Spanish Flavours

CountryMix_2010-04-21_10-20-00 1:00:00

This week we are off to Spain...

Many  people when they think of Spanish holidays think of two  weeks on the beach in somewhere like the Costa del Sol or the Costa Dorada  and  when they think of Spanish wine they only  think  of tasty Rioja or easy drinking  Sangre de Toro. Let me just say that there is much more to Spanish tourism and indeed Spanish wine than this, great and all as they are.

 Spain is one of my favorite countries. In fact I love Spain .

                                                                        

It really is a country of great  historic interest as well as beauty.A place where Europe meets North Africa with the architectural influence of the Moors.A country of wild  rugged mountains and where the unspoilt coastline of the North and South is unsurpassed.

Then we have the famous cities of Madrid and Barcelona and the historic towns such as Seville,Jerez,Pamploma, Cordaba and Grenada to name just a few.

One of the most enjoyable glasses of wine I ever had was a chilled glass of Cava, on the balcony of the Alhambra Palace Hotel in Granada which has spectacular views over the city as well as the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is on the steep hill on the way up to the Alhambra itself (half way up on the right).This is a must do for anybody who likes to look around from time to time and feel that the world really is a miracle.

  Spain has so much to offer and the diversity of food and wine is just superb.
In fact  I personally think I am allergic to Spain  because when I go there on wine trips I seem to eat and drink from the time I arrive until the time I  leave. When I travel elsewhere, even in Ireland I get food fatigue after about three days...but not in Spain!

Even just the non alcoholic drinks alone, The coffee,the fanta limon,the gazeosa lemonade,and that's   before i even  touch a glass of wine.. All taste really fresh and natural.

 Ruth and I were recently over in Jerez visiting Bodega Hidalgo and I think even she caught the allergy. We were served (amongst other fantastic things) Manchego cheese with a savoury gellee made from violets with fresh violet petals set into it. A beautiful clear pale purple colour, it looked too nice to eat.But we managed!

The fish selection not to mention its freshness is fantastic and   Spanish white wines are just made to go with fish. Then there are, the tapas..such variety! ,even simple things like the bread  the tomatoes, the olive oil, not to mention more exotic  things like kid goat, suckling pig, rabbit stews  tiny lamb chops…. No body does roasts like the Spanish  and the way the are matched with their meaty full  bodied red wines is perfection itself.

Years ago I was  sent  over there to learn Spanish and  I will never forget the look of horror on my mothers face when she picked me up at the airport after I had  spent 4 weeks over there  supposedly  learning Spanish but in hindsight eating and drinking all around me…..I  was put on  bread and water for a year!
Now I realize she was annoyed because she knew I had discovered her secret .. this was that she  knew before I did that once I discovered great food there would be no going back!

So have a read of the three reviews below .Wines from lesser known grapes and areas and maybe you will be tempted.

 Hasta Tarde ,

Evelyn 

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