Filed under: Uncategorized
Last Monday our vineyard in Malpica woke up in white!! It was very beautiful!!
Merry Christmas to all of you and hope you can share this special night with friends and family and of course enjoy a good glass of wine!!
-Rocio
Filed under: Food, Spain, Uncategorized | Tags: Estado Puro, madrid restaurants, Modern Tapas, Paco Roncero, patatas bravas, Spanish Cuisine, Tapas, Where to go in Madrid
@ Estado Puro with my friend Alicia
Last Thursday in Madrid, I went to Chef Paco Roncero’s tapas bar, Estado Puro; the perfect example of the new and modern way to enjoy tapas. Many modern restaurants in Spain are honoring the tapa, but taking it to another level, creating and imagining new recipes, while experimenting with different textures, surprising presentations, etc. It’s wonderful to be able to taste top Spanish cuisine in small bites, as you can try many different items off the menu. And when the menu is good, believe me, you want to try as many things as you can.
Estado Puro makes surprising new versions of the most traditional tapas, not being afraid to change them upside down. Like the tortilla de patatas, I’ve tried many different versions: liquid, foam, ice cream flavoured… but Estado Puro’s creation was great, a soft and creamy potato purée with caramelized onions and an egg yolk, served in a small glass. The patatas bravas were very good, just a little bit hot as they should be. The toast was also quite good, though it’s a pity they don’t have more than 3 different types of bread. For dessert we had a new version of tiramisu, served in a glass, with mascarpone cheese and chocolate powder on top, and amaretto liquor gelatin at the bottom.
Patatas Bravas
Mini Burguers
Estado Puro; A New Tapas TrendTiramisu
The place is very nicely decorated, with many seats in front of a big window facing a busy street. The walls and the ceiling were completely covered by peinetas, an old Spanish flamenco accessory. It looked awesome!
What I didn’t like about the experience is that the waitress seemed quite rude. Maybe it’s because I just got back from the States, where the service is unbelievably nice and attentive. But my friends also complained about it, so I don’t think it was just that.
Other than that, the place is great. If you go to Madrid, don’t miss it, it’s cheap and chic!!
-Rocio
Filed under: Drink Recipes, Food Recipes, Wine | Tags: Desserts, Ice Cream Desserts, Ice Cream Recipe, Osborne PX 1827, Pedro Ximenez Sherry, PX
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pc: zepellipsis.com
pc: zepellipsis.com
All I have to say is yumm!!!. If you’ve never tried ice-cream drizzled with Osborne Pedro Ximenez 1827 Sherry, you are missing out.
I am a very big fan of desserts, and this pairing is so simple, yet heavenly. Make it for your friends, and you’ll look like a top chef! I personally love this recipe with rum-and-raisin ice cream, but slow-churned vanilla is great too.
Try it and let me know what you think!!
Have a great weekend!
-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: 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: Architecture, Art, Culture, Dance, Spain, Travels, Uncategorized | Tags: Exhibits Madrid, La Gran Via, La Noche en Blanco, Legazpi, Madrid, Matadero, Plaza Cibeles, Price Theatre, September 19th
Wow! Saturday night in Madrid was unbelievable!! Thousands of people went out that night to enjoy everything the city had to offer.
First we went to the Price Theatre, to watch a modern circus performance with contemporary music played by a DJ. The act was about the different stages in a couple’s relationship. During one part, the actors played a scene from Grease, it was awesome!!
At 1 am, we headed to Legazpi, where Matadero is located. Matadero is an old slaughterhouse that has been turned into a contemporary art centre. The building is one of the most beautiful representations of the industrial style of the XX century. This place has been recovered by Madrid´s City Hall to promote cultural and artistic initiatives. http://www.mataderomadrid.com/
During La Noche en Blanco, the Matadero building was full of different exhibitions, live music, theatre, dancing, and many other activities. There was a hallway that had been burnt a while back, and was simulating a fire. It looked very cool as the hallway maintained its black walls and burnt look.
There was also an exhibition about traveling. We were given suitcases to decorate and were encouraged to paste paper notes on the wall about who we’d take with us to travel. The most common notes said “the people we love”, or “friends and family”, of course!!
Later that night, we went to one of the most emblematic streets in Madrid, La Gran Via. For this special night, the wonderful buildings of the XIX century were illuminated with lights of different colors.
La Gran Via leads out into the Cibeles Square where the party continued with a live music stage, lights and thousands of people dancing. The old Post building, which has been converted into City Hall, was a silent witness to the night and the magic of the environment.
I went home at 4.30 am, feeling exhausted and exuberant! I can’t wait for next year’s edition!!
-Rocio
Filed under: Spain, Travels, Uncategorized | Tags: chupinazo, Encierro San Fermin, Ernest Hemingway, Pamplona, Running of the Bulls, Spain and Culture, Wine Festival
Yesterday was the first day of the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona. Each year, the festival officially launches with the blast of the chupinazo, a rocket fired at the Plaza del Castillo. San Fermín is probably the most well-known Spanish festival, with more than 2,500,000 Spaniards and people from all over the world joining the Pamplonians in celebration. Normally, the population of Pamplona is just 190,000!!!
