Chef Jose Andres

Bigger-than-life, Chef Jose Andres’ reflection is evident everywhere at his SLS hotel.  So this important year it was even more fitting that the  Barcelona born, Nobel peace prize nominee hosted the 25th “Spain’s Great Match”.  The event encompasses the finest, most memorable wines, served with ceremony under pinlights in the darkened elegant rooms here.  The  Chef’s incomparable Spanish bites made in the kitchens of The Bazaar Restaurant even made the all-day event feel full enough for two.  All the better because the wines from Spain are particularly “cuisine compatible,” and cordial to every palate.

Chef Jose Andres in a quiet moment. See his rambunctious, talented side in the TV clip below! (photo courtesy Jose Andres)

The SLS hotel interior designers enlarged all things visual with oversized mirrors, spaces and furniture you want to take home with you (except that it literally weighed a ton).   It was indeed worthy of the Spanish Gran Hotel itself, both the one famously serialized in Cantaloa or the actual Santander landmark convenient for winery tour accessibility.

The wine seminars overlooked the airy patio with seating ceiling and oversized furniture and mirrors

Seamlessly organized by the Trade Commission of Spain, the event in which American importers and distributors of wines present the latest vintages of the Spanish wines in their portfolio  is designed for everyone from wine novices to connoisseur, from sommelier students and industry professionals.   This year indigenous Spanish grape varietals included Albariño, Garnacha, Godell, Palomin fino, Gempranillo, Vergejo, Viura and Xarel-lo from the country’s top regions.   A convenient map is provided to locate over 150 Spanish wines that were poured alongside tapas and food pairings, arriving from the lush green and rugged mountains of the north to the castle-flecked Meseta and azure Mediterranean coast.

Quesos Corcuera & Montesinos by Gourmet Imports

Fermin Ibérico

Spain’s wine heritage is at least three thousand years old. Wines from vines grown along the sunny Mediterranean coast and the cooler Atlantic coast were traded and consumed by the Romans. It was the arrival of teetotaler Islamic Moors in 711 AD that put an end to Spanish wine commerce until the Moors’ final defeat in 1492 when wine returned with a vengeance the newly freed Iberian Peninsula freed from Islamic rule.

Award-winning author of “The Wine Region of Rioja”, Ana Fabiano, led the seminar, “Rioja 101″(www. riojawine.com),  updating information on Spain’s best known winemaking region. “Vintners have been taking risks in this area since the ’80’s, according to Fabiano, after the 1976 DOC Zones were put into place.  The tasting demonstrated the layered flavor differences in the Bodegas Murrieta Reserva 2013; the Bodegas Viña Pomal Reerva 2013; the Bodegas Torres Ibéricos Reserva 2012 and the Bodegas montecillo Reserva 2011.  //www.riojawine.com

The international fame for such a small (210 square miles) region is telling  Located in north Central Spain, along the Ebro River, it produces medium-bodied elegant whites that are fruity when young, velvety as they age.    See below for details.  These elevated wines are also surprisingly affordable.

The term reserva was also fully experienced.  Royal Reserves and Gran Reserves of Rioja indicate at least five years of aging, with a minimum of two years in oak. In addition, gran reserva wines are typically made in only outstanding vintages. White wines terms are similar but shorter periods with a minimum of six months in oak.  A “reserva” has been aged at least three years, with one or more of those in barrel.

The three Rioja regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental

Spanish cheeses alone stand up to Espana wines

Main dishes and desserts were served by The Bazaar.  The staff knew the background of all of the dishes.  We were thrilled that the Ibirico jamon prepared performance style, and bread we loved so much was flown in from Spain.  

A fresh tomato spread topped exquisite chewy/crisp crusty bread

The refined pastries pairing with Bodegas Montecillo Reserva 2011, “aged like an old Burgundy”

The charming staff  ready to explain every complex bite.

Spanish producers are known for aging their wines, either in barrels or after bottling, under strictly defined regulations, apparent on every numbered bottle.  This is also because of the popularity of the rioja wines and lots of fraud, Señora Fabiano reminded us.  In addition to the “gran reserves,” Rioja  “crianza” has been aged for at least two years, with at least one in oak barrels before release. White wines terms are similar but shorter periods with a minimum of six months in oak.

Always on the lookout for RIOJA wines, we recently opened this bottle of Tempranillo – excellenté!

The generous, community-minded Chef Jose Andres and SLS Hotel welcomed C-CAP (Careers in Culinary Arts Program) to the event). It was the perfect capper of the day.

from C-Cap (Careers in the Culinary Arts Program) dynamos Lisa and Gail man the book at Great Match of Spain