Farmstead Cheeses and Wines: Jeff’s Blog

In June, I traveled to Galicia as part of a wine trip hosted by Olé Imports. We spent an afternoon on the Sil River, looking out and up at the incredibly steep vineyards, originally terraced by Roman slaves!

In many spots, the vineyards are only accessible by boat, and the terrain is so steep, that the grapes are transported down to the water by way of rails!

The wines produced here are made from Godello and Mencia grapes.

Godello - pronounced go-DAY-yo - is one of the oldest grape varieties in Spain, the Godello was documented even in Roman times, but was nearly extinct just a generation ago. Godello is not the first southern European grape to be rescued from the brink, of course, but it differs from many in that it promises to appeal to international tastes as an alternative to Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. Godello is a tricky grape to grow and vinify, but in the right hands, the wine makes a statement.

Mencia - pronounced men-THEE-ya - was introduced and cultivated mainly in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula since the days of ancient Rome. It recovered from the phylloxera epidemic disaster of the late nineteenth century that caused a severe economic crisis in its traditional areas of cultivation. Mencia is used to produce aromatic and fruity wines with intense color and with great aging capability.

Chanukkah is right around the corner - a great time to have latkes (and a glass of sparkling wine!). Here’s a great recipe:

yield: Makes 12 to 16 latke
active time: 45 min
total time: 45 min

What is the secret to making great latkes? The starchier the potato, the crisper the latke. Try Yukon Gold or other baking potatoes for the crispiest latkes!

Ingredients
* 1 pound potatoes
* 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
* Accompaniments: sour cream and applesauce

Preheat oven to 250°F.

Peel potatoes and coarsely grate by hand, transferring to a large bowl of cold water as grated. Soak potatoes 1 to 2 minutes after last batch is added to water, then drain well in a colander.

Spread grated potatoes and onion on a kitchen towel and roll up jelly-roll style. Twist towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and stir in egg and salt.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches of 4 latkes, spoon 2 tablespoons potato mixture per latke into skillet, spreading into 3-inch rounds with a fork. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes. Turn latkes over and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Keep latkes warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven.

Latkes may be made up to 8 hours ahead. Reheat on a rack set over a baking sheet in a 350°F oven, about 5 minutes.

Grating the potatoes, soaking them briefly in water, and then squeezing out the liquid keeps the batter from turning brown too quickly

Taste of Spain by Jeff Diamond

I’m bullish on Spanish wines. Whenever a customer asks me for a great bargain red wine, more often than not, I’ll suggest a Spanish red.
Why would I do this when we’re only a few miles from some of the best wine grape growing regions in the world? Well, for starters, Spain has more acres planted to wine grapes than anywhere else in the world; the average age of Spanish wine grapevines is more than 35 years old; and Spanish wineries are able to produce, bottle, market and ship wines to California
for a pittance.
Spain has a long tradition of viticulture and winemaking dating back thousands of years. Wines made on the Iberian Peninsula during Roman times were exported around the empire. Spanish winemaking technique suffered during the Middle Ages, and not much wine of note was made until the mid-19th century, when phylloxera decimated French vineyards.
French winemakers crossed the Pyrenees and discovered the winemaking regions of Rioja, Navarra and Catalonia and brought their expertise, winemaking skills and the 225-liter barrica, or French oak wine barrel. (Eventually phylloxera reached Spain, but its relatively slow progress was due to the fact that many of the Spanish wine regions are far from each other.)
While Spain has more than 600 varieties of wine grapes planted, most production is focused on 20 or so varieties, and many are familiar to wine-savvy Americans: Garnacha (Grenache), Monastrell (Mourvèdre), Tempranillo, Cariñena (Carignan), Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Spanish wines are regulated by a classification system similar to France, Italy or the United States, with all wine regions regulated under the Denominación de Origen, or DO, system. Red wines can be labeled as Crianza (aged for two years), Reserva (aged for three years) or Gran Reserva (aged five years or more).
Until recently, it was thought that the more time a wine spent in cask and bottle, the better it was. Some of these wines might be a bit staid for the California palate, but there are many wineries making wines that have a more modern New World approach to winemaking that produces wines that are balanced with fruit, terroir and wood.
I’ve been to Spain twice in the past three years on winery trips and have been very impressed by the passion and knowledge of Spanish winemakers, by the varying styles of Spanish wines (ranging from bargain to high end) and by the diverse terroir of the Iberian Peninsula. Spanish wines are becoming more commonplace on wine lists and in wine shops. If you don’t know Spanish wines, take the time to discover some — ask for a recommendation at your favorite restaurant, wine bar or wine shop.
Here’s a few of my favorite budget Spanish wines, available locally. The average suggested retail cost on these is under $15, and I dare you to find wines of this quality at these prices from any other wine region in the world.

