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Madrid - Days 5-8

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 11:51:00 +0000

15-Apr-10 - ...Except for that b****y volcano, of course. I'd seen the news item on the BBC website, but at that time it only seemed to be threatening Scandinavian and Scottish airports. I arrived at the airport in good time, with the prospect of a comfortable hour in the first-class lounge. This was not to be. I may have mentioned before that I choose to travel via Madrid terminal 1 (as opposed to the hell-hole that is terminal 4) because it's quick: my record so far is 12 minutes from the taxi to airside, although at that time I was travelling with hand-baggage only and had checked in on-line. This was different. There seemed to be mile-long queues everywhere, and I staggered to the business-class check-in desk pleading 'special assistance'. The clerk was helpful but was unable to check my bag in as the 15:00 flight was not confirmed. He advised me to come back at 14:00. That was when I discovered that there are NO SEATS of any kind in Terminal 1. People were sitting/lying on the floor or perching wherever they could. I managed to find an unmanned desk and perched on the partition between the two luggage belts until the man from special assistance arrived. To cut a very long story short, things began to happen after that: the Air Europa desk said that the earliest they could get me on a flight would be Monday (bear in mind this was on Thursday) and issued a new ticket. Fortunately I have travel insurance and realised that I'd need a hotel for four nights, and my mental filing system was running through the hotels I know in Madrid. I couldn't afford to go back to the Wellington and was considering my old favourite, the Plaza Mayor... But I needn't have worried. The girl on the desk had made all the arrangements and I was whisked out to a luxury coach (along with the rest of the passengers who'd been trying to check in) and we were driven to the Hotel Auditorium, which is a magnificent new four-star hotel just outside the airport. This claims to be the largest hotel in Europe, with 869 rooms, and seemed to be effortlessly geared-up for coachloads of people arriving unexpectedly. The hotel's main business is conferences and events, and the foyer is the size of an aircraft hangar with an atrium four storeys high, a huge lobby bar, glass-walled lifts, some rather kitschy but very nice lighting gear and an exploded Chevrolet ('Crash' - modern art).

The Great Glass Elevator (and Chandelier). Pic.: www.hotelauditorium.com

'Crash'

The Great Glass Chandelier (Airport Beyond)

As I checked in I asked what the deal was: "The airline is paying full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Buffet-Madrid..." The clerk handed me vouchers stamped with the date and my room number. "...Just hand these in at the desk." And that was it. The room was on the first floor and half as big again as the one I'd had at the Wellington, with a double bed, armchair, table, desk, marble bathroom, TV (with BBC World News and Sky News) and free (!) Wifi. This last was to be a particular boon as I was to spend most of the next few days working on the laptop. Luxury accommodation! Having investigated the lobby bar I headed for the Buffet-Madrid with the first of my vouchers. This is a spectacular affair, with 1,000 covers and two self-service counters with hot and cold food, salads, fruit, desserts and what have you. I loaded up a plate and found a seat - communal tables - and looked for the wine list. There wasn't one: a smoothly-efficient waitress appeared as if from nowhere and put bottles of mineral water and Rioja on the table, and went away. The Rioja proved to be the house red: 2008 Antaño from Bodegas Garcia Carrión and was, quite frankly, excellent. This was not haute cuisine but extremely welcome, unlimited in quantity, and a blessèd relief after the sight of passengers from 'budget' airlines sleeping on their luggage at the airport. If this was being 'stranded', well, I wasn't going to complain, and neither was anybody else I spoke to. We were being treated like honoured guests rather than airport refugees - the level of service was spectacular.

Salón de Gourmets Madrid - Day 4

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:31:00 +0000

14-Apr-10 - Having missed out on a visit to the Mercado de San Miguel last Monday I was determined to get there today, and so spent just the morning (well, until about 14:00) at the show. As I was enjoying my regular 'Spanish breakfast' (coffee and brandy) in the cafeteria I was approached by Carmen Muñoz, who was staying in the same hotel and had spotted me in the foyer. She's the export manager of Bodegas Sauci in the DO Condado de Huelva, which is another relatively obscure region which I like to investigate when I have the opportunity (see post of 30-Mar-09): their main