Pass with Merit

Today has been quite an odd day. I guess it is Monday!

It started out bright and sunny, but the skies started to cover and by 10 it was raining again, and since then, it has been on and off. And it is cold! Brrrrrr... 

I do not know if the summer will eventually arrive to stay, but for sure; not today. Blankets out and hoping the sun comes back soon. 14 degrees in June is not fun, it's fresh.

The paperwork to import my car is ongoing, I am starting to get the hang of it and in no time I will be greeted by my first name in all official institutions. Lets see if I manage to close that soon. Also the amount of boxes in my house decrease by the day, everything is finding its place and I just need a reasonable estimate and a reasonable delivery time for a new kitchen, et voilà! All sorted.

Met two friends for coffee and my mother called me to tell me that an envelope from the "Royal Mail" had arrived for me. If you are wondering if Prince Harry himself wrote me a letter, I am afraid not. However; the envelope contained a certificate from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust with my 'WSET Level 3 Award in Wines and Spirits'.

Yu-ju, I passed! And that means that the first step of my wine career is ticked. Next stop: the Diploma.

Now I must decide what format to choose for the next two years... OK, I guess today I can rejoice and tomorrow think.

Buenas noches y... salud!

Week Two

Furniture in place and 60+ boxes ready to be unpacked, days go by with many things done and many others to do.

Yesterday the movers brought in my 21 cubic meters of unnecessary but happy-to-see-again things. 

The day started out cloudy and grey, but by noon, beautiful cloud-free and bright-blue skies together with 25 degrees were so nice to be living in. 

In the afternoon; unpacking and cleaning. With the windows wide open and the magnificent and recently released Cecilia Bartoli's 'Norma', playing loud, courtesy of my friend Nacho. The birds happy with the music and singing along. It is good to be in the middle of nowhere surrounded by peace, quiet and nature (not always that silent).

The landscape is beautiful. I just can't help being amazed of the natural beauty of this land, so often abused and badly treated, in the best case scenario, just ignored or not appreciated. I guess the saying: 'you do not know what you've got till it's gone', can also apply. This year has been so rainy, that everywhere is an explosion of green. My garden is blossoming and the mountains, yes! my very much missed mountains, are a succession of green waves crossed by blue, full of water rivers. 

I promise to post some breathtaking pictures, but I just can't make up my mind of which one. I guess you should all come and see it with your own eyes. In the meanwhile, a picture of my blossoming kiwi trees :)

Talking about visiting, the week gave me two GREAT surprises. The first one is confirmed to arrive on the 16 of July, only 31 days to go and counting... I was so excited that I almost cried of joy. Later in the evening, the second surprise arrived, pending exact day confirmation, another visit of another dear friend for the first or second (why not both?) week of August. So if I ever feared I would get bored (which has not been the case so far), it seems that from the 16 of July, to the 20 of September I will be happily showing my latest place on earth to some very dear friends. I am thrilled!

Time for tradition, 'un vinito' (a wine) with Marieta, where other friends might join, in a terrace under the 21:00 sun. 

Yeap, life in Spain is (still) good, despite of the news.

Salud! 

Home Sweet Ribeiro DO

Long time no write. I know some of you are wondering if I fell in a barrel of Mencia wine in Bierzo, but fortunately (or unfortunately) it was not the case.

I arrived to my Galician hometown a week ago. The week has had its share of wine drinking, not so much of wine tasting. 

Arriving in June is the perfect timing for all the school year end and other festive activities. I started out on Saturday with a friend's sixties birthday party. Fantastic! My niece's gymnastics show, Sunday morning. The 'fabulous four' gathering, in the afternoon; painters and workers in my house; my other niece's theatre play on Wednesday and my own share of bureaucratic diligences throughout the week. I must say, in this sense, it is great being In Spain! Even tedious paperwork is much more bearable with nice, customer friendly people behind the counter. At least there is one skill Germans could learn from us. It is interesting to see the idea people have about other nationalities. No, Germans are not always right and not always 'that' efficient, and Spanish are not always sleeping siesta and dancing flamenco. A pity, but true ;)

To be honest, a week ago I was a bit scared about my landing. For over a month I had been living in an in-between, meeting different people, seeing beautiful places and discovering new wines. Lovely! But the idea of being back for good, was a completely different thing and I was not so sure I was fully  prepared for it (like if anyone is ever 'fully' prepared for anything). However, I must say: "so far, so good". 

