Filed under: Art, Culture, Fashion, Spain | Tags: Alternative Shopping Madrid, Art Galleries Madrid, Calle Fuencarral, Fuencarral, Fuencarral Market, Hip Fashion, Shopping Madrid, Tattoo Madrid
Before this year, if you ever walked down the fashionable street of Fuencarral on a busy night, you might’ve felt as if you were going to be trampled by fellow pedestrians, pushed against a wall, or even run over by a car. This trendy street in downtown Madrid had the most narrow sidewalks I’d ever seen! But this summer, it all changed when the street became one wide pedestrian sidewalk.
Fuencarral "Mall"
Calle Fuencarral is very well known for being one of the most modern, and hip places to shop in Madrid. But 12 years ago, you would have found nothing but shops for older people, crime, and antiquated cafés. The street underwent a radical change with the opening of the innovative and alternative Mercado de Fuencarral, in 1998, which became known as “a shopping centre, for those who hate shopping centres,” with stores for every taste from hippies, to goths, ravers, bohemians, indies and even preppies.
Shop Window on Fuencarral Street
If you come to Madrid, don’t miss a stroll down this very vibrant street. It is definitely a hub for young people to share their fashion points of views, and have fun. And if you don’t want to shop, it’s ok, you can enjoy the most interesting bars, art galleries, deco shops, and even tattoo parlours!
-Rocio
Filed under: Travels, Wine | Tags: Bekaa Valley, Boutique Wine, Lebanese Wine, Lebanon, Moroccan Wine, Morocco, Niche Wine Markets, Noah Wine, Specialty Vineyards, Wine Regions
I was reading this USA Today article, published earlier this year, about the growing wine industry in Morocco. Did you know that their largest winery “dwarfs virtually any other producer in Europe?” As I was reading this, I became curious about unexpected wine-making regions of the world, for example, Lebanon.
Lebanon is like the birthplace of wine. Its wine history goes back to biblical times as many consider Noah to be the first vintner. The most prominent wine region is the Bekaa Valley which produces many styles of wine from bold reds to light whites. Unlike many other wine-producing countries, Lebanese wines are made for niche markets, which means that Lebanese vintners plant small plots and focus on specialty vineyards. As Lebanon tries to attract tourists, it is looking to build its reputation as the boutique, not the department store, of vineyards.
Bekaa Valley - Lebanon
Have you ever tried wine from Lebanon or Morocco? If you have, let me know your thoughts!
- Rocio
Filed under: Art, Culture | Tags: 11:11, Andalusia Music, Classical Guitar, flamenco, Jimi Hendrix, Modern Culture, Music, Paco de Lucia, Pink Floyd, Rodrigo and Gabriela
Have you ever heard of Rodrigo and Gabriela? I wish Spain could claim these hot new guitar stars, but Rodrigo and Gabriela are truly internationalists. They were born in Mexico City and later moved to Ireland to play on the streets of Dublin.
During the winter months, they will be on tour in the following places: Minneapolis, Dallas, Paris, Dublin, Brussels, London, Manchester, and Tokyo. Hopefully Rodrigo and Gabriela will come visit us in Spain and come to Andalusia, the home of flamenco. After all, they describe their music as a flamenco-metal-rock fusion. The newest album, 11:11 was released in early September and is comprised of 11 song interpretations of originals by musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd, who have inspired them along the way. Song number 6, Master Maqui, was inspired by the famous Spanish classical guitar legend Paco de Lucia.
It’s really cool to watch and listen to Paco de Lucia and Rodrigo y Gabriela back-to-back:
What do you think?
-Rocio
Filed under: Drink Recipes, Tempra Tantrum, Wine | Tags: Mulled Wine, Spiced Sangria, Tempra Tantrum, Warm Winter Drinks, Winter Cocktails, Winter Sangria
One of my favourite parts about the cold weather that is approaching is all the warm, holiday-time beverages to enjoy. Sangria is usually a summertime drink, but for some time now, I’ve been making this cold weather version that I really like. To make it taste like the holidays, I include brandy, and substitute wintery spices for some of the fruit. Try it and let me know if you like it hot!
Fruit for Spiced Sangria
Ingredients:
1 bottle of Tempra Tantrum (Tempranillo-Cabernet blend)
2 cups of cherries
1 peeled sliced orange
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground ginger
5 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup sugar (or honey can be substituted)
2/3 cup brandy
1/2 cup water
Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a large pot and warm on low to medium heat for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure that the honey or sugar has completely dissolved. When the wine is steaming and the ingredients have blended well, it is ready to serve. (Serves approximately 6).
Enjoy!
Rocio
Filed under: Wine | Tags: Boot Awards, International Wine Competition, Lone Star International Wine Competition, Montecillo "Verdemar" Albarino, Odd Awards, Texas Wine, Wine Awards
I´m very excited that our Montecillo “Verdemar” Albariño won the Best International White Table Wine award at the Lone Star International Wine Competition 2009, a wine contest held in Texas.