Sparkling Spanish: These wines are called Cavas (KAH-vah) and offer methode champenoise wines (fermented in bottle) at a fraction of the price of their French counterparts, using Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada and sometimes Chardonnay for white Cavas and Grenache Noir and Mourvèdre for Rosé.

Cristallino Rosado, a pink sparkler, is well balanced and priced to sell ($9).
Gramona Gran Cuvée, made from older vine Xarel-lo, Macabeo and Chardonnay, this sparkler is aged in bottle for 24 months. Creamy and dry ($20).

White: While red wine varietals might be more familiar to American wine drinkers, Spanish white varietals tend to be a bit more exotic, like Albariño, Godello, Garnacha Blanca, Viura and Verdejo.

Valdellainos Verdejo is a yellow-green straw color with strong aromas of exotic fruits (mango), citric (grapefruit, lime), white flowers and a hint of scrub herbs. Tasty, fresh, well balanced on the palate ($12).

Las Colinas del Ebro is a Garnacha Blanca that is full of ripe peachy flavors. Nice balance and great fruit make this wine perfect for appetizers or just hanging out on the porch ($12).
Botani Moscatel Seco is at present my favorite white wine. It’s a dry Muscat from Southern Spain. Floral nose, mouth-filling palate, dry finish ($20).

Rosado (Rosé)

Muga Rosado is a blend of red and white wines is full-bodied, dry and is full of mouth-filling strawberry and watermelon flavors ($16).

Artazurri Rosado is a 100 percent old vine Grenache, deep color and nice flavors. A perfect barbecue
wine ($14).

Red

Cortijo Rioja is made by rising superstar winemaker David Sampedro. This Tempranillo-Grenache blend is sourced from the prestige area of Rioja Alavesa. A perfect food wine, matching with chicken, pork, pizza and salmon ($12).

Borsao Monte Oton Garnacha is an old, old vine Grenache. Bold berry, cherry flavors, groovy
packaging ($10).

Luna Beberide Bierzo is 100 percent Mencia, from Northwestern Spain. Blueberry, red fruits abound, soft tannins ($15).

Ludovicus Blend comes from Terra Alta (near Priorat), Grenache, Tempranillo, Syrah and Cab. This blend has great structure, minerality and balance ($13).

Dinner with Raul Perez was optional. Why some of us didn’t jump at the opportunity to get some face time with a groundbreaking, singular visionary winery is beyond me, but needless to say I jumped at the chance.

Raul’s red wines are confounding - sometimes they are massive, chewy, dense and aromatic; other times they are delicate, ethereal and dead ringers for a premier or grand cru burgundy. Over the course of 24 hours I had the opportunity to taste dozens of his wines. Some of them ranked with the best wines I’ve ever had, while others were confoundingly flawed.

Here’s a guy who knows each plot, each grape in the plot, and vinifies the wines according to micro terroir, climate and ripeness levels. Some whole cluster, some, with five month post fermentation skin contact, so with just free run juice, some destemmed, some not - all according to his internal compass for each plot and project. I’m calling this micro-terroir winemaking.

He makes wines in several DOs - Bierzo, Rias Baixas, Ribera Sacra - and is perhaps best known for his 98 Parker point Mencia project El Picado, from an impossible to farm vineyard in the Sil Valley of Ribera Sacra; and his Albariño that is wackily aged at 45 feet below sea level, ostensibly because of a transference of salts that occurs at that depth. Both of these wines are wine geek wines to be sure, but both were astoundingly good.

To say the Perez is singular and driven is an understatement.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

So we carpooled the few miles to a quaint restaurant-inn in an equally quaint town. About ten of us from the wine trip, joined by Raul and several of his winemaking partners and friends. We had the top floor of the rustic restaurant - exposed beams and thatching. The food was very ggod - pork and some dried beef, a great fried goat cheese with pepper sauce, pork riblets and lamb. But what was astounding was the wine.

