An interesting selection based on Spanish Red Wines
Enjoy!!
Monday, December 29, 2008
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 )
An interesting selection based on Spanish Red Wines
Enjoy!!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
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 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
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
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
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!!
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.comC/ 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 cuisinewww.isladeltesoro.net
C/ Manuela Malasaña 3
28004 Madrid, Spain
+34 915 931 440
Enjoy!!
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