When I first saw the trophy, I was very surprised and quite shocked. Usually a wine award is a plaque with the name of the contest, the category, and the year. But the Lone Star International Wine Competition award seems to be anything but standard, the trophy is a Cowboy boot that looks like someone has already worn! Maybe a real cowboy from Texas?
Is it as surprising to you as it is to me?
What a pity they didn’t send the other pair, we could have really used them! Have you ever won a prize as odd as this one? I would love to hear the story!
Talking about Texas, I´m very excited to say that I´ll be visiting the United States for the next two weeks. I´ve written some posts about some of my favourite things, like delicious winter drinks, culinary trends and more, that I´ll publish while on the road. Meanwhile, follow me on Facebook and Twitter for live updates!
Filed under: Food, Spain, Wine | Tags: About Spain, Coque, Madrid, madrid restaurants, Madrileno Stew, Mario Sandoval, Rhone Valley, Ribera del Duero, Top Restaurants in Spain
This week I had the tremendous privilege of having lunch with some friends at Coque, Mario Sandoval’s one Michelin Star Restaurant. It’s not an easy place to find, as is the case with most treasures. The restaurant is located in Humanes, a small village south of Madrid, approximately 40 minutes from downtown. The restaurant was founded by Mario’s grandfather, carried on by his parents, and now is managed by him and his three brothers who have made Coque a must-go-to restaurant in Madrid.
The second we entered the restaurant we were greeted by Mario’s mother, who made us feel very welcomed. While we waited for the rest of our party to arrive, she took us down to the cellar to enjoy a glass of wine and an aperitif. I felt like a child in a candy store… so many incredible wines all around me, it was wine heaven!
On our way up to the restaurant, we got to visit the kitchen and talk with Mario. He showed us some of the work happening in the kitchen, and some of the tools they use to make their creations. Particularly amazing was the oven where they cook with of Holm oak.
Mario Sandoval, one of the Top Spanish Chefs
The wine menu at Coque needs special attention: it was a digital touch-screen where you could select a wine by country of origin, then by the different categories: red, white, rosé, sparkling, sweet, etc. Again, I felt like a child as I played with the “new toy.” After we played with the wine menu for a while, we let the sommelier guide our wine choice, as he knew the composition of the menu and the best pairings. So a Viogner from the Rhone Valley and a Ribera del Duero were chosen as our partners for the lunch menu that was about to blow us away.
The dishes were outstanding to say the least, with great and interesting textures and flavours. The kitchen’s style is traditionally inspired, but with a modern twist. For example, the Madrileño stew wasn’t what you’d expect from a traditional stew, but the traditional flavours where still in there.
The dishes that followed surprised and delighted us in an incredible way:
Madrileño Stew
Boletus gnoquis with Iberian Ham consommé
The emotions of each bite and sip of wine were described with excitement by all of us, and because it was a friend’s party, we enjoyed it even more.
Vegetable Lassagna
Don´t remember what it was, but I remember it was amazing!
The desserts were just as incredible. I can’t stop thinking about the amazing chocolate coulant with mint ice-cream that tasted like real mint leaves!
Chocolate Coulant with mint ice-cream
Orange mousse and orange ice-cream as its peel
Coffee with Mario
We stayed there until 7pm, enjoying coffee and talking to Mario, who is as charming as he is talented. We had such a great time that it took us several attempts to leave before actually leaving. By the time we stepped out the door, it was already dark outside. The entire experience went by way too fast, maybe because it felt like home.
-Rocio
Filed under: Travels, Wine | Tags: #EWBC2009, Charles Metcalf, European Wine Bloggers Conference, EWBC, Hermes, Lisbon Nightlife, Portuguese Wine, Ryan Opaz, Wine Social Media, Wine Tasting
On Saturday, the second day of the EWBC, I woke up early and showered before heading to breakfast — by the way, I love hotel breakfasts, there are usually many foods to choose from, and the fruit is peeled and cut. In the shower, I made the mistake of using the complimentary Hermés body wash. The aroma was so intense, I was afraid I wasn’ t going to be able to taste the wines without finding the Hermés smell all around!
Hermés bath amenities
The sessions started at 9am, and they covered a battery of different topics, such as video blogging, social media, tech tools, gadgets, audience reach, the future of wine in social media… all of them lead by a panel of experts on each subject. Every session was followed by a very interesting debate that allowed us to see other points of view. At the same time, we all shared our opinions and comments about what was being said at the session through Twitter using the hashtag #EWBC, it was so cool!
After the sessions, we tasted some great Portuguese wines and talked to the producers. Then we enjoyed a great lunch where I met very nice people, and had great conversations. To finish the sessions, there was a special tasting with Charles Metcalf, a wine critic from England, but I missed it as I had a tremendous headache and went to rest in my room before dinner. The session was just ending when I got back, so I waited outside, and suddenly someone started singing in the room… I didn’t understand what was going on, but people came out laughing and completely excited. Apparently Mr. Metcalf is quite a personality, stupid headache!!