Chupinazo at Plaza del Castillo
One of the most famous activities during San Fermín (which Ernest Hemingway helped make famous with his book The Sun Also Rises), is the Running of the Bulls which occurs daily from the 7th to the 14th of July at 8 am. The Running of the Bulls consists of young men (and sometimes women) running in front of the bulls from the corral (pen) at Santo Domingo, to the bull-ring, where the bulls will fight later that afternoon.
The run is around 800 meters long and it lasts approximately only 3 minutes, but it’s very dangerous as the road is full of curves and many times, the bulls slip up and get separated from the herd, which leaves some people running in between bulls (like being in a bull sandwich). There are professional runners that lead the bulls into the bullfighting ring, but there are also people too drunk to know what they are doing, which sometimes causes fatalities.
Running of the Bulls at the Festival of San Fermín
The partying during this festival is great; everybody dresses up in white with a red handkerchief around the neck. A lot of wine is drunk and sprayed everywhere, just like during the Haro Wine Festival. (By now you must think wine showers are part of our everyday routine, but it’s not always like this. We’re allowed to do it just a couple of times each year.) The mood during this time is very friendly, it’s like a huge, constant party with Spanish and foreign friends.
Drinking wine from a "bota"
By the way, I’ve got some great news. Today’s run was clean and without incidents! Stay tuned though, as today was the first run and they will last until July 14th!!
¡¡Viva San Fermín!!
Rocio
Filed under: Spain, Travels, Uncategorized | Tags: Chambao, Papeles Mojados, Spain Immigration, Spanish Culture
In the summer time, many people from Africa try to cross the coast to Spain. This is becoming a very big and sad problem, as these people risk their lives and many of them never get to see their dreams come true.
Each day on the news, we see people in tiny boats with no room to move, navigating the waters in search of a better life. Young men, women (some even pregnant), children and babies… all together in hopes of achieving a dream that frequently turns into a nightmare.
This sad problem has generated a business for mafias. Mafia groups take people’s money in exchange for the promise of crossing them over to Spain. The chances of success are very small, because even if they mange to make the trip safely, they probably won’t make it past the Spanish coast which is tightly guarded to avoid illegal immigrants getting into Europe. If they catch these boats, they give them medical assistance and then take them to an immigrant caring centre, where they stay until they are sent back to their countries of origin. If they are lucky enough to get in, the reality of the economical situation in Spain hits them with cruelty. (In case you didn’t know, our real estate industry is sinking which has really affected the job market.)
The job of the volunteers in these centres is amazing. In Cádiz (south of Spain and the closest European region to Africa), volunteer jobs are very important. Besides taking care of the immigrants, they help and assist the ones that have made their way into Spain by teaching them spanish, taking care of their children while they try to find a job, helping them with food, clothes and medicine.
This is a song by Chambao that I really like that talks about this problem we face every summer.
Rocio
Filed under: Spain, Tempra Tantrum, Wine, Winemaking | Tags: Bottling, Malpica, Packaging, Tempra Tantrum, Tempranillo, Wine, Winemaking
As promised, here is some footage of the exciting process of bottling the Tempra Tantrum wines.
First, the bottles are rinsed with filtered water in a closed machine to prevent contamination. The bottles then enter a filler which fills the bottles with wine and also injects a small amount of inert gas (nitrogen) on top of the wine to disperse the oxygen.
The bottles then travel to a screw cap machine where the stelvin is placed and compressed around the neck of the bottle. I prefer the screw cap top rather than cork for young wines as it keeps them fresh and enhances the fruit flavours.
Next, the bottle enters a labeller where a label is applied. To ensure traceability of the product, a lot number, a code with the date and time of bottling, is also printed on the bottle. The product is then packed into boxes and warehoused, ready for sale, but that is another story…
If you have any questions about the process, please comment below, I’d love to share what I’ve learned and all my experiences!
Hasta mañana!
Rocio
Filed under: Spain, Tempra Tantrum, Wine, Winemaking | Tags: Malpica, Tempranillo, Wine, Winemaking
After months of hard work, finally the day has come!!! The bottling of the wine!
I´m so excited! It´s like giving birth (figuratively speaking, of course). I remember the entire process so clearly: Selecting the vineyard plots, harvesting in September 2008, tasting different varietals to decide the final blend, and working with the marketing team to get the packaging and the materials looking just right, etc…
When I saw the first bottles completely dressed in their labels and capsules, I felt as any mother does, like if it was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen! (A bit exaggerated? I don´t think so).
I´ve tasted these wines so many times I know them better than I know myself. Seeing my babies finalized has been the best part of the process. I don´t know if it’s the beauty of the bottles, the happiness I feel right now, or the joy of the team, but the wines taste better than ever!!
I finally had my Tempra Tantrum moment!
Check my blog tomorrow for footage of the bottling process. Hasta mañana!
Rocio
