Tasting #10 was a Spanish wine tasting (theme thought of by Mark & Jason) consisting of 1 white, 1 rose, 2 reds and 1 sparkling, along with various tapas. The tasting was held at Mark & Cindy's house in Wauwatosa and attended by (10): Mark, Cindy, Jason, Andrea, Rich, Debby, Jan, Dan, Sarah & Kris.
WINES ~
1) Martin Codax Albarino Rias Baixas (Dan)
2) 2007 Care Rosado Cabernet-Tempranillo ~ Carinena, Spain (Sarah/Kris)
3) 2008 Corona de Aragon Garnacha (Mark/Cindy)
4) Vega Moragona Tempranillo (Jason/Andrea)
5) Cava sparkling (Jan/Tom)
TAPAS ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapas
1. Meatballs in a tomato sauce (Andrea)
2. Manchego cheese with bread (Andrea)
3. Olives (Mark/Cindy)
4. Shrimp in garlic sauce (Debby)
5. Pesto pizza with crabmeat & artichoke hearts (Jan)
6. Lemon Sorbet (Debby)
7. Strawberries w/ dark chocolate (Mark/Cindy)
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winemaker's notes:
Martín Códax Albariño is a refreshing food friendly wine, showcasing a pale yellowish color with touches of bright gold. It is an aromatic and complex wine that is rich, elegant, dry and crisp. It is full-bodied, with flavors of ripe apples, peach, apricot, melon, grapefruit and lemon zest melded perfectly together with a bright minerality. The striking balance of acidity, body and aromas allows the wine to adapt to the palate exhibiting its versatility of fresh and bright characteristics to a rounder mouth-feel as the meal evolves.
Albariño is an ideal complement to any seafood dish such as blackened scallops over angel hair pasta, grilled oysters and salmon with pear, apple and lime chutney. It will also complement a variety of dishes such as summer salads, pasta and grilled pheasant with a pineapple, orange marmalade.
Tasting Notes from Elliot Essman, James Beard Award nominee and author of Use Wine to Make Sense of the World.
“I've tasted without reviewing two Spanish Albariños over the past few weeks; they had the promise, but I could turn neither wine into words. Un-reviewed Albariño “A” had refreshing acidity and zest but couldn't push past the gulping level. Albariño “B” had more stuff to it, but brought in too much cloying sweet, and the acidity failed to persevere. The Martín Códax is the baby bear of the bunch, just right: refreshing and stimulatingly complex. As a $14 wine, it costs two or three dollars more than either of its anonymous rivals, but you are getting twice as much wine for that small premium. Albariño is the characteristic white grape of wet-climate Rías Baixas in Galicia, in Spain's northwest.
The wine is a clear, light lemon color with a pronounced, somewhat playful nose. My main aromatic notes show tree fruits: ripe apple, white pear, apricot, and peach. Behind these forward notes are strains of tropical fruit, though these express themselves as more of a floral ripeness than a fruit pucker: mango and green melon, the fragrance of a ripe but not yet cut pineapple. Citrus rind—orange, grapefruit, or lemon—bursting with those fresh citrus oils, adds a note you don't really expect, but that's Albariño, a grape that awaits international notice.
The Martín Códax is technically dry (in that it contains less than 4 grams per liter of residual sugar) but not bone dry; a wine like this needs a little sweet to tame its juicy acidity. The first mouth impression is one of light minerality and a faint effervescence. Flavors are a warm lemon, grapefruit, melon, a light banana, echoes of the apple, pear, peach and apricot from the nose, and more of those citrus rinds, which bring both warmth and a pleasant bitterness. The real mouthfeel, however, comes from the wine's powdery, salt spray minerality.
This wine has an interesting dramatic arc, from first taste to mid-palate to its durable finish. The acidity works at all stages, of course, but more as ringmaster than leading act. The finish has that kind of bitter citrus oil you enjoy from the twist they put into your dry martini (if the bartender has kept all the garnishes nicely fresh); the acidity keeps the citrus oil to its script. Though, as stated, there is enough sweet in this wine to remind the acidity at all times that it is an adult and not a child, there isn't a single drop more; the finish is nicely dry, and tooth-coating powdery at that.
An Albariño of this sort is considered the perfect foil for shellfish and seafood; this is not surprising, since in reality this wine is seafood. While the left half of this particular bottle will be dedicated to a mushroom risotto tonight, I can see this Martín Códax Albariño meshing perfectly with shellfish; you use the shells themselves for the broth, and though you strain you still enjoy a crunchy bit of shell every now and then. You can almost bite into these bits in this wine.
The two un-reviewed Albariños did serve a purpose by the way, even if they did not inspire me. In each case, one of the company tasted Albariño for the first time and became an instant convert to the grape.”