Raul brought out library wines - some of which he had made, some made by friends - a 1989 Godello, a 1968 Mencia, as well as exemplars from his 2001-2003 bierzo mencia cuvées. The Godello was past its prime to be sure, but still had fruit and structure. The same can be said for the 68 mencia - brick brown, but it still had some of the compelling aroma that makes mencias so good.

His more recent cuvees seemed massive to me - perfect with the food, but I would have guessed that the grape was syrah, not mencia!

After the dinner, I caught a ride back with Raul. He drove like a madman! He deciede to have a drink at a local bar and my colleagues and I were “stuck” there - not an unpleasant experience really - for a few hours, drinking with his pals.

But it was 3:00 a.m. before I made it home!

The next day we piled into the bus for what was to be our last vineyard trip - eastwards into Ribera Sacra to taste more wines from Raul Perez. It was a beautiful drive - if you like stunning views and curvy roads. Each turn revealed a roadcut hundreds of feet high, or a serene river far below, rugged cliffs, lakes, and after a while, vineyards -impossibly perched vineyards, clinging to the hillsides.

After about an hour, we pulled over, to be met by Raul and some of his partners. We were perched high above a canyon, and a vineyard stretched above us as far as the eye could see.

Raul poured a Godello Treixadure blend from this vineyard - the Treixadura adding great lemony acidity to the floral Godello. It sure was refreshing on this sweltering and bright bay.

The we proceeded to hike up the vineyard along a dirt path for about fifteen minutes. It was hot, and there was lots of elevation, but I sure was glad to be getting some exercise! Nine days in a bus was starting to get to me and I relished the idea of moving about a bit.

This was a very steep vineyard, and we had trouble imagining how anuyone could tend the grapes here. Little did we know that this was nothing - we were about to see vineyards that make those in Condrieu and the Mosel look like putting greens!

We piled back into the bus and drove about an hour down to the Sil Rivel, where we boarded a large pleasure craft for snacks and a guided tasting of Raul’s wines - Sacrato Blanco, Sacrato, El Picado, Sketch, A Trabe, and Godello, as well as some Moterrrei wines that he had a hand in Gorvia and QDM, based on the local Bastardo grape.

You could have told me that we were drinking Côtes de Nuits cru burgundies! These mencia based wines were feminine, delicate and not the fruit forward wines I’d had in the states. These were wines for contemplation, and contemplate I did!

As far as his Sketch Albariño was concerned, I was a skeptic -wines finished 45 feet below sea level. What an absurdity - but, he had something going on. The wine had a pleasant saltiness and depth that I hadn’t experienced before in an Albariño before. Too expensive for the shop, but not too expensive for my cellar.

Then came the big boy - El Pecudo - picked from an impossibly steep vinyard of pure old mencia vines. Deep, rich, complex. Wow!!

Did I mention that we were on a boat? The Sil river valley is stupendously beautiful - a steep rocky valley with vineyards - originally planted by slaves in Roman times(!!!) - terrassed and laddered from river level up about four hundred feet.

We saw an occasional person tending the vines, but being the hopttest part of the day, most folks were taking a siesta.

I returned below deck for Tapeo - Joselito Jamón, barnacles, pulpo al la gallega, empañadas, and tortilla. Mmm, another pound and a few points on the cholesterol, but how often to you see food like this?!?!

The boat ride lasted another hour or so, then we piled back to the bus to visit Raul’s winery - a garage at the edge of a shabby industrial area outside of a small Mencia town. The winery was dominated by large Autrian oak vertical barrels and a few barriques. This was a guy who belived in oak, but neutral, dialed back, unobtrisuve oak.

We tasted through barrel samples of more of his wines: Vico (a $20 wine that will be in the shop before too long), Muti, ST Jacques Claudina, Valtuille - amazing wines with grace, depth, terroir and true individual winemaking.

Then Raul did something amazing - he started pouring barrel smaples of wines that he thought didn’t work - a barrel fermented Gewurz, a riesling, some old Godello. These were flawed wines, and here we were, witgh a world class winemaker, who was showing us wines, warts and all!

Then it was back in the bus, then off to a last night dinner in Bierzo with Raul - where he poured some of his personal library wines - a de Montille Volnay, some old Nierpoort ports. Wow!

Today was an unusual day - we were staying at the hotel for a major tasting, then taking a three hour drive to Bierzo - the westernmost part of the trip.

