Cellar Tours News Letter
September 2003

Join Cellar Tours for an unforgettable Gourmet Tour of Madrid and Toledo this New Year's Eve! Experience the festive Christmas atmosphere, the roasting chestnuts and the cozy charm of the capitol's top restaurants. Highlights include: Champagne Breakfast at the 5*Ritz Hotel; Visits to the world famous Prado Museum and the 18th century Royal Palace; Gourmet meals throughout with fabulous Spanish wines and brandies; Exclusive Wine Tasting at top Spanish wine merchants, Reserva y Cata; Fascinating excursion to medieval Toledo; Elegant New Year's Eve Black-Tie Gala at "El Circulo de Bellas Artes", the Fine Arts Palace...
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Perched on a hill, overlooking the Tagus River, lies the atmospheric, historic town of Toledo. Toledo boasts a splendid amount of architecture, dating back centuries and spanning a variety of cultures who once called this important town theirs. Romans and Visigoths preceded the peaceful period when Moors, Jews and Christians cohabitated. Under Moorish rule, Jews had what is considered " a golden age", and participated in public life. In 1492, with the unification of the kingdoms of Aragon and Castille and the final victorious reconquest against the Moors in Granada, Spain was formed and Christianity was made law. Under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel decreed that Jews either leave or convert. Christianed Jews, called "Conversos" were forced to practice their faith in private or be treated as heretics. Toledo reflects its multicultural past in its foods and its architecture
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Condado de Haza is made by the world famous Fernandez Group, which also includes such revered wines as La Pesquera, La Granja de Dehesa and El Vinculo. Alejandro Fernandez is the Wine Patriarch of Ribera del Duero, the Spanish wine region famous for its rich reds. He is famous for his tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm, and is known to hop on a plane from Madrid to London for the afternoon to visit his distributors! Condado de Haza is made with "Tinta Fino", the regional name for Spain's noble grape, Tempranillo. This wine is heady, velvety and fullbodied. It's a smooth but "big" wine, that would suit strong flavoured meat dishes. Delicious, lusty flavours of black fruits are complemented by nuances of spice and tobacco. Drink this wine with a sirloin steak or even a crispy duck.

Considered to be Spain's "Signature Dish", Paella originates from the Mediterranean region of Valencia. The word itself is old "Valenciano", evolved from the Latin "Patella" meaning a flat basket. This refers to the shape of the paella pan: flat, circular and shallow, with round handles on opposite sides. For centuries, the peasants of Valencia used the "paellera" (Paella pan) to cook rice with ingredients readily available from the countryside: tomatoes, peppers, onions and snails. Rabbit or duck were used on special occasions, and the better-heeled threw in chicken. Over time, this 'Valencian rice' became more widely known. By the end of the nineteenth century "Paella Valenciana" had established itself Internationally. Paella is a delicious, healthy dish made with a specific type of rice from Valencia called "Calasparra" and Saffron. A million other ingredients can be used including: chicken, prawns, rabbit, peas, nora peppers, tomatoes, calamari, garlic, etc. Paella goes fabulously with Rose wines, including Spanish Rosados made from the Monastrell grape from neighboring "Jumilla".

Sitges, Spain:
Harvest Festival, September 18-20, Fun, local festival with a grape-treading contest and the "Election of the Pubilla", whose prize is her weight in wine bottles. Many other events planned, including the construction of a massive wine fountain.

Palmela, Portugal:
"Festa das Vindimias"- September wine harvest festival with local dancing, processions and in the tradition of Bacchus, a lot of drinking!

Sueca, Spain: International Paella Contest: September, This ten day festivals brings Paella "cook offs", dancing, bullfights, and fireworks. On the last night, a "Giant Paella" is made.