Tag Archives: Iberico

Vega Sicilia Tinto ‘Valbuena’ 5°. A Complex and Super Fine Wine!

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Vega Sicilia is without any doubt the best and most refined wine made in Spain. In 1864, Eloy Lecanda founded the winery that symbolizes the golden legend of Spanish red wine. Throughout its long history, it has belonged to different owners, although it has always maintained an unquestionable personality, making concentrated, mature, generous and extremely elegant.

This spectacular wine typically made from is one of the best examples of what great wines are supposed to taste, smell and look like. Vega Sicilia only makes three different wines under the Vega Sicilia winery brand: ‘Valbuena 5°’, ‘Reserva Especial‘ (with no vintage as this is a blend of different vintages) and ‘Único’. Vega Sicilia also owns Pintia, Alion (often called the poor man’s Vega Sicilia) and Tokaj Oremus which are not sold under the Vega Sicilia name, however, they happen to also be some of the best wines in the world.

Bodegas Vega Sicilia is located in the town of Valbuena de Duero between Peñafiel and Valladolid in the wine region of Ribera del Duero in Spain. Since 1982, the company is owned by the Alvaréz family.

What makes this wine so unique and excellent?

The aging of the wine begins in January; first in containers and then in new American Oak wooden casks. For the ‘Valbuena 5°’, the duration of the aging process in wood is three and a half years, and for the ‘Único’, a minimum of seven years. During this time, the wine is rotated form new casks to casks that are more and more used. With a view to achieving a perfect balance between the wine and the wood. Once this has been achieved, the wines finally rest in large wooden vats, which prepares them for later bottling. The aging in the bottle requires time and care. The wines of Vega Sicilia end their journey with a calm rest in the bottle in specially acclimatised installations. The time they remain there depends on the format of the bottle: Vega Sicilia ‘Único’ in Bordeaux format (0.75 litres) takes three years or more to age. For the ‘Valbuena 5°’, the period for aging in the bottle is around a year and a half. A system that takes us back in time. There is no hurry in Vega Sicilia. Considering the time that it takes for a certain vintage to make it to the stores you are guaranteed a wine with certain level of maturity and perfection when ready to be drank.

Retail Price Range in the U.S.: $180-$230 and be prepared to look for it as hard as you can. It is so hard to find because of its limited production and because only 100 stores in the U.S. carry it.

The wine is characteristically deep ruby red in color with a very full body and a great oaky cherry aroma and an amazing complexity that you get as you are pouring it out of the bottle. The complex notes on this wine include: oak, tobacco and coffee accompanied by a very long lasting taste. What Vega Sicilia would refer to as a ‘pedigree wine’. Once you take a sip, your mouth is so overwhelmed that as the wine starts going down your throat it almost feels like it is magically disappearing without giving you any alcohol sensation or bite.

This wine is a great pairing for complex flat breads with Délice de Bourgogne, Manchego cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly sliced ‘jabugo’ Pata Negra, Mangalica Ham or Aldo Adige Speck.

On a rating scale from 1 to 10 we give Vega Sicilia Tinto Valbuena 5 a perfect 10. This wine is so amazing. Drinking a Vega Sicilia is a lifetime experience and one of the most amazing ways of pampering your senses.

‘Joselito’ The Best ‘Pata Negra Iberico’ Ham in the World!!!

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Once you have filled your winebota with a beautiful Spanish wine, you need to indulge yourself with some ‘Ibérico Pata Negra’ (Black Hoof Iberian) ham that can only come from those pigs that are acorn fed and with a black hoof. Without a doubt the best ‘jamón’ (ham) maker in Spain is ‘Joselito’, a company based in ‘Guijuelo’, south of Salamanca and west of Madrid. To give you a better idea, chefs like Ferran Adrià, Joël Robuchon, Juan Mari Arzak and  Andoni Luis Aduriz serve ‘Joselito’ ham in their restaurants. “The quality is unbeatable,” Arzak says. Rafael García Santos, the highly influential Spanish food critic, rates the ‘Joselito Gran Reserva’ at 9.75 out of a possible 10—which in his view makes it the best food product of any kind in the country.

