Category Archives: SPAIN

‘CR20′ And Ruscalleda’s Rocking Restaurante

Posted on December 8, 2012 by

Every decade or so, a new culinary caprice climbs aboard the buzzword B&O, and—city by city—restaurants open up to cash in on pay homage to the ‘trend’. Here in Detroit over the past thirty years or so, there was ‘nouvelle … Continue reading →

Posted in Penedès, SPAIN | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Las Rocas On A Garnacha Roll

Posted on April 18, 2012 by

If you’re trying to farm in Calatayud, you’re pretty much stuck between Las Rocas and a hard place.  Among the most inhospitable-looking places in the solar system, ranking between Halley’s Comet and the fifth moon of Neptune on the bucket … Continue reading →

Posted in Calatayud, Grenache, SPAIN | 2 Comments

Velvety ‘Veleta’: A Big Cheese In Tiny Contraviesa-Alpujarra

Posted on March 29, 2012 by

Q.: What does Veleta have in common with Velveeta? A.: Neither are made out of cheese. * Okay, now that the inevitable and idiotic processed cheese-food reference has been laid to rest, I turn my focus toward a series of … Continue reading →

Posted in SPAIN, Tempraillo, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Iberian Intoxicants for New Year’s Day (And Beyond)

Posted on January 1, 2012 by

What’s the with-it Spaniard imbibing on this frosty January Sunday?  Something from Torres, no doubt. Founded in 1870 by Jaime Torres, the family now controls the largest winery in Spain along with the most extensive vineyards in  Penedès and can … Continue reading →

Posted in Grenache, Penedès, Priorat, SPAIN | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Torres Can Go Green So Long as the Tempranillo Stays Red

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

For the most part, winemakers are a responsible lot.  They have to be; as stewards of a substance that causes great joy (you and me) and great sorrow (all those victims of cirrhosis, car wrecks, alcohol-fueled felonies) they’ve got to … Continue reading →

Posted in Rioja, SPAIN | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Have Yourself a Códax Moment

Posted on August 26, 2011 by

One is ponderously dull, bleak with obscurity, difficult to follow and hard to enjoy; the other is light, lyrical and a snap to fall in love with. What do Fyodor Dostoyevsky and albariño and have in common? Only this: most … Continue reading →

Posted in BY VARIETAL, Rías Biaxas | Leave a comment

Sherry, Baby!

Posted on August 25, 2011 by

You wanna party?  I mean, hit a real six-day blowout rave, an around-the-clock thump riot that makes Mardi Gras look like the Jasper County Husking Bee? Try April in Andalusia. Overshadowed by impossibly romantic mountaintop villas, cresting expansive snow-white beaches, … Continue reading →

Posted in Jerez | 1 Comment

Sangre de Toro Rosé: Bull’s Blood Blush

Posted on August 25, 2011 by

Today, I’m recommending that you drink a glass of bull’s blood, and when the men in white coats show up to haul me off, remind me to ask them to explain ‘head cheese’ before we go. Bodega Torres, the Penedés … Continue reading →

Posted in Penedès | Leave a comment

KAVA VS. CAVA

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

When it comes to enjoying life’s amenities—dancing to romancing, canoodling to cuisining, beach lounging to buzz-copping—the people of the South Pacific have a whole different frame of reference. For Polynesians, kicking back and pounding a few may not refer to … Continue reading →

Posted in GENERAL, Penedès | Leave a comment