Cellar Tours Newsletter
November 2003

"It's most famous expression is in the rich, velvety red wines of La Rioja, where it is mostly blended with Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano and aged in oak barricas" writes Genevieve Mc Carthy Director of Cellar Tours.
In Spain

This wonderful wine tour takes in Gourmet Mediterranean dinners in 17th century villas, amazing art galleries, and "Spa Therapy", in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia. We will also have private VIP winery visits to some of the most exquisite wineries in the country (Penedés, Alella and Empordà, one winery is located inside a spectacular castle) and we'll taste "Cavas" (Spain's renowned sparkling wine), and scrumptious, vintage reds. Relax in utter luxury at Spain's first "Wine Spa", a high concept, charming hotel that offers a spa, golf and delightful surroundings in a medieval village at the base of The Pyrenees Mountains. Surreal Art is a highlight on the trip, and we will visit Salvador Dali's incredible museum in Figueres. Along the way, we visit Greek Ruins, medieval Jewish monuments, romantic beaches, and top gastronomic establishments.
more info

Lisbon is probably the most romantic city on Europe. Other cities are definitely beautiful or graceful, but Lisbon has something special, something impossible to articulate in words. It's melancholic and optimistic, traditional and trendy, frayed and elegant simultaneously. The city is full of stunning Moorish tilework, medieval cobblestoned streets leading up to a wonderful castle, exquisite 18th century palaces (some in perfect condition, others weathered), and San Francisco-like cable cars climbing up the tree-lined streets. Although the legend is that Ulysses first founded Lisbon, it was the Phoenicians who historians concur first settled here, 3,000 years ago. Being explorers and colonizers, they were attracted by the huge natural harbor and the strategic hill of São Jorge (where the castle is). Greeks followed and next came the warring Carthaginians. Lisbon became part of the Roman Empire in 205 BC, for the next 300 years. Julius Casar made the town the most important in Lusitania, and changed the name from "Olisipo" to "Felicitas Julia". With the decay of the Roman Empire, northern tribes pushed their way in over time, untill they were replaced by the Moors in 714.
more info

One of the oldest winemaking families in Spain, Codorníu have records dating back to 1551 of commercial wine production. Jaume Codorníu was the founding father of this 500 year old wine making family. In 1659, the young Codorníu heiress, Anna, married Miguel Raventós. This was the merger of the two families, that are still linked in family in business today. The first Cava ("methode champenoise") wine was made by José Raventós, a direct descendant of Anna Codorníu and Miguel Raventós in 1872. He had studied the French traditional method of sparkling wine, and brought these techniques back to Penedés. Tragically, less than 15 years later the Phylloxera plague (North American insect that decimated European vineyards in the late 1800's) infested the vineyards of the Penedés. Business was obviously affected, but the family fought back with the most innovative viticultural techniques of the time, and survived the dilemna. By the end of the 19th century, Codorníu was producing over 100,000 bottles of cava per annum. more info

Ever since the Middle Ages, Catalonia has been noted for its delicious and refined cuisine. It is famous for its concept of "mar i montanya", combining the products of the sea and the mountains to combine inventive dishes. This is the land of Salvador Dali whose favorite dish was lobster with a chocolate sauce! Some stunning restaurants can be found here, including Ferran Adrià's "El Bulli" in Roses, "El Raco de Can Fabes" in Sant Celoni (located in a fabulous 18th century villa, north of Barcelona) and "Restaurante Neichel", a Relais & Chateaux establishment located in a beautiful locale overlooking a garden full of lavender, rosemary and lemon trees in central Barcelona. Regional dishes include "Xai a les dotxe cabeces d'all (lamb with 12 heads of garlic), "Arros Negre" (Rice with seafood and squid cooked in its own ink), "Bacallà a la Llauna" (cod baked in tomato, garlic, white wine and paprika) "Escudella i carn d'olla", made of vegetables, rice, noodles and potatoes, "Cocido con judias blancas de Butifarra (a typical stew with white beans and regional sausage), "Pilota" (a dish made with beef, bread, eggs and white beans) and the ever constant "pan amb Tomaquet", lovely rustic country bread smeared with fresh, juicy tomatoes and olive oil . Fish specialities include "Empedrat" (fish cod salad), "Zarzuela", a dish name after the Spanish operetta and made of cuttlefish, mussels and prawns, and its more upmarket version, "La Opera", with spiny lobster. Traditional desserts are Crema Catalana, and the moorish inspired Postre del Musico ("The Musician's Dessert") made with pine-kernels and raisins. Mediterranean Catalonia is also home to some of the most interesting and diverse wine regions in Spain: Penedés (famous for its Traditional Method Cava made with the indigenous grapes of Xarel.lo and Parellada, and for important wineries like Miguel Torres and Jean Leon), Alella (excellent whites, made with the local Pansa Blanca, Carmenet and Bodegas Parxet being the top producers), Conca de Barberà (many of the Miguel Torres vineyards are here, including those used for the famous "Grans Muralles" wine) and Priorat (powerful and elegant reds, some say very similiar to France's Burgundy, top producers being Alvaro Palacios and Rene Barbier).
Learn more about Spanish gastronomy

In proud association with www.vino.com, The International Wine Source, we continue on with their excellent "Wine Knowledge 101" Series.

Choosing Wine Glasses

"There really is no right or wrong glass for wine tasting - or for drinking wine for that matter. However, there are some glasses that are better than others for evaluating wines. First of all, we like to suggest using glasses that you are comfortable using. Aesthetics aside, there are really only two things to remember when considering a wine tasting glass: the size of the glass and the overall shape of the glass.

The more universally used tasting glass is called a chimney shape. Broader on the bottom of the bowl, it tapers upward to a smaller opening. The broader bottom will enable you to hold enough wine and give you plenty of room to swirl the wine, while the smaller opening at the top will help to trap and focus the aromas, allowing you enough of a scent to assess the wine. For the most part, if your glass is of this shape, the actual size of the glass is not important other than it needs to be big enough and have a big enough opening for you to be able to get your nose inside to really smell the wine. Some people swear by large "Burgundy" style glasses that allow as much of the wine to come in contact with the air as possible, therefore releasing as many of the aromas and flavors as possible. Others like the convenience and ease of use of a smaller glass. Other considerations that will enhance your tasting experience include glassware that is clear (no colors) and free of cuts or engravings within the glass."

Read on to get started!