Verdict: Impressive
Albarino, pronounced "Al-ba-ree-nyo", meaning "the white from Rhine", is as popular to Spain as Chardonnay is to North America. Grown in the D.O. appellation Rías Baixas (ree-ahs-buy-shuss), Albariño is considered a benchmark producing captivating wines with rich, tart, distinctive aromas and flavors. Rias Baixas is a wine region along the Atlantic coast in the Spanish province of Galacia (just north of Portugal). Albarino grapes in Spain are made into wines for the European/American palate: dry while focusing on floral overtones and typified by the peach or melon aromas that are always present. A flinty, dry white, it is suitable for summer drinking and goes well with summer dishes such as salads or seafood. (Note: Portugal also produces albarino under a different name, a.k.a. "Alvarinho" which typically makes a lighter, sometimes fizzy style wine compared to its rival Rías Baixas region. In Portugal albarino is used in a common blend known as Vino Verde.)
VEGA MORAGONA TEMPRANILLO (from winemaker website): 100% Tempranillo in the newest D.O. in Spain, Ribera del Jucar. Grown in vineyards with a very stony surface, and clay soil, this Tempranillo takes on its own personality. The Tempranillo vines are 80 years old and give lots of character to this red, which has long cherry finish, minerality, and is great drinking with a balanced structure.
TEMPRANILLO (the grape), from winegeeks.com
The greatest and most famous varietal of Spain where it is grown in many regions under almost as many synonyms. Tempranillo ripens well ahead of its frequent blending partner Grenache (Temprano in Spanish means early) and has only low to medium levels of alcohol, an advantage under the hot Spanish sun. Tempranillo gained fame in the late 1800s when several of the famous Bordeaux Châteaus looked to Spain for grapes after the louse phylloxera had destroyed their vines. Tempranillo takes well to both oak and bottle aging, and the better examples can be extraordinarily long-lived. Often it is blended with Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Monastrell, and various other varietals. Look for flavors and aromas of dried cherries, spices, black currants and a wide range of earthy components such as dust, tobacco and black olives.
Spain is synonomous with Tempranillo, though many wine lovers are unaware of this because of its numerous and confusing aliases. The best and most famous regions are Rioja and Ribera del Duero (where it is known as Tinto Fino and Tinto del Pais) but fine examples can be found from Toro (as Tinta de Toro), Valdepeñas (Cencibel), and the Penedes (Ojo de Llebre and Ull de Llebre). Portugal has taken to Tempranillo with a dash or two included in most Port recipes as well as in many still reds from the Duoro where it is known as Tinta Roriz. Further south in the Dão it is known as Tinta Aragonez and Arauxa. Tempranillo can also be found in Argentina, France (in the Languedoc) and the United States.
Grape Color: Black
Tapas are usually pretty basic things from what I remember but sometimes they are things we aren't used to eating here in the US like rabbit and squid and stuff.
If you could get some Jamon Serrano, that would be an easy and very Spanish tapa… not sure where they sell it but I bet you can find it. All it really is is VERY thin sliced Spanish ham. Their ham tastes different than ours too so it wouldn't be like you are just serving up a chunk of ham! For a real Spanish treat (at least Spaniards feel this way) you could try to find Jamon Iberico. It's a black hoofed pig that they get all excited about over there.
Spanish cheeses (Manchego for sure!) would be easy. Def. include bread though not crackers
Spanish olives are at every bar as a tapa even if they don't serve tapas.
Tortilla Espanola is a very common tapa and can be eaten hot or cold http://spanishfood.about.com/od/tapas/ss/tortilla.htm
Croquetas are super good as well. My host mom always made Jamon or Tuna but you can use other meat as well http://spanishfood.about.com/od/tapas/r/croquetas.htm
shrimp and garlic sauce is also really popular in Spain. http://www.tienda.com/recipes/shrimpngarlicsauce.html
mushrooms on bread - super easy also one of my favorites http://www.tienda.com/recipes/tostadadesetas.html
Garbanzos con espinacas http://www.tienda.com/recipes/chickpeasngreens.html
Empanadas are good and everyone likes those. you can put anything in these and there are millions of recipes for these
Calamari was also something I eat a lot in Spain.
Mussles would be good with Spanish wine too!! This is one recipe but obviously you could find others online http://www.tienda.com/recipes/musselsvinaigrette.html or http://www.tienda.com/recipes/santiagomussels.html
My host mom liked tuna and egg and mayo A LOT she made something like this for us a time or two as well… Pimiento asado y atun
http://www.proper-spanish-tapas.com/tapas-recipes-fish.html#pimasa
Theses were always a safe bet to order, nothing too out of the ordinary Atun y aceitunas con pan
http://www.proper-spanish-tapas.com/tapas-recipes-fish.html#pimasa
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