Head first, my actual project is now sorting out my house, which is looking prettier and prettier and the upcoming months promise to be full of cleaning, organising and gardening activity. 

With the idea of 'one step at the time' still in mind, I think I could fill my summer days with this purpose. And why not, some well deserved sun and fun. After I settle in and before I start my next level at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, I will continue with my wine tasting excursions and finding my place. 

At times it just doesn't feel real, is like the film of my life in 3D, I do not know if this lack of full awareness is some kind of anaesthetic effect because the body and the mind know best, or is it the effect of wine? ;) The other possibility is that I am so fully aware and feel so comfortable in my skin, that everything feels right. Too late to start worrying about formalisms, non-constructive thoughts are not  welcomed in my mind and I have absolute faith that time will set the pace and events will flow when the time is right. It was only me who decided to follow this gut feeling and now I have to keep walking, not a good time to start getting rational and pragmatic, only confident and proactive.

Today's post is not really about wine, but about my present status. Maybe you were also wondering about my doings. I will not entertain you more with domestic matters and promise to be back as soon as my wining life is restored. 

Have a nice weekend, be happy and enjoy.

Salud! 

Mencia, the heart of Bierzo

If anyone has the impression I am not enjoying my very personal pilgrimage, please, get that idea out of your mind. I think I have not enjoyed more in my life (or maybe I have). This is just such a great experience.

Today, my day started out in Ponferrada after a not so pleasant stay at a decadent, horrible service hotel. This morning I thought my predisposition for the day was not the best, but I could not have been more mistaken.

At 10 I had the first visit scheduled at Castro Ventosa winery. I arrived a bit late and I just hate being late, so no, not a good start. After apologising, I was shown the winery on bottling day. This one is a very small family-run winery, producing around one hundred and fifty thousand bottles out of 65 hectares of old vineyards. 

In the last five days I have seen the oldest vines of the trip. Here and in Toro, this is given great importance due to the low yields and high concentration of the fruit characteristics in the grape.

By 10:30 I was tasting three wines directly from the vats and without the possibility of using a spittoon. LOL. I guess from that moment on, my day could only be fantastic.

After this visit, I went to the wine council to get a full list of DO Bierzo wineries and called them to see if it was possible to visit them. I got some visits confirmed and since my next visit was at 16:00, I decided to have a long lunch. And I did! At Moncloa. The food was super yummy and the wine... well, what can I say?

This was only the starter, do you really want to see more? I do not know if you will be able to bear it... 

 Sorry, I did warn you.

After my very much enjoyed lunch, time for my next visit. 

At Bodegas Godelia I arrived early (to make up for the previous delay), got a brief introduction and was toured around the winery, really, Spanish wineries have the latest technology, it is a great pride the way that wines are produced in this country.

After the visit, the tasting... Hhhhmmmm, yes, a golden brooch. Josep, the oenologist, arrived at that point and we got engaged in a very interesting conversation, starting off with vineyard management, the conversation covered many subjects, all very interesting where he gave me great ideas and information, ten minutes before six (yes, two and a half hours later), I got the reminder that my next visit was due at six. Oh dear, time flies when you are having fun. I did not even have the time to finish the tasting, but he gave me a bottle of their premium wine for my very personal wine tasting. Thanks Josep, it has been my great pleasure.

Last visit for the day to Pittacum, who's wines I had met before. Javier was my guide this time. He was an absolute star, very knowledgable and another wine lover. What a pleasure! His approach was from a very technical point of view that I greatly appreciated. I must say, it feels really good when being an amateur with professional aspirations to be considered a fellow wine expert. Oh yes!