‘Joselito’ has has earned mythic status in Spain. It’s not easy to find – only the most famous restaurants serve it. The company’s annual production is modest – hams are often reserved (and paid for) years in advance. ‘Joselito’ is one of the few ham producers that maintains its own extensive R&D program, and one of two that refuses to use any kind of preservatives, ever.

These special reserve ‘paletas de bellota’ (acorn fed pork legs) are firm and consistent. The ham just melts in your mouth. The fine, translucent fat is sparse, but the meat is evenly marbled. The aromas are spectacular and a lifetime experience. Everything else you’ve heard about Joselito ham is true!

Sigüenza is Where the Winebotas Are Handmade

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Sigüenza also known as ‘La Ciudad del Doncel’ (The City of the Young Noble) is a medieval city located 130 kms. (approx. 81 miles) Northeast of Madrid, Spain and 73 kms. (approx. 45 miles) North of Guadalajara. Sigüenza is part of the Province of Guadalajara located in the region of Castilla-La Mancha.

The city is filled with beautiful architecture that includes an spectacular Gothic cathedral, several churches and convents, a medieval castle from the 12th Century and definitely some of the best food in Spain. Today, Sigüenza’s castle has been converted into a luxurious hotel that belongs to the hotel network called Paradores Nacionales de España.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony Bourdain Enjoying the Winebota in Spain!

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We came across a wonderful article on Eater.com about one of the episodes of No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain in Spain and noticed he is enjoying the Winebota lifestyle as much as we do!!! Kudos to Mr. Bourdain.

Photo: Courtesy of the Travel Channel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Madrid Episode of No Reservations: Just the One-Liners

Tuesday, September 14, 2010, by Paula Forbes for Eater.com

‘No Reservations‘ found Anthony Bourdain in Spain last night, and, as predicted, he consumed copious quantities of Jamón Ibérico. Additionally, he attempted to define Madrid-style cuisine amidst the chaos of the Spain’s 2010 World Cup championship win, eating at some of the city’s best restaurants and still finding time to go out to the country and make a bunch of sheep jokes. He also maybe did some whip-its.

On to the Quotable Bourdain — feel free to add your picks in the comments below.

1) On Jamón Ibérico: “Message to Gwenyth Paltrow: I don’t know what the fuck is the matter with you. How can you drive across Spain and not eat ham? Mario, I love you, but why did you bring along the one f#$%ing kid in the world who can’t eat ham? I’m pretty sure God’s against that.”

2) On restaurant Casa Salvador: “Best I can understand, this was a place for the cream of the bullfighting elite and the women who liked to f#$% them.”

3) On casas de comidas, or Spanish restaurants that serve traditional comfort food: “Mom’s cooking, but without mom, cause she probably wouldn’t have approved of all these women getting f#$%ed by bullfighters.”

4) On the food at Madrid hot spot Diverxo: “One the things I love best about David’s cooking is that it sounds, to me anyway, like something that should probably suck.”

5) On a dish of black pudding dim sum, quail egg, pig’s ear and sweet and sour sauce at Diverxo: “I love my wife, I love my daughter, and then I love this.”

6) On smelling an egg coddled in a jar: “As the world’s number one egg whore, that’s already guaranteed a good time.”

7) On his shepherding trip to the country: “It’s worth noting for any lonely farm boys out there that female sheep genitals are shockingly similar to human ones. But then, you knew that already, right?”

8) On the grass stains on his back after an afternoon siesta: “I look like I’ve been enjoying myself with the sheep a little too much.”

9) On the consumption of alcohol in fine dining establishments: “In other countries, binge drinking at a Michelin starred restaurant might be frowned upon. But in Spain, apparently, it’s perfectly acceptable. At least, I hope it is.”

10) On Jamón Ibérico, again: “To pass through Spain and not try this most traditional, most loved expression of Spanish history and culture is like letting the great love of one’s like slip through one’s fingers.”