“Noches con Nombre Proprio” or Nights with First Names is the latest initiative by the Rias Baixas Denomination of Origin Board. This very creative initiative is meant to promote the Albariño wines from this region, and at the same time, help give a little boost to the restaurant industry. For one night each, 40 bars […]
One of my friends is planning a bachelorette party trip to Rioja, and asked me for tips on wineries she should visit. This made me think about the options available. I have to admit that after visiting some wineries in Napa Valley, the wine tourism in Spain seems quite underdeveloped. Recently though, it has been […]
Last night I went with some friends to a new place in Madrid called La Gabinoteca. It’s a modern tapas bar with some very cool and original ideas. The wine list is very different than in most places, specially in Spain where wine lists tend to be quite boring with very little originality. La Gabinoteca […]
Have you ever heard about the San Sebastian Film Festival? It’s not as big as the Cannes or Sundance, but here in Spain, it is kind of a big deal. On Saturday, Brad Pitt was invited to the festival for the presentation of Tarantino’s last film “Inglorious Bastards.” Sadly, he left the day before I […]
As you can see, during this stage of winemaking, we get to do a lot of tastings. In this video, I am tasting the 2009 Merlot which is almost over the alcoholic fermentation process. Though the wine is still very young and has a long way to go, it’s already showing a preview of what […]
As we move forward with the harvest, we are tasting and analyzing the 2009 wines in different fermentation stages and following their evolution. Some of the varietals are still tasting very sweet as they are early in the fermentation process. Also, their color is quite pinkie since they haven’t been in contact with the skins […]
Last week, we harvested the plots of Tempranillo, Merlot and Shiraz, now I’d like to tell you about the rest of the making of the Tempra Tantrum 2009 vintage! After we pick the grapes, we move them into stainless steel deposits (being careful not to smash them), where the grapes are cooled to 14º Celsius/ […]
All of the work that takes place in a vineyard is fascinating, at least I think so! I thought I’d share a video about what goes on behind the scenes in Malpica, sorry for my English mistakes!! In this video, we taste the grapes and analyze the texture of the juice, the flavors of the […]
The 2009 harvest has finally arrived!! Last week I couldn’t write as much as I wanted to because we were very busy at the vineyard picking the Tempranillo, Shiraz and Merlot grapes. This year, the summer has been very dry and hot, causing these three varietals to be ready for harvest at the same time […]
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about food that pairs with dry sherries. The Bloody Sherry post inspired me to the perfect food pairing combination: Gazpacho and Fino! Gazpacho is a cold tomato soup, very popular in Spain during the summer. Although a cold soup may sound a bit strange, this is definitely a recipe you […]
Have you ever tried a Bloody Sherry? It’s a Bloody Mary with a twist! it´s like the two, Fino and bloody Mary, were meant to be together. The salty and nutty character of the Fino, goes perfectly with the tomato juice. Try this recipe!! ¼ cup Osborne Fino Sherry ½ cup of tomato juice ½ […]
I am getting more and more excited as we get closer to D-day: the Tempra Tantrum launch! It’s been two years of hard work and I can’t wait for the official day that our wine goes public. For now, we are one step closer: the Tempra Tantrum website is live! I´m so excited and happy with […]
Last year I was very lucky to get a table at El Bulli, so I never dreamt I would get another chance to go there. But Juli Soler, co-owner of the restaurant, made this dream possible again. I felt absolutely thrilled as there is a waiting list of two years!! Of course, this was also […]
As you can imagine, I’ve been eating a lot of seafood during my vacation and pairing it with all types of white wine. I have some incredible dishes that I will post about when I return home, but for now, I must say that one of my very favourite varietals to pair with seafood is […]
I just met a very cool girl from Pennsylvania who told me about Wine Ice Cream. This is so cool, I really wish we had it here in Spain, it would be perfect right now! All of these flavours sound incredible: Ala Port, Cherry Merlot, Chocolate Cabernet, Peach White Zinfandel, Red Raspberry Chardonnay, Royal White Riesling! […]
There is nothing better than a very, very cold glass of Sangria during vacation. Here is one of my favourite sangria recipes for you to try. Recipe for Sangria (Makes one pitcher) Ingredients – Orange Juice – Fresh Strawberries – Raspberries – A Fruity Wine (like your favourite Tempra Tantrum!) – Lemon – Sugar – Powdered […]
This week in Malpica, the grapes have started changing colour. This stage in viticulture is called véraison (envero in Spanish). It’s a very beautiful moment when the grape bunches paint the landscape with different shades of green, pink, purple and even dark blue. All of the varietals growing in our vineyards have reached this stage […]
It is fairly common for artists to collaborate with wineries in producing creative, beautiful wine label designs, but using wine barrels as a canvas, is a brilliant idea!! In February of this year, sixteen Valencian artists exhibited their wine barrel art interpretations at an exposition during ARCO 2009, an annual international modern art fair in […]
As you might be able to tell, Spain has a lot of big wine festivals throughout the year. There’s the Night of San Juan, Haro Wine Festival, San Fermin/Running of the Bulls, and many, many others. Though these big wine festivals are a lot of fun, I really enjoy (and sometimes prefer) small village festivals […]
What do you think of this label? Do you find it offensive? Apparently it offended the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board who decided to ban the sell of Cycles Gladiator wine in the state. The picture on the label is a copy of an 1895 advertising poster for Gladiator bicycles painted by French artist G. Massias. […]
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