With Javier we ended up tasting directly from the vat, the ready to bottle Pittacum Aurea. Lovely wine. The oak, acidity, tannins, alcohol, so well integrated, resulting in a deliciously round wine.

Being only little over a hundred kilometres from Ourense, tomorrow will must likely be the end of the journey home. It is a bit sad, but I think I am ready for landing and start with the phase B. Time to sort out domestic issues and transfer into a business plan all my thoughts, ideas and experiences.

During the well over three thousand kilometres of road, the initial draft idea has finished the fermentation and it is in the maturation phase. I have reached the point where I know where I want to be, and now, I just need to figure out the 'how to get there' part. My next journey.

Salud and sweet (wine) dreams ;)

Toro and its 'Tinta'

I have spent my last two days visiting wineries in the Toro DO. 

For those of you who have never heard nor tried these wines, Toro wines are known for their... How can I call it? Power? Yes, Toro wines are powerful. 

Following the Duero river, after Rueda, Toro is in the provinces of Valladolid and Zamora. Mostly reds, the main grape is Tempranillo, here known as 'Tinta de Toro'. Claimed to be the original, pre-phylloxera grape, they say the pest did not reach this land, due to the poor soils. And the are! Sand and stone, with a very extreme continental climate, one can often find vines of well over a hundred years and meters-long roots that find the water deep in the sandy soils. Very reduced yields and high concentration of sugars, being the Toro wines, high in tannins, alcohol (always around, more likely above,15%) and lots of complexity. 

The vineyards are mostly bush trained, the way they have traditionally been, and the grapes hand-harvested, selecting the best, first in the vineyard and latter in a selection table, before placing the unpressed destemmed grapes in the stainless steel vats for the first fermentation. In order to 'smoothen' the wines, the wine receives oxygen, by transferring it first to an open container before pumping it over.

Once the alcoholic fermentation is done, new French and American 225 oak barrels are used for the malolactic fermentation and the ageing. This is of course not the general rule, with slight, or not so slight, variations from winery to winery.

These strong, full of personality wines pair beautifully with the rich Castilian dishes. 

Potatoes with spareribs and vino de Toro at Restaurante Castilla

Of the five wineries I visited and the close to fifteen wines I tried, I can say that Toro is producing wines of good quality for the strong-red wine lovers, with marked land characteristics. All different and for all palates. I guess now you have to do your share of wine tasting ;)

Salud!

Another day in wineadise

Four weeks have passed since I left Germany and started my journey home. So many things have happened, and I am now so used to a life on the road. Who sang that song?... 'Give me a life on the road' (I should add that one to my journey's sound track), and sleeping in so many comfortable and uncomfortable beds, but actually sleeping. That can only be a good sign that I am on the right track.

http://youtu.be/XsybNX5I2tQ

When I planned my suitcase I decided to take the most pragmatic approach. I would be travelling south during the month of May, therefore, I would meet sun and heat, halfway. It has not been the case at all. I have been wearing the same clothes for a month (washing in between). That makes me think of my 21 cubic-meter removal. Unnecessary stuff! My short sleeve t-shirts, skirts and 'sock less' shoes have only, and briefly, seen the light in Belgium. LOL.

Nevertheless I am not complaining, life has been good and generous. I have had the chance to contemplate beautiful landscapes, receive the morning's chill and feel amazed and happy when the sun would come out to greet me. 

Today I had an intensive wineries day, each winery was different and special in their own way. Their mission statement was so personal and valid, that I enjoyed each and every visit. It is so comforting to meet talented and passionate young and old Spanish professionals, who believe in themselves and in what they represent. 

It is so energising, in a country where crisis, unemployment and disenchantment rule, to see the other side. It is a kick in the spirit to try to be our best ambassadors, to believe in ourselves and what we can do for our country and for ourselves.

