Filed under: Culture, Spain | Tags: Christmas lights, Holiday Tradition, Madrid, Spain, Spanish Tradition
Last week I was asked about Christmas in Spain and how big the celebrations are in Madrid.
In Spain we celebrate Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, January the first, the night of the 5th and the 6th. During this Christmas I would like to share with you some of our traditions during these holidays, so you will know a little more about Spain, but for now, here are some pictures of the Christmas decoration in Madrid.
It’s awesome!!
-Rocio
Filed under: Culture, Wine, Winemaking | Tags: Hanukkah, Israel, Unexpected Wine Regions, Wine
In continuing with our previous theme of unexpected wine regions, and since Hanukkah is around the corner, I decided to look into producers of kosher wines in Israel.
To most of us, kosher means to just not mix milk and meat products. But kashrut [kosher] laws are concerned not with the content of the wine; after all, grapes, sugar, acidity, etc are kosher. They are concerned with who produces the wine and how it is produced. Did you know that a Sabbath observant rabbi must be involved in the entire process from planting and harvesting through bottling, in order for a wine to be considered kosher!
Merlot and Sirah are the specialties of biblical Israel, a fertile region with an increasing number of vineyards.
Israel Vineyards
To those of you that celebrate the festival of lights, Happy Hanukkah/Chanukah!
-Rocio
Filed under: Culture, Tempra Tantrum, Wine | Tags: Airplane, Autism, korks-4-kids, non-profit, Recycle Corks, Recycle Wine, Stelvin, Tempra Tantrum, Wine Corks
Usually when flying, I like to catch up on my sleep, or catch up on reading my book. But on the last airplane, I met my seat neighbour, and somehow ended up talking about wine! She told me about an organization called Korks-4-Kids which I think is very special.
Korks 4 Kids
Korks-4-Kids is a non-profit that collects wine corks of any shape, size or quality and sells the material to recycling plants for a profit. Then they use the money collected to donate to the Autism Foundation. This organization hopes to expand and support other causes for children in the future.
Tempra Tantrum wines don’t use corks, instead they use stelvin-caps. But next time you’re drinking a Montecillo, or any wine with a cork, remember to save it. What could be better than a delicious and environmentally friendly way to help kids!
-Rocio
Filed under: Culture, Travels | Tags: Dallas, Hermes, Lisbon, New York City, Shower, Wine Tasting
I’ve been traveling a lot lately, and the last thing I thought I’d miss from home, is my shower. But after trying to so many different ones, I have to say: I MISS MY SHOWER!!
In NYC I had a difficult time trying to get drops of water over my head, and this tiny problem made the shower time very cold and uncomfortable, as there was not enough water to warm me up.
In Dallas, my problem was with the temperature. The water was either way too cold or way too hot. Every little movement of the tap made me scream as I got scalded or frozen!!
Sometimes, there are also those very fancy showers, so fancy that you don’t know how to make them work, and trust me, they don’t come with an instruction leaflet. In a fancy hotel in South Beach, they had a round bath in the middle of the bathroom surrounded by white curtains that were hiding the tap, and made it impossible for me to find! Also, there wasn’t a place for the soap and the shampoo, so they were standing on the edge of the bath like some kind of wire-walker.
An example of a very modern-difficult-to-use-but-cool shower
And of course, how to forget the bath amenities of the hotel in Lisbon!! Hermes, the body wash with the nice and pungent aroma of oranges, followed me all day long and through the wines tastings… I knew something wasn’t right when I picked up orange aromas in a 100% Touriga Nacional red wine!!
Next time I find a great shower, I´ll make sure to let you know. In the meantime, I want to make a love declaration to my shower, I’ve never realized how hard she works to make my time so enjoyable!!
-Rocio
Filed under: Culture, Food, Tempra Tantrum, Wine | Tags: Cheese Party, Entertaining, Liquor de Cassis, Olives, Piquillo Peppers, Tapas Party, Tempra Tantrum, Tuna, Unexpected Visits
Have you ever been at home and suddenly your friends pop in with out any warning?
