The Wines of Jorge Ordoñez

Spanish Table Seattle Newsletter

September 4, 2009

We had the good fortune this week to re-taste some of the excellent current releases of esteemed wine importer Jorge Ordoñez, hosted by National Sales Manager Sara Floyd, M.S. And best of all, these wines were poured at two of our favorite Spanish restaurants with memorable foods to match. It was a compelling demonstration of how a well chosen wine enhances food. On Wednesday evening at Taberna del Alabardero (http://www.alabardero.com/seattle/index.html), the meaty Sauteed Pompano with Almonds and Ham, Navarra style, was fantastic with medium bodied and silky 2002 Sierra Cantabria Reserva Rioja ($19.99). Apple tart dessert with cabrales ice cream was divine paired with elegant stone-fruit and citrus flavored Victoria Moscatel dessert wine from Malaga ($29.99).

Thursday at noon found us at Olivar (http://www.olivarrestaurant.com/olivar.html) on Capital Hill. Over three hours, seventeen wines paired with scrumptious tapas served family-style made for a darned good way to spend a rainy afternoon. Grilled scallops with fried shallots and corn salad paired fantastically with minerally and delicate 2008 La Cana Albariño ($15.99). 2008 Botani dry Moscatel from Sierras de Malaga ($19.99)was a perfect match to matchstick slices of manchego and red apple, tossed together with citrus.

We always leave these restaurants with savory memories and the satisfaction of a great dining experience. If you can’t afford a trip to Spain, spend an evening at one of these restaurants and have a taste of Iberia right here at home!

WE WILL BE OPEN ON MONDAY 9/7 (LABOR DAY) FROM 11 AM TO 5 PM.

NEW WHITE WINES

2008 Botani Moscatel Seco, Sierras de Malaga ($19.99) “The 2008 Botani is 100% Moscatel de Alejandria fermented 70% in stainless steel and 30% in French oak. Medium straw-colored, it has an alluring perfume of spring flowers, honey, spice box, and tropical fruits. Smooth-textured, ripe, dry, and mouth-filling, this expressive effort is an excellent match for sushi and Thai food.” 90 points Wine Advocate

2008 Peza do Rei Blanco, Ribera Sacra ($19.99) The region of Ribera Sacra was spotlighted in the July 15, 2009 New York Times and Peza do Rei was singled out as “delicate and distinctive”. Available by special order only, we brought in a case after tasting it. A blend of 70% Godello, 20% Treixadura and 10% Albarino, grown on 8 acres of vertiginous south-facing slate terraces, Peza do Rei is unoaked and intensely aromatic. Lemon peel blends with a touch of tropical fruit in this savory and intensely mineral white. The finish seems never ending. Only 4000 bottles produced. 90 points Stephen Tanzer

2008 Shaya, Rueda ($14.99) Naia was a customer favorite and it was a sad day when we learned that it would no longer be available. Importer Jorge Ordonez has replaced Naia with Shaya, a new project with the Gil family of Jumilla. Produced from old vines, the sandy soils make it possible that many of the vines are over 100 years old and ungrafted. Grassy aromas with complex grapefruit notes, this balanced white is racy with a persistent finish. And the same price as Naia!

NEW FOODS

ZOE MEATS BACON Those of you that have tasted the Zoe Meats Chorizo will be big fans of Zoe’s bacon. Dry cured and apple wood smoked, these thick meaty slices of bacon do not shrink when cooked like bacons curied in brine. Great for BLT’s!

QUICOS Giant Crunch Spanish Salted Corn Nuts. $7.99/lb

PITTED KALAMATA OLIVES

These kalamatas are fleshier and less salty than our previous batch. They are in a red wine brine. Great for salads, omelets and pasta dishes. $8.99/lb.

CASTELLANO CHEESE

This cheese is made throughout the region of Castillo y Leon from milk coming from Churra and Castellana breeds. It is slightly granular with a compact texture, buttery with rich aromas. It is a table cheese that can be enjoyed alone or accompanied by quince, which accentuates its characteristic flavor. $15.99/lb.