However, this afternoon I was confronted with the, sadly, present scenario. Two engineers; a chemical engineer, unemployed for the last two years and a telecommunications engineer, with a pay check under 1000 EUR, asking me about job opportunities in Germany. My heart shrunk. It is sad to see young and highly educated Spanish having to leave their houses and families, not because they are unprepared and irresponsible, the way sometimes we are pictured. They are not smarter, more intelligent and better workers when abroad, it is just because elsewhere, they are given the chance to excel. Why not in Spain? Why are we our worst enemies? Why do we always try to compete in price, when we can compete in quality? Why are we so humble (?) with our skills and our products? 

While visiting wineries, the Spanish wineries have nothing to envy, if not the other way around, the wineries I have visited in other parts of Europe, but when selling the wines, Spanish wines are excellent value for money, but of course that has an impact in the whole chain. To achieve those prices, everyone I the chain, chips in. Due to this low wage approach, we go abroad to work and what we do is that the same labour force pays taxes and spends money elsewhere while here an aged population struggles to make it to the end of the month. Shops close, towns die, population decreases, the fields are abandoned and we sell our bottles of wine, at one third of the price we sometimes have to pay for a 'null zwei' glass of wine. And that, hurts. 

Believe me, I have no clue what was first; the chicken or the egg, nor how to fix it. And these, are just my thoughts spoken out loud. 

I am now only a few hundred kilometres away from home, 'reality' time is ticking, at times I feel lost and not knowing how I will continue, but when the morning breaks, I am always clueless how the day will go, and by the end of the day, not only have I survived, but I have learned something new, I have enjoyed and I have had a wonderful day. 'Moraleja': one day at the time, staying positive and looking at the bright side of life.

BTW, next time you visit Spain, be aware that in this country it is easier to have lunch at 17:00 than dinner at 19:30. But I managed to find a place and I am enjoying myself...

    Sartenada Tía Mari. 5€

Paired with a glass of Ribera  del Duero, I am sure this is also... Salud!

Verdejo's green gold

In the province of Valladolid, Verdejo is the king of whites. This white grape is to Rueda, what Tempranillo or 'Tinta del Pais' is to Ribera de Duero. In fact many wineries from the nearby DO are now producing their whites here. 

In the DO Rueda, four white grape varieties are permitted, being Verdejo the predominant grape, followed by Sauvignon Blanc, Viura and Palomino Fino.

The fruity, fresh, young wines from Rueda have similar aroma characteristics as those of the Sauvignon Blanc: lemon and grapefruit citrus aromas, grassy, green apple. However; the hints of melon, the greenish colour and, once you try it, the taste, you know it is a completely different variety. The freshness of the Rueda wines match well the Castilian summers. Meant to drink young and chilled, it will bring to your mouth the freshness on a hot summer day. 

If one can get luckier, meeting Angel Rodríguez Vidal, a legend for the Rueda Verdejo, was my great pleasure today. Following the recommendation of Manuel Perez Pascuas, I called this morning to ask if by chance I could visit the winery. His daughter Sole guided me through the winery dated back to 1780. The visit to this small, full of personality winery was something different and unique. Hand harvested grapes and very traditional vinification method; Martinsancho wines do not talk trend, only quality. 

Their bushed trained, up to 300 hundred year old, Verdejo vines standing well apart in poor stone soils are a beautiful sight, but what captivated me were the small, bright, full of life and wisdom eyes of the 84 year old winemaker. A once in a lifetime experience. 

A man who was pioneer and an active part creating the bases for the Rueda DO, who decided not to sign the increased yield allowance and who thinks the mass produced Rueda wines will have a negative impact on the reputation of the original wines. A dreamer and a fighter, a man of principles, a man ahead of his time. A man proud of his wines. 

Those eyes have seen many things, those eyes know better, those eyes have seen the past and look to the future. A big lesson for me today, not only about wine, but about life.

Salud! 

I am liking more and more this word, which 'just' means health. Just think about it, in many languages when we toast we are wishing each other good health. And wine must be the key... ;)