It happens to me a lot, no matter if it’s to watch a soccer game, to chat or just to hang out. I’m pretty sure my friends do it because they know I always have a lot of wines and a wide selection of spirits. My “house bar” is pretty complete, if you want a Kir Royal cocktail, you bet I have Liquor de Cassis.
Because I experience this many times, I always have a few key ingredients that help me feed my friends when they appear at my doorstep. These are my “must-have” recommendations:
1- Bread loaves: Always helpful, cheap, and go with nearly everything. Also, bread makes people feel full!
2- Olives: Better if they come in a can as they last a long time. The trick is to put them in a bowl, chop some garlic, add a little bit of olive oil and a pinch of oregano.
3- Tuna: But the good one, the one that comes in a glass jar where you actually can see the tuna. It might be expensive but because it is cooked and in olive oil, it’ll last quite a long time and it’s very tasty.
4- Piquillo peppers: You can find them in a jar or in a can with olive oil. Place them with the tuna and some slices of bread so your friends can make their own toasts.
5- Cheese: Cured cheeses last more than the others, so make sure you have some cheese in your refrigerator. My choice, Manchego cheese!
6- Almonds: Put a spoon of olive oil in a saucepan and toast the almonds. Add sea salt and serve.
These are few things that are very helpful because you can store them for a while and very easy to make. And don’t forget the drinks, Tempra Tantrum wines are perfect for these casual moments!!
-Rocio
Filed under: Culture, Family, Food, Spain, Tempra Tantrum, Wine, Winemaking | Tags: Lambrusco, Osborne Family, Osborne Wine, Tempra Tantrum, Winemaking, Young Wine Drinker
Today I read an article in www.elmundovino.com about young people and their nonexistent relationship with wine. I’ve been aware of this for quite a long time as my friends mostly drink beer, coke, or just water during meals, and spirits and cocktails at night.
Coming from a family with more than 230 years of tradition in winemaking, it’s very sad for me to watch young people reject wine, something that has always been a part of Spain’s history, and is still a big part of our culture and economy.
Wine has suffered from anti-alcohol campaigns, being compared to spirits that have a lot more of alcohol volume. This is not the solution. Young people (over legal drinking age, of course) must be taught how to enjoy wine, in moderation, and as a part of our heritage. There has been a lot of health research done by doctors, stating that one glass of wine a day is good for the heart and also that red wine is full of antioxidants. Wine is also an element of gastronomy, with food and wine being good partners for hundreds of years, enhancing each other with their flavours.
Many of my friends say that most young people don’t drink wine because they don’t like the taste. I think one of the solutions to overcome this problem is to make more approachable wines, that are easier to drink, with more fresh fruit flavours , and at a reasonable price. This is the reason a lot of young people drink Lambrusco. And I’m not saying we should make Lambrusco to get young people to drink wine, but I believe a more modern and fruity wine will bring them closer to the culture of fine wine and food.
This is why I wanted Tempra Tantrum to be as it is, modern, fruity but dry, fresh and approachable, so people my age could start enjoying and learning about wine.
Enjoy a glass of vino this weekend. Cheers!
-Rocio
Filed under: Culture, Food, Tasting, Tempra Tantrum, Travels | Tags: Boqueria, Madison Avenue, New York, Press Trip, Rockafeller Center, Soto Restaurant
View of Columbus Sqaure
I’ve always liked New York, I mean, in movies and magazines the city seemed fantastic. But two weeks ago, I finally visited the city in real life, and after staying there for 4 days, I have to say it’s one of my favourite cities.
I stayed in a very nice apartment, a penthouse in Madison Avenue very close to the Empire State Building. The apartment was very modern, with big windows and great views of the city. When I first walked up to the door, I felt like Carrie Bradshaw going into my very own New York City apartment.
