Virtual
Travel: ¡ ESPANA !
Sublime Combinations
in Spanish Food and Wine
The European cultural heritage of drinking wine
with meals every day, whether rich or poor, feast or famine, inspires
the winemaker to make wine that enhances food in general, and the
local food specifically. In the same way that cooking techniques
coax the maximum flavor out of food, the winemakers have honed the
flavors in the wine to make the most out of the daily union of food
and wine. Even with the ancient regional isolation created by geography
broken down by trains, planes and busloads of tourists, the winemaker
still takes inspiration from the local flavors of the daily meals.
Virtual Travel: ¡ESPANA! The
Spanish Wine and Food Experience is an opportunity to walk
in the shoes of Spanish winemakers to test and celebrate the basic
truths of the daily pleasures of the table. You will create your
own truths, but a few ideas to get you started on the traveler's
mission may be:
- Wine makes any food taste better, but some combinations
are sublime;
- Cava is good with any food and does not require
a celebration;
- Young sherry is the perfect aperitif with olives,
almonds and oysters;
- Aged sherry is the perfect accompaniment to a
cheese course after a meal;
- Sweet succulent fish on a warm day may make a
perfect marriage with the acidic splash from an Albarino.
The Flavor Strategy from Lowell-Hunt Caterers
Key to being one of the best in the catering business is exploiting
the relationship of food and wine. Lowell-Hunt
has crafted a clever menu that has no bad matches, but six courses
that allow you to explore the difference between a happy pairing
and a sublime one. The food can also act as a level playing field
to explore the nuances of wines made from the same grape or wines
from an area that are similar yet different.
The wines will be grouped by region at pouring stations
located around the spacious Hollywood School House. Each menu item
will be served from a separate food station to enable virtual travelers
to set their own pace.
To prepare your own travel strategy, study the complete
wine list and the menu. The wine list offers three aperitif
sherries, one sparkler (cava), one rose, four whites, a dozen reds
and two dessert wines. The whites come in pairs from two regions,
the Mediterranean and the Northwest. To over simplify, the reds
offer a flight of Riojas and a flight of blends. Will you follow
a typical progression of a menu or stage your own research into
a single subject like sherry?
Another way to organize your virtual tour is to
follow a regional path and visit a few of the five regions offered.
It is probably not wise to plan to taste all 23 wines but you can
definitely learn a lot in this four-hour tour of Spain.
Gazpacho Bar with Assorted Garnishes
Tomatoes are very wine friendly, red or white wine. Use the Gazpacho
Bar to taste how the natural acidity in the tomatoes brings out
the flavor in wine just like a squeeze of lemon on most foods.
Marinated Cod Salad with Oranges, Olives and
Onions
Seafood is as natural to the Spanish table as olives. Consider the
Cod Salad a fair opportunity to chose for yourself whether the Mediterranean
whites (a Chardonnay and a Viognier) embrace the sweet, the salty
and the tangy as well as the trio from the Northwest does. I personally
think the Albarino and the Rosado (rose) are hard to beat when presented
with this gift from the sea and land that is so Spanish in its combination
of flavors.
Sumac Rubbed Pork Loin with Sherry Jus
Sumac is a dark berry with fruity and astringent flavors that adds
complexity to the sweetness of the roast pork loin. Although the
Sherry Jus may point you toward tasting this with a sherry, the
sweet meat is a great canvas for comparing reds.
Chorizo in Pastry with Roasted Pepper Sauce
The spiciness of the sausage, layered with the maximum sweetness
of the peppers brought out by roasting and the butter in the pastry
will work very well with the Riojas.
Serrano Ham Croquettes with Caramelized Onions
Smokey flavors are a good combination with
crisp white wines and red wines. Onions roasted to sweetness may
be the most wine-friendly food in the world, which doubles the capability
of this dish to savor with any wine.
Spanish Potato and Egg Tart
Potatoes are as earthy as onions and have a natural affinity to
wine of any variety. The richness of the egg and the butter in the
pastry will enhance any wine.
Beyond the Lowell-Hunt menu, oysters, almonds, cheese,
paella and more olives await you. Don't miss out on this incredible
opportunity to learn about the pleasures of eating in Spain. Get
a reservation today for March 29,
2003.
Learn more about the wine
and food of Spain! Here's a menu for
a Basque
dinner party.
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