Eat & Drink Spain event, Soulmate Restaurant

Hola!  There is nothing more Spanish than nibbling on tapas while sipping delicious wine.  Foods and Wines from Spain explored this love affair with gusto at the return of Spain’s Great Match LA this past Spring.  A trade and media event, held at Soulmate in Los Angeles, Eat & Drink Spain illustrated what is so enchanting about this culinary matchup.  Expertly led food and wine seminars, new and innovative Spanish cocktails, food and wine pairing challenges, 20 minute mini-wine tastings of signature Spanish grape varietals, and blind-tasting challenges, all to peak interest and praise for the very classic and often innovative food and wines of Spain.

La Rioja vineyards, Courtesy of Getty Images

Macon vineyard, Courtesy of Vega Sicilia

Wine Map of Spain, Courtesy of Wine Folly

Spain is a wine lover’s paradise, the third largest producer of wine in the world, with the largest vineyard area and rich 3,000-year-old wine history.  It also has the most diverse climate within Europe, which gives rise to an equally diverse wine scene.  Hundreds of wine grape varietals are grown, and over 130 official wine designations dot the country.  From the cool and rainy Atlantic coastal regions to the very hot and dry southern Andalusia, each area produces wines that are suited to the growing conditions.  This gives rise to a cornucopia of intriguing wines that are so very food-friendly.

Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein presented a very tasty seminar!

​The first seminar, “Spanish Hams, Cheeses, and the Wines that Love Them!” was led by Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein, and explored Spain’s ancient cheese-making and Jamón traditions through its over 100 different cheese varieties and culture of Jamón.  These regional differences are what supports the alchemy of food and wine, sort of a hand in glove, where each brings out the best of the other.

Goldstein explained that each cheese has its own unique characteristics, based on whether it is sheep, goat or cow, and how it’s produced and aged.  Cow’s milk cheeses are generally found in the north, along the coast from Galicia to the Basque Country and the mountainous areas that join Spain to France, such as the Pyrenées.  Sheep’s milk cheeses are produced inland, below those coastal and mountainous regions, and down into the flats of Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Aragón and Extremadura.  Goat milk cheeses are found along the Mediterranean coastal areas, from Catalonia to Andalucia, plus the Canary Islands.  And, of course, mixed milk cheeses are made across all of Spain.

Jamón Serrano, sliced thin for maximum flavor!

The Jamón culture of drying and curing ham dates back to pre-Roman times, although paused during the Moorish conquest.  Jamón Serrano, which is 90% of Spain’s annual production, is made from several different breeds of white pigs, who eat mainly cereal, and the ham is cured from 7-16 months.  The legendary Jamón Ibérico is made only from the Iberian pigs that roam the countrysides of Southwest Spain and Southeast Portugal, where they primarily dine on acorns.  The curing process is more extensive, from 18-48 months.

Over six different cheese, jamón, and wine pairings, Goldstein gave two pairing options, a classic or edgy version.  Let’s just say, what an eye opener!  First, the Mahon cheese became even more yummy with the classic sparkling Roger Goulart Organic Cava 2019.  Second, the Murcia al Vino sang with the edgy option, the Marqués de Riscal Sauvignon Blanc 2021, 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Rueda.  Third, the Manchego cheese danced alongside the classic choice, Bodega Urbina Selección 2000, an aged Rioja.  Fourth, the Idiazabal, buttery and gamey with a slightly smoked essence, paired with a classic old vine Garnacha, Bodegas Alto Moncayo Garnacha 2019.  Fifth, Jamón Serrano sidled up to the edgy option, the Alvaredos-Hobbs Godello 2020, a rich, smooth, lower acid white.  And finally, the sixth pairing, Jamón Iberico with a classic, rich red wine with oak influence, the Bodega Bela “Arano” 2019.  The lesson learned throughout this fascinating seminar, when assembling a charcuterie plate, there is no one right wine pairing, although maybe a classic one, there are edgy ones, too.  With the sheer number of Spanish wine choices, you can surprise even the most educated palate, by matching the animal and the age of the food products with the wine. 