The kitchen
Ready for a tasting @ the apartment
On Friday afternoon, we had many tastings and meetings with the media that went very well. Once those were over, I walked along 5th Avenue, and shopped around a little bit. Some stores were already dressed up with Christmas decorations, and in Rockefeller Center, they were “planting” the famous Christmas tree, while people ice-skated in the rink below.
Rockefeller Center´s Christmas tree
@ Times Suqare
For dinner we went first to a very nice and lively Spanish tapas bar, Boqueria , located on 53 west and 19th street. I really liked the place a lot. The wine menu was pretty comprehensive, and the tapas were modern-style bites with lots of flavour!
Boqueria menu
After the tapas bar, we went to have dinner at Soto, the best Japanese restaurant I’ve ever been to. The place wasn’t what I expected, it was quite small, with hardly any decorations, but the food was unbelievable, very creative dishes and very well executed. The combination of flavours in every dish was perfect and the textures very soft and creamy.
Salmon tartar with avocado and caviar
A lobster cake with mango and shiitake mushrooms
We finished the night with a mojito for dessert at the Hudson Hotel bar. What a day!
The rest of my days in NY, I went to the MOMA, the Metropolitan Museum, the Statue of Liberty and Wall Street. It was all way more incredible in real life, than in photos.
As my cab receipt says, “ I LOVE NY ! ”
-Rocio
Filed under: Culture, Spain | Tags: Disappearing, El Corte Ingles, Lazy, Nap, Siesta, Spain
With all the traveling I have been doing, I was so exhausted yesterday, and decided to take a little nap. I hadn’t taken one in such a long time, which led me to think about the disappearing tradition of siestas. Many people still think that in Spain we take a nap after every lunch, but sadly, as globalization happens, and the pace of life becomes faster, people don’t really have time to close their eyes in the middle of the day. It used to be that most stores would close from 2-5 pm, and restaurants from 5-8 pm, allowing people to eat, walk around, and nap, before going back to work. Today, you can walk into El Corte Inglés, our national department store, at almost any hour and not find any signs of a siesta.
There are many reasons why the siesta became tradition. In Spain, people typically don’t go to bed until way past 10 pm after the news. (In fact, many older couples even take their “evening walks” at 2 am!) Therefore, an afternoon nap was a way to re-energize after getting little sleep. Another reason for siestas is that in central and southern Spain, the summer and fall months are very hot, and before air-conditioning was common, the siesta was seen as a preventative measure against heat exhaustion.
The tradition of the siesta has led some people to think of Spaniards as ‘lazy’ but what most don’t realize is that we actually sleep about one hour less than the average European!
I wouldn’t mind if the siesta trend made a comeback!
-Rocio
Filed under: Architecture, Art, Culture, Spain, Travels, Wine | Tags: Apostle St. James, Bike Route Spain, Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Montecillo "Verdemar" Albarino, Northwestern Spain, Pilgrimage, Santiago de Compostela, Way of St. James
Santiago de Compostela
In Spain we have a very famous saying “ Con pan y vino se anda el camino,” - “With bread and wine, you can walk your path.” – which means that all you need to keep moving forward is bread and wine. This saying makes reference to the Camino de Santiago, “Way of St. James”, which is a very famous pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (northwestern Spain), where apostle Saint James is believed to be buried.
During medieval times, the Way of St. James was considered one of the three most important Christian pilgrimages. Still today, thousands of Christian pilgrims and travelers from all over the world, make their way down this route either on foot, bicycle, and even on horseback.
On the way to Santiago
According to tradition, it is said that completing the pilgrimage is the beginning of the next journey, which leads to eternal life. But many people view the Camino as a way to get in shape, enjoy the outdoors, and travel without spending more than 14 Euros a day – including lodging! No matter what your reason for completing this long and challenging route, you can find meaning in the experience and enjoy the community and solidarity that you can only find along the Camino.
If you have a few weeks to become a modern day pilgrim, I highly recommend it. And when you arrive in Galicia, don’t forget to celebrate with a nice, refreshing glass of Montecillo “Verdemar” Albariño from Rias Baixas!
Buen Camino, happy journey!
- Rocio.
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