For dinner, we had tapas and wine at a restaurant with great views of Lisbon. I have to say the risotto with lemon was quite an original dish, although not my favourite, but the meat was really good!
Ryan Opaz addressing the audience
From there, three fellow adventurers of different nationalities, and I, went out to enjoy Lisbon’s nightlife. It was a lot of fun — despite tomatoes falling from the sky ¿¿??!
The weekend ended with an early flight on Sunday morning, and with a better idea of what’s happening in the wine world and the role of social media.
Click here to see more photos from the Conference.
-Rocio
Filed under: Tasting, Travels, Wine | Tags: #EWBC2009, Douro Boys, European Wine Bloggers Conference 2009, EWBC, Facebook, Jerez, madeiras, Niepoort Vinhos, Noble Wine, Ports, Portugal, Sherries, Social Media, Twitter, Vinoble
This weekend I had a fantastic and unforgettable experience at the European Wine Blogger’s Conference. This second edition took place in Lisbon, and I felt the excitement the minute I got to the hotel. Many of the people knew each other from last year’s conference, and they were hugging and laughing, it really felt like a reunion of old friends!
Friday started with a tasting session of fortified wines from Spain and Portugal: Sherries, Ports, Madeiras and other treats. Some were great, and some were just fine, but the experience was definitely very interesting. We also discussed Vinoble, the Noble Wine Exhibition that takes place in Jerez every two years, and the best and most beautiful place to taste some of the rarest wines in the world.
Grand Tasting With Vinoble
After a short break where I met very nice and interesting people from all over the world, we were introduced to the Douro Boys, a team of 5 producers from the Douro Valley who were very lively, witty and fun. We tasted some of their wines and I was truly impressed, they were fantastic! I have to say that my favourites were the Niepoort Vinhos, which I thought were the most mineral and elegant.
Luis Seabra from Niepoort pouring us some more wine during dinner
After two and a half hours of tasting 18 wines, we had a very nice dinner and I had the chance to meet more people. Conversation was fluent and easy as we shared our passion for wine, communication and social media tools like blogs, Twitter and Facebook. Meanwhile, we got to taste more wines and ports that literally took me to heaven. And from heaven, I went to bed as I was really tired and had a long day of conferences, tastings and treats ahead of me.
By the way, the bed was so comfortable, I slept like a baby!!
My comfortable bed @ VIP Grand Lisboa Hotel
Tomorrow more to come about the EWBC, stay tuned!!
-Rocio
Filed under: Wine, Winemaking | Tags: How to make wine, Malo-lactic, Malolactic Fermentation, Micro-Oxygenation, Oxygen Wine, Phenolic Structure, Tannins, wine sulphur dioxide, Winemaking, Winemaking Techniques
I just got back from Malpica where I tasted the 2009 Tempra Tantrum wines. They are still developing so I can’t quite choose my favourite, but they are getting close!
Most of the wines have finished malolactic fermentation, and are entering the micro-oxygenation process. Micro-oxygenation is a relatively new technique used to introduce oxygen into the wine in order to beneficially change the texture and aromas – a process which is gaining popularity in many winemaking regions of the world. The dose of oxygen required is very small, and it is applied by forcing the gas through a porous ceramic stone. The small pores break up the oxygen into very small bubbles, so small that you can’t actually see them.
The result of introducing the oxygen to the wine will slightly vary depending on various factors: the phenolic structure of the wine, the level of sulphur dioxide, the temperature and the timing. Generally, it will affect the polyphenolic structure of the wine, resulting in a wine that is smoother and softer, with better integration of the tannins, which will continue to develop in the bottle.
-Rocio
Filed under: Tasting, Wine | Tags: blanc de blancs, bollinger, Champagne, champagne bottle, Champagne Tasting, Madrid, Moet & Chandon, mumm, Palace Hotel, Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque 1999, sparkling champagne, taittinger, veuve champagne
Yesterday I went to a Champagne Show at the Palace Hotel, where guests could enjoy and taste the bubbles from various Champagne houses. The Palace Hotel is one of the best hotels in Madrid, so the expectations were pretty high. The room was classy and elegant, and so were the stands that showcased the different Champagnes. I don’t know why, but Champagne is always surrounded by a glamorous aura…
Big houses like Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Mumm, Bollinger, Taittinger were there, but also some small Champagne boutiques with absolutely incredible wines.
One I like very much because of its delicious taste and amazing bottle is Perrier Jouët Belle Epoque 1999. The Art Nouveau that decorates the bottle makes it a very special piece.
After tasating more than 30 Champagnes, I concluded that my favourite style is the Blanc de Blancs, made from 100% Chardonnay. I love their floral character!
-Rocio