Master Sommelier Chris Gaither delved into the many expressions of Tempranillo within Spain

​The second seminar, “The Many Faces of Tempranillo”, led by Master Sommelier Chris Gaither, addressed one of my very favorite Spanish wine grapes.  Tempranillo, known by many nicknames depending on which region it’s grown, embraces a ripe strawberry, spice and leather essence, so important to the red wines of Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Toro and La Mancha, in addition to the Portuguese Douro/Dão reds and Port wines.  The beauty of Tempranillo lies in its affinity with oak and being an excellent blending wine.

Gaither toured us through the many incarnations of Tempranillo from its most important regions.  Rioja, the most famous of Tempranillo wines, has a storied history, from the Christian monks who began viticulture in the Middle Ages to the French winemakers who shaped their winemaking techniques in the 18th century.  Today’s Rioja, defined by three different areas, Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa, and Rioja Oriental brings the magic by aging classifications.  Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva actually mean something when talking about age in Spanish wine, demonstrated by the first three wines.  The Viña Bujanda, Rioja DOCa, Crianza 2018 is 100% Tempranillo, fermented in stainless steel and aged 12 months in American oak barriques.  This is an easy drinking wine, with red fruit and good acidity, made by a traditional producer in a good vintage.  The Familia Torres Altos Ibéricos, Rioja DOCa, Reserva 2015, also 100% Tempranillo, is seductive in its savory, earthy essence.  Aged 18 months in French oak, and 18 months in bottle before release, it has a fleshy texture, vibrant and flavorful, from a very good year. The Marqués de Riscal, Rioja DOCa, Gran Reserva 2016, 80% Tempranillo from over 80-year-old vines, is concentrated and complex, from a very good vintage.  Traditional in style, its aged in French oak for 26 months and then an additional three years in bottle before release.

​Other up and coming regions for quality Tempranillo are Castilla-La Mancha, Ribera del Duero, Toro and Castilla y León.  The fourth wine, Dominio de Punctum Lobetia Tempranillo-Petit Verdot 2021, is a single vineyard blend, from an organic and biodynamic estate in Castilla-La Mancha, easy drinking in a fruity, softer version.  The fifth wine, Bodega Mauro Cosecha 2019, is a Vino de la Tierra from Castilla y León, 85% Tempranillo (known locally as Cencibel) and 15% Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Graciano.  This is their flagship wine, elegantly structured, fruity and silky with juicy tannins.  The sixth and final wine, Bodegas Numanthia, Toro DO 2017, is 100% Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo), from vines that average 50-100 years old, stunningly beautiful.  Also their Estate signature wine, from ungrafted old vines, this wine is powerful yet balanced and elegant, with intense fruit, structure and concentration.  I think the takeway is that Tempranillo can present differently, depending on the region it’s grown in, but overall, it is the star of Spanish wine grapes.

Master Sommelier Chris Gaither and a "Wondrous White"

​Twenty minute wine tastings of signature Spanish grape varietals, led by Eduardo Bolaños and Chris Gaither, dove deep into the land of “Radical Reds” and “Wondrous Whites”.  Like speed dating, the mini-wine tastings provided an up close, laser look at the wines, with four wines in each flight.  The “Wondrous Whites” included Godello, Verdejo, white Rioja made of Viura (aka Macabeo), and an aged sparkling cava made with 80% Xarel-lo blended with 13% Pinot Noir and 7% Chardonnay, all so very distinctive and great value.  The “Radical Reds” included a Garnacha, (of course!), a Costers del Segre red blend of Cariñena, Garnacha and Syrah, and a Ribeira Sacra Mencia, a fascinating cross-section of flavorful Spanish red wines that aren’t as well known as Rioja.

​In addition to all the activity, over 150 plus wines were poured by a host of winemakers.  One producer of note, that received a lot of buzz, was Parés Balta, with their organic wines and cava, made with biodynamically grown grapes, and crafted by women winemakers.  This family-owned winery has a long tradition of winemaking, going back to 1790, their story and wines are fascinating.

​In all, quite a whirlwind day, but the message is clear.  Spanish food and wine are the perfect match.