October 3, 2014 – 2:13 pm
On our second day in Barcelona we decided to take a taxi to the Mirador de Colom and then start walking on La Rambla. We walked for quite awhile amend the thousands of other people also walking. Soon we turned around and headed back along a different route. After walking for a few hours we were thirsty and headed for Can Paixano on Carrer de la Reina Cristina. No one was on this street, probably because they were all packed into Can Paixano a wine bar and eatery where you order and stand wherever you can find a spot.
As we pushed through the crowd to the back of the shop, we noticed many bottles of Cava opened. The one that most patrons were enjoying was a rose color. For 2.5 € we tasted two sparkling wines one of which was a Cava; both were served in coupes to nearly overflowing. Kathy had the Can Paixano Rosat Semi Sac, the rose colored Cava that many people in the wine shop were drinking. I went with the Berenguer Ramon I El Viejo Brut Nature. A brut nature is the driest of the Cavas. The semi sac is the second sweetest. Kathy liked the Cava and bought a bottle to have as dessert tonight.
Our next trek was to find a restaurant that was opened after 13:00 that we could have lunch. We walked for a while, not following a map simply exploring. We stopped at the restaurant La Taberna Del Cobre and had lunch. I ordered the Catalonian sausage and a side of deep fried green peppers from Padron. Along with the food I ordered a Cava. Kathy was in a dessert mood. She ordered a lemon sorbet with Cava to drink and Crema Catalana.
The Cava I had was also a brut nature. The Cava was a Pere Ventura Tresor Reserva. It was a blend of 40% Macabeo, 40% Xarel.lo and 20% Parellada. Of the Cavas tasted so far, this was the more complex. As I tasted the 11.5% alcohol wine, I noted minerality, white peach and a hint of freshly baked bread. It paired well with the sausage and deep fried peppers. As I taste different Cavas and pair with food, I am discovering that Cavas pair well with many foods. I have not seen it served with breakfast thus far.
Catalonian sausage and deep fried green peppers from Padron
Cavas are not the only wines tasted during our travels in Spain. At our hotel, Hilton Diagonal Mar, I tasted two still wines.The 2013 Pares Balta Blanc de Pacs Penedes DO was a blend of Parellada, Xarel.lo, Macabeo. The yellow color wine had 11.5% alcohol. The wine reminded me of mineral and apples with a touch of pear. The medium body wine paired well with appetizers. The 2013 Pares Balta Mas Petit Penedes DO was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Garnatxa. The dark ruby color wine had 14% alcohol. The aroma offered dark fruits while I experienced blackberries, cassis, cherries and tannins. The full body wine was crisp with a fruity aftertaste and a hint of vanilla.
As our time in Barcelona draws to an end for awhile, we are excite to explore wineries in the Priorat and Penedès wine regions.
Cheers,
Terry
October 3, 2014 – 1:51 am
We flew to Barcelona on a mission to learn about and taste many Cavas. The 2014 Media Tour of 50 Great Cavas is sponsored by Wine Pleasures. Kathy and I are part of a small group of writers on this five-day tour that begins next week. We decided to get an early start on discovering Cava.
On our first day in Barcelona we decided to start walking rather than sleep off the trans-atlantic flight that involved only cat naps. At the Diagonal Mar mall across from our hotel, we looked for a nano sim for Kathy’s iPhone. Orange and Vodafone were no help. Finally we stopped at a Movistar that set us up for a month of voice, text and data. Now that our phone worked we needed to sample a Cava.
Our hotel was serving a Cava on the executive floor. They had a Parés Baltà Brut Cava that was very refreshing on this warm October day. Parés Baltà is a family owned winery in the Penedès region. The surrounding vineyards as well as their vineyards in higher elevations are certified organic. The light yellow colored Cava was a blend of Parellada, Macabeo and Xarel.lo. The 11.5% alcohol wine had a persistent stream of bubbles and offered a fresh citrus aroma and taste with hints of apple and pear. The wine matched well with some appetizers we had while relaxing and taking in the views of the Mediterranean Sea.
For dinner we ate at the Indigo Restaurant and ordered Iberian ham croquettes and fish & seafood paella. Intrigued with the grape Xarel.lo, we ordered a Calcari also produced by Parés Baltà. The wine was made with 100% Xarel.lo grapes. In the subdued restaurant lighting, the wine appeared to have a light gold color. The juice spent a few hours on the skins and picked up some color pigments. The 12.5% alcohol wine reminded us of mineral, spice and young yellow stone fruit. In particular the spice reminded us of cloves. The wine paired well with an appetizer that had baby lettuce over tomato, fresh mozzarella cheese on a bed of basil pesto. The wine was also a perfect match for the ham croquettes. The wine also paired well with the seafood paella, however I would have preferred the Brut Cava instead.
Tomato, mozzarella pesto appetizer and fish and seafood paella
After dinner we headed back to the lounge to have another glass of the Parés Baltà Brut Cava. The overnight travel began to overtake us and brought a finish to our first day in Barcelona.
Cheers,
Terry
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In Search of Cavas Found in Stone
Our search for Cavas continues. Last evening we visited Cuscó I Berga winery in the village Les Gunyoles d’Avinyonet. We met twin brothers Joan and Lluis Cuscó. We toured the vineyard, about a 20 minute drive from the winery. Once we arrived at the vineyard, we had a bumpy ride to our first stop, a vineyard that had grapes still on the vines. This vineyard was slated to be pulled out and replanted for next year. The leaves had already fallen from the vines even though fruit was in abundance. After tasting a few grapes, our host took several grapes from different parts of the vineyard and gently crushed them in a cup. He then put a few drops on a refractrometer.
A tour of the vineyard including a pruning demonstration.
A refractrometer is a small hand held tool that gives a reading of the amount of sugar in the grapes and thus the potential alcohol. This refractrometer differed from the one I have at home in its scale. Mine uses degree Brix for a scale while the one used in the vineyard used Baume. The reading was 7.0. This converts to a Brix reading of 21.6. Although these grapes were not going to made into wine, if they were, the alcohol would be near 12.0%
After the refractrometer reading, our group went to another vineyard where we had a demonstration of how the vines would be pruned for the next year. Pruning generally takes place in February and March.
After pruning we drove to a vineyard where there was a stone hut for a surprise. I had seen a stone hut in another vineyard that we drove past the previous day. In Catalonia, field stones were piled on top of each other creating a half-hemisphere. The stones were held in place by the weight of the stones on top of it. The stone huts were used by vineyard workers for shelter from weather. If a vineyard worker was working until late and could not make it home, they could spend the night in one of these stone huts.
Hut made entirely of stones.
Enjoying Cava in a stone hut located in a vineyard
After a moment of preparation, we entered the stone shelter and sat on the ground around the circumference. A single lantern in the center provided some light. Two bottles of Cava were opened and shard by our group of ten people. It was quite an experience. Having wine in a vineyard is a gentle reminder that wine is started in the vineyard. Drinking Cava in a stone hut is a gentle reminder that wine has its ultimate beginning in earth. The stones were from the earth and there was an earthy ground odor in the hut.
The Cava in the stone hut was a Brut Nature Reserva Eco. It was a blend of Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada with 11.5% alcohol. The sparkling wine was fresh contrasting nicely with the earthy atmosphere of the stone hut. Later that evening we returned to the winery for a dinner prepared by the wife of the third brother Jordi Cuscó. The dinner’s main course was fideua, a seafood vermicelli paella. This paired with three other Cavas.
Of all the places to have Cava, a stone hut was never on my radar. However it was a memorable place to share this sparkling wine with friends.
Cheers,
Terry