Tour of Spain - Galicia & Asturias

Throughout the changing of the seasons, menus and wine lists change all over the country. In early 2008, as the Sommelier of Carnivale I introduced a wine flight program, where our guests could enjoy featured wines of the season, all the while being a compliment to the featured Latino soul food on the menu.

Our summer menu and specials had a focus of ‘Farm to Table’, where one week of each month, May through September, we featured chicken, pork, fruits, vegetables and cheese of local Midwest farmers. The farmers are ones that are used on a continual basis throughout the year, and with a commitment to Green City Market, the summer was a fabulous way to showcase all the hard work of the farmers who are important to this dining community. As the summer has ended (we know this for certain now that both baseball teams have concluded their season) and the foods of fall are upon us, the attention moves towards another part of the world that is ever so popular, Spain.

October will kick off ‘Tour of Spain’ celebrating various regions throughout this uniquely diverse country. The next five months (October through February) a different region will be featured. First stop will be Galicia and Asturias, followed by Rioja and the Basque Region, Cataluna and Valencia, Madrid and Castilla La Mancha, and finally ending in Extramadura and Andalucia. The third week of each month brings us foods of each region, while the entire month will embrace the wine of the region (and a few neighboring ones as well).

As the tour begins in Galicia and Asturias, one (or at least this wine chic) cannot help but begin to salivate over seafood and Albariño. Albariño is the queen of white wines throughout many parts of Spain, but especially Galicia, where Rias Biaxas is located. Thanks to many lists that include Spanish wines, this gem is becoming much more popular and well known in the U.S. One of the many reasons Albariño has become more commonly placed in restaurants is due to its’ pairing friendliness to many cuisines. The Albariño variety will be represented in two very different versions on the wine flights this month. Both wines are from the Rias Biaxas region within Galicia, the lighter and more traditional of the two is the Salneval. Light straw in color, the nose of this wine is seductive with honey and pear. Zesty citrus and floral flavors bounce across the palate. The slightly bigger (if you can use that word when describing Albariño) of the two is the Condes de Albarei. While citrus is a common fruit descriptor in Albariño, the Condes de Albarei actually delivers tropical fruit and melons, with a juicy and mineral finish. Both are of course fabulous with shellfish and a wonderful aperitif to ready the palate for an enjoyable dinner. The final wine on the white flight this month, will be from a neighboring white wine region, Rueda. Rueda is best known for the Verdejo variety, and while Albariño is the queen of white wines in Spain, Verdejo stands out as the unique and lush sister. Verdejo has the ability to be full bodied yet crisp at the same time. To represent this exceptional variety on the flights, is a name historic to this region, Marques de Riscal. Fennel is a typical aroma of Verdejo, and it is quite apparent in the Riscal. On the palate are crisp apples finished with a supple, nutty complexity.

When selecting the red wines for this region on the Tour of Spain, quite a challenge presented itself, as a plethora of red is not produced in this region. The challenge presented an opportunity, to feature wines of Castilla y León, as it will not be a “stop” on this tour. Castilla y León includes the glorious region of Ribera del Duero, where the famed Tempranillo grape of Rioja is grown and called a few different names, one of which is Tinto Fino. The three wines making up this month’s red flight are from a few well known names in Spain. Viña Pedrosa begins the flight and shows just how this variety can be powerful yet elegant all in one. Deep ruby red in color, the fresh red and dark fruit aromas are underscored by notes of cedar. On the palate are baked dark fruits with the most elegant mineral touch. The second wine is the shining star of the three, and is from a wine producer that is extremely well known, Miguel Torres. Torres pays respects to the region with the Celeste. Celeste is ‘as unique as the night sky in Ribera del Duero’. Spicy and intense on the nose, with licorice and black pepper on a base of blackberry and cherry. Fruit forward with ripened tannins, persistent and full bodied. This wine must be tasted to be believed. The final wine is from a producer that is a name second only to Vega Sicilia, Alejandro Fernández. The wines of Alejandro Fernández are plentiful and the Dehesa La Granja is a perfect ending to this flight. On the nose are warm, lightly roasted aromas of plum and cherry. Supple flavors are confirmed of cherry as well as raspberry preserves. Lush, suave and long linger notes, of blackberry, leather and vanilla.

Tour of Spain is a wonderful time to delve into the diversity of a food and wine country that has become popular throughout the world. So let’s raise our glasses and as they say throughout Spain, Salud!