warehouse area near an office part in Ljubljana is not very promising. But the inside is just another world. Very nice ambiance, good lighting, very good service, knowledgeable wine waiters (wines below were recommended by them and I give them a. A good mix of light starters (not that easy to find in the region, very plates are usually too heavy) and good fish (did not try the meat). The risotto wasn’t great but I give a very high review to the overall experience.

Belaquela Klivel; mix of grapes chardonney, rebola and a mix of local grapes. The wine is from 2002 and it mixed well with a light seafood or risotto. Average in terms of appearance and bouquet, but very nice taste. Dry and with a bit of personality

Then I move to try a red wine from the region. Usually in the CEE I prefer overall whites over red. However this red particularly was very nice. Mainly because I ordered tuna and it is always complicated to choose the right one. The name is Sutor, from 2003. The grape is a Merlot (which I am not a huge fun). It was a soft bouquet, good taste and average appearance. Went well with the tuna

Bierzo Recommendation

As you may have noticed I keep trying to discover new wines from many different regions around Spain and other countries. The Bierzo region (northwest of Spain, in Castilla Leon almost at the border with Galicia) was until as recent as ten years ago producing just grapes. The main grape in the region is the “mencia”. A wine that we love from this region and by now very well known is Petalos del Bierzo. But also I have been seen his price going up for around 17-20 Eur in retail. For that reason I have been trying some less known wines with a more reasonable or day2day price. One that I like is Encomienda from 2003. Full in your mouth and strong on your palate. Not as refined in your mouth as the Petalos but a very good buy for a nice meat stew or a nice meat cut

Some tips for restaurants in Madrid (1)

Many times when people visit Madrid or they have friends over this fantastic city they always ask me for recommendations
Before I even come back to madrid I created a small list of tips for hotels, restaurants and places for drinks. Now I will probably update this one but let me start from the "classic" one:

Some ideas about restaurants

Luxury/ Romantic

Combarro
Calle Reina Mercedes, 12 (+34 91 554 7784
The place maybe is too big for a really romantic dinner but it is very nice and the seafood takes another dimension here
This luxurious restaurant serves Galicia's best seafood, cooked according to traditional recipes. Try the octopus a feira (steamed with olive oil and paprika), empanadas (tuna-filled puff pastries), sea bass or bream. As you walk in, the first thing you will notice is a glass floor with an aquarium underneath that is full of live seafood in genuine Atlantic seawater. The restaurant is divided into several dining rooms decorated with antiques, wooden floors, ochre-coloured walls and costumbrista paintings. Valet parking.

A couple of other 2 nice seafood restaurants with maybe a bit more couzy atmosphere are Gran Barril (Calle Goya) or La Taberna del Puerto de Fernan Gonzalez (better downstairs for raciones that in the restaurant, in barrio Ibiza, calle Fernan Gonzalez)

Menta y Canela
In Plaza Cuzco Now
Tfn: 91 359 11 94 y 91 359 69 33
Great food and you can get a very nice table in the garden (depending if the weather is good)

Good value and romantic

La Vaca Veronica
Dirección: Moratín, 38.
Zona: Centro.
Metro: Banco de España.
Tfn: 91 429 78 27.

Small place with very nice service, this place is really romantic and has excellent food (pasta fresca (pasta con carabineros is excellent), good fish and excellent cakes)
Also near the Santa Ana and The Palace hotel area. You will need to reserve

Excellent meet cuarto y Mitad. Bolivia, 21 (fairly near Santiago Bernabeu)
Madrid
28016
This place is really easy going and it could look like you got to the wrong place but meat best meet in Madrid and you really need a reservation for this one

Specializing in grilled meats since it opened in 1986, the best thing on the menu here is the Galician beef. It is best accompanied by fried potatoes and peppers. For starters, you can choose from a selection of salads, egg dishes, pork, sausage, and cheeses. Wash it all down with a fine wine or champagne from the excellent cellar, and try a homemade dessert. You are surrounded by a simple, tasteful decor of white walls and checkered tablecloths. There are two floors with enough room to sit 180 people and a lovely outdoor terrace in summer. Valet parking.

Taqueria Birra
Dirección: Plaza Comendadoras, 2.
Zona: Centro.
Metro: Noviciado.
Tfn: 91 522 80 49.
Tipo de cocina: Mexicana.

The location is superb, in one of the most lovely squares in Madrid. The terrace is usually open since marhc and really good mexican (not tex mex but traditional). Really spicy if you want
Tapas

Best tapas is to go to the area of the hotel Palace and in the back of this hotel there is 2 streets full of great bars with good beer and wine and excellent tapas


Also another great place for tapas in the other part of old Madrid (near Palacio Real) is El Almendro (the tapas here are more Andulucian style, with eggs, jamon, salmorejo, and buen fino)
C/Almendro 13 (Metro La Latina)
Madrid,
Telephone: 913 65 42 52
is an institution in the Latin district that combines an historic Madrid feel with tasteful modernisation. A young and hip clientele mix with the seasoned veterans, favouring the crafty new wines to tired old beer. But the house sherry is still popular with both sets and the tapas is the best in town.

New Zealand White Wine - Huia 2000

During our trip to New Zealand in 2000 (one of our favourite trips of all time) we have the opportunity to be there while the Marlborough Wine festival was going on. what a discovery!! I truly recommend going if you happen to be in New Zealand in February
We try lots of wines and certainly we did like the whites more than the reds
One of our favourties was Huia (www.huia.net.nz) and we decided to bring home a number of bottles (which it did become an odessey on its own) of sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riestling, Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay from 2000
Last week we finished our last bottle which we have kpet for a while. A wondeful, Fresh, Fruity but dry Sauvignon Blanc.
This was to maintain vivacious fruit aromatics and flavour of this variety.
This wine shows a good aromatic intensity, layered with flavours ranging from apple and pineapple on my opinion. Great on the back of your mouth Huia Sauvignon Blanc is delicious with seafood, salads with cheese and not very strong fish

Let´s start - A white sweet Australian wine

Last night we put our friend Andreas Kubach to a test when the dinner host Silvia served a difficult French gelatin with ham and egg plate. Difficult difficult to combine

Andreas did surprise us with an Australian Yarra burn from 05. The grape was a viognier (very rarely used outside France). The result was really good. A cool and sweet wine (similar on my opinion to some german riestling) but not a dessert wine. Ideal for this plate or some interesting salads. A nice smell with some flowers and a bit of fruit and smooth on the palate

The wine seems to be selling for 17 USD
http://www.aussiewines.com.au/wines_online.php?pid=280