GREAT WINES ON SALE

2004 Emilio Moro, Ribera del Duero ($24.99) Price reduced $5.00! “The reasonably priced 2004 Emilio Moro is a terrific Ribera del Duero aged in equal parts French and American oak prior to bottling. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by a projected nose of blackberries, currants, cherries, smoky oak, and crushed rocks. Terrific texture, super purity, an opulent, full-bodied palate, and a long, heady finish suggest it will keep for 7-8 years.” 92 points Robert Parker

2001 Balbas Reserva, Ribera del Duero $32.00, was $38.00 Close out! Made of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, Balbas is concentrated and complex. Sadly, our distributor will no longer be carrying it, so we bought all of the remaining 2001 Reserva, which is drinking beautifully right now. “This spicy red shows an alluring mix of ripe fruit, with more mature flavors of tobacco, leather and cedar. The tannins are well-integrated and softening, while the acidity is still fresh and crisp. Elegant and long. Drink now through 2015.” 93 points Wine Spectator

2005 Numanthia, Toro ($49.00) Price reduced $11.00! Made from 70 to 100 year old vines, aged in oak barrels for 18 months, this wine explodes on the palate with flavors of ripe blackberry, vanilla and herbal notes. “A deep, youthfully brooding bouquet offers dark cherry, blackcurrant, incense and suave oak spices. Spicy cherry and dark berry flavors show an exotic anise quality and slow-building sweetness. This gently tannic, chewy, extremely persistent wine finishes with echoes of oak spice and floral pastille, not to mention excellent vivacity.” 93 points Stephen Tanzer, 92 points Wine Advocate

2001 Finca Valpiedra Reserva Rioja ($18.99) Close out price – was $21.99! Conde de Valdemar’s single estate Rioja, Finca Valpiedra is a spectacular 80 hectare plot characterized by pebbles and limestone. The grapes are hand picked, manually sorted and aged in new French oak for over 12 months. We’ve always loved this Rioja and when the distributor had to close it out, we bought all of their stock. Let this breathe for 20 minutes to release its concentrated black cherry flavors. Earthy with balsalmic notes, Valpiedra has silky tannins and a persistent finish. Wonderful with lamb chops or paella!

NEW SHIPMENT

Clay Portuguese ceramics. Olive serving dishes in assorted styles and colors: brown, white and gray. They make great gifts!

Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!

Sincerely,

Sharon Baden and Steve Winston, Owners

The Spanish Table, 1426 Western Avenue, Seattle WA 98101 phone# 206.682.2827
Paris Grocery, 1418 Western Avenue, Seattle WA 98101 phone# 206.682.0679

Day of the Dead in Oaxaca

October 23rd, 2008

Next Tuesday night, we are flying off to Oaxaca for a week of tasting moles and steeping ourselves in the atmosphere of Los Dias de Muertos.   Rooted in pre-Columbian rituals, the annual, decorative ceremony pays respect to the departed.  The markets and park stalls will be filled with sugar skulls, paper-mache skeletons and marigolds. While we are gone, Isaac Rivera from our Santa Fe store will be helping out here in Seattle again.  If you met him when he was here last May, drop in and say hello.
Some new stuff now in the store:
COPPER CATAPLANAS: These Portuguese clam cookers are back in time for Christmas but at much higher prices ($80.00 to $160 each).  4 sizes, 23cm, 26cm, 29cm & 33cm.  New flat bottoms and shrink wrapped without being lacquered making them easier to use (Available Friday, October 24th).
BLACK GLAZED CAZUELAS: What we expect to be a one-time import, we have brought in some open cazuelas and some bean pots with lids glazed in black.  Our supplier gave us a price break on these so if we do import them again, it will be at a higher price.
EUROPEAN STYLE MUSTARDS Since 1996, our supplier Kitty Keller has wanted to import coarse mustard made with Banyuls vinegar, but couldn’t do it because U.S. Customs collects a 100% duty on all European mustards as a retaliatory tariff.  Eventually, she found a U.S. firm she liked and trusted to do her private recipes.  Here is her line‑up:
BANYULS MUSTARD:This is coarse mustard with French-Catalan Vinegar of Banyuls, a touch of water, mustard seeds, Spanish sea salt containing no anti‑caking or flowing agents and a dash of turmeric to keep the color.
DIJON MUSTARD: This is what Dijon style mustard should be: mustard seed, water, vinegar, sea salt.
DIJON TRUFFLE MUSTARD: The addition of a substantial ration of truffle bits and truffle essence to this silky mustard will take your jamon y queso on baguette up more than a notch.  What you will have is a heavenly bocadillo.
RUSSIAN MUSTARD: Not from Kitty Keller – a Gorbachev Babushka doll adorns the label of this post-cold war, imported hot mustard.
QUESOS
MONTCABRER:  Spanish Table Exclusive!  This beautiful charcoal and grey rind wheel of cheese is made by the famous cheese maker, Josep of Nevat. A Catalonian original, this semi-firm goat cheese is bathed in vegetable oil and charcoal and aged for 90 days. The texture is creamy and slightly chalky. The flavors are sweetly herbaceous with mushroom overtones, and a subdued tangy finish.
DOM VILLAS QUEIJO DE VACA CURADO:  Dom Villas is a cow’s milk curado aged 6 months.  This Farmstead cheese is made on a small cooperative of four people near the costal area north of Porto Friesia, Portugal. The texture is creamy and springy. Dom Villas is washed in brine to enhance its herbaceous mildly piquant buttery flavors.
KITTY KELLER’S SALTS
BLACK TRUFFLE SALT: Kitty also combines black winter truffle powder and truffle essence for flavor and truffle scent.  Election night, what could be better than a bottle of chilled Cava and popcorn dusted with Black Truffle Salt?
SAFFRON SALT: Simply stellar Spanish sea salt with bits of saffron threads and a tasty custom ground saffron powder.  This is terrific dusted over shrimp to be grilled or rubbed on chicken which turns a beautiful color when roasted and has great flavor!
PIQUILLO BLOW-OUT: This week, Napoleon Piquillo Peppers from Peru are a beat-the-Euro, low, low price of just $2.99 a jar. Stock up while our floor-stack lasts!
POEMA BRUT CAVA $8.99: Crisp night air and cool coastal waters translate into bright and juicy tasting citrus and sea shell which compliment this sparkler with its aromas of pears, toast and orange zest.  Price just reduced from $10.99!
NV ALANDRA RED ALENTEJO $6.99:  We mentioned this Portuguese wine in our email last week.  Saturday night, we took it to a wine tasting where it showed itself off in a blind tasting of 14 wines scoring in the top tier.  Bursting with flavor, it is the best value in the store right now.  Look for it on top of the wine barrel marked “Great Value.”
TERRAI BLANCO MACABEO CARIÑENA, $6.99: Floral, fruity, tropical flavors with a bit of a tart citrus finish makes this white wine perfect for sipping while you catch the latest election shenanigans.  Or turn off the TV and pair it with cheese and one of our fig jams.
NUNTIUS CARIÑENA ‘07, $12.99: After tasting 25 variations, Bellingham importer Basilio Grueso of Casa Ventura Imports came up with this power packed wine blended from garnacha, syrah and tempranillo.  Earthy and smokey with hints of rose petal, you won’t find a better bottle of wine under $15.00.  Look for the red label with a branch and a bird.
As we mentioned last week, Basilio and Andaluca Restaurant are putting on a Spanish Wine Dinner, this Friday October 24th.   A six course meal pairs a different wine with each plate that’s guaranteed to knock your socks off!  The cost is $99 per person.   For details or reservations, contact Andaluca Restaurant 206-382-6999 or email kkhoshdel@andaluca.com
PLAVAC CROATIAN RED DRY WINE: This Dalmatian red from the Dingnac winery is reminiscent of the village wines made in Spain 20 years ago and sold to people who brought their own 5 liter jug to the winery along with a handful of pesetas.  The donkey loaded with wicker saddle bags filled with grapes telegraphs its pre-Parkerian character, unspoiled by flattery or adulation.  At $15.99, it is neither a value nor a discovery but it is a trip down memory lane.  Drink it with eggplant baked in Ajvar.
BOOK:  SPAIN A Culinary Road Trip, Mario Batali with Gwyneth Paltrow: Companion to the PBS television series, this book is filed with fun photos of both food and celebrities; travel tips and great recipes.  Now in stock!
By the way, if you want to participate in Day of the Dead, here at The Spanish Table we have folding paper altars, greeting cards, books, papel picado banners, paper mache skulls and plastic molds for making sugar skulls so that you can have your own Day of the Dead celebration. We also have a range of Moles so you can prepare your own Day of the Dead feast.