Last night’s World Tour of Wines was the third in a series. I should have recorded the menus from the first two, but I did not. Better a last start than no start at all. First, what I remember from the first two: 1) First one was French wine and food; food served buffet style inside auditorium at Coronado Center; 2) Second was German wine and beer and food; table service outside on the patio at Coronado Center. Now, on to last night’s wine and food of Spain:
Wines served:
- Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut; sparkling wine. Not bad at all; I’m not a sparkling wine afficionado, but this stuff was nice and crisp, relatively dry. Retail price: $11/bottle.
- Campo Viejo Rioja Tempranillo; dry red. Nice wine, soft and mellow. Served with the appetizer (bacon-wrapped shrimp and chorizo), but marketed as good for any types of lamb dishes. Retail price: $13/bottle. (Someone at the table said the same wine, but the “reserva” version, is better.)
- Laxas Albariño (moderately dry, labeled as white, but looked more like a rosé). I’ve never had an albariño that looked or tasted like this. I was not terribly impressed; decent, but I would not buy it. I’d go for a more “traditional” albariño that’s actually white and with a dry character. Retail price: $17/bottle.
- Borsao “Tres Picos” Garnacha Camp de Borja; moderately dry garnache. Tasty, but not sufficiently so to warrant the price tag (in my miserly opinion). Retail price: $17/bottle.
- Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Blanco; a little sweeter than I usually like, but decent stuff. I’d buy a bottle. Retail price: $13/bottle.
- Besllum Montsant; red. A nice, peppery red, with plenty of flavor. But, again, I’m a miserly type and the price would steer me clear of it. Retail price: $19/bottle.
Meal:
- Camarones tapas con salchichi (bacon-wrapped shrimp tapas with sliced Spanish chorizo); very nice appetizer. I was impressed.
- Ensalada organica variada (romaine lettuce and tomato, with hard-boiled egg, tuna, olives, red onion, a touch of balsamic vinegar). It was perfectly acceptable.
- Pechuga de polla a la plancha con patatas fritas. Grilled chicken breast with fried potatoes and a tiny spring of rosemary alongside. Perfectly acceptable.
- Flan de naranja. Flan with orange sauce. Decent.
I liked the chorizo. I inquired of Richard Wittman (who catered the affair). He said he buys it at Whole Foods which is, as far as he knows, the only place to buy it around here. I don’t know the brand, but I suspect I can find it if I look at Whole Foods.
Enjoyed talking with: Kathy, Bill, Paul, Rose, Dee, Jerry, Fred, and Glenda (the latter two who we invited to join us around dessert time, as they had been seated alone at the only two-top in the room (they arrived late). They work in Little Rock but live in the Village (recent residents); she retires at the end of May.