The tasting was very well organized - fifty plus wines representing the majority of the Olé catalog that we weren’t visiting. Winemakers had bussed and trained in from all over the country - Yecla, Penedes, Rias Baixas, Extramadura, Cariñena, Terra Alta and Rioja. We were divided into five groups who roatated through each of the tables - at each one there was a presentation by the winemakers.

I was very impressed b y the breadth and depth of Olé’s portfolio - here were wines in value categories that delivered expression of terroir, authenticity, acid, and length, at great price points. We carry several Olé wines at present, but look to see more of them in the shops in the future!!

After the tasting Alberto and Patrick presented four very interesting a rare sherries - intense and concentrated Oloroso, Amontillado, Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximenez from an 1820 Solera. These were amazing dense, salty, complex wines with a finish that is still resonating in my mouth, hours later. They are extremely pricey wines - at least $450 per bottle. A lovely academic exercise, the kind one reads about in wine magazines.

Then it was time for paella - a wonderful Paella Valenciana served poolside, accompanied by most of the wines at the tasting. Being the rosé guy that I am, I made a beeline for Katas, a bright rosé of Tempranillo. The paella was a good as I’ve ever had, which is saying a lot considering it was made in a hotel! Chunks of rabbit, shrimp, mussels, langoustines, shrimp and chicken, in a wildly saffronned Bomba rice. Dedlicioso! Truly, the only thing missing was a salad.

Others in the crew chose to partake of the free hooch with abandon.

Then it was back in the bus for a three hour ride to Bierzo. I napped well, and arrived at the Paradores Bierzo Hotel tanned, rested and ready for our dinner with Raul Perez, maker of the 98 point Bierzo El Pecado.

I woke up to a beautiful crisp day - the weather looked great, and we didn’t have far to travel - one hour to Rueda to taste the Verdejo-based wines of Oro de Castilla and then another hour to go to Toro to taste the wines of Bodegad Matarredonda.

We were staying in Tordesillas, in a wonderful old hotel. A few of us met at 8:00 a.m. for a walk, then breakfast. At ten A.M., it was in the bus to Rueda.

Bodegas Hermanos del Villar makes great white wines. We carry their Oro de Castilla, a crisp, rich Verdejo (Classic Club in April).

After an hour’s bus travel, we pulled up outside of Rueda in the vineyards of Villar. Winemaker-owner Pablo de Villar an affable and gracious host. He walked us through the vineyards and showed us the 30-45 year old vines, and explained how nighttime harvesting, stirring on the lees, organic practices and long cold fermentations combined to produces wonderful wines with lots of aromatics and balance.

We hopped back in the bus for a quick tour of the winery, a tasting of their entry level Ipsum (Verdejo/Viura), Oro de Castillo and Sauvignon Blanc. Then came the Jamón, an olive oil tasting, a walk through town, and then a lunch in their deep subterranean caves.

Despite the lack of hunger at this point, who could refuse the great foie gras, tuna stuffed paquillos, braised bacala and the most amazing cinnamon infused cream puffs on the planet??

The folks I’d been hanging with, a motley group of pretty cool guys - soms, retailers, and wholesalers - was becoming a close knit group. Our conversations were becoming more familiar, wide ranging and fun.

Then it was back on the bus for a one hour drive west to Toro. Materredonda is an old vine Tempranillo project created by Alfonso Sanz Rojo and his frankly stunning winemaker Rosa Zarza.

Their two single vineyard bottlings - Juan Rojo and Libranza come from two contiguous single vineyard plots of 80 and 120 year old vines respectively.

The wines are deep and pervasive with a bright fruit core, balanced by good acidity. 14 percent wines in a 16 per cent region. Both bottlings have received scores in the 90s from the critics, and I expect to see both in the shops soon.

We walked the vineyards with Alfonso, Rosa and some local government officials - the sandy soil getting in our shoes. Rosa pointed out how it’s the sand that makes this vineyard special - these are pre-phyloxera original rootstock vines, as the louse cannot live in sand!

After a short tasting in the vineyards of both bottlings, it was off to the ultra modern winery for - you guessed it - Jamón - and some other snacks, a barrel and library tasting, then a braised chicken dinner, some more Jamón, and some more wine!

We watched the sunset over the hills, and then watched a bit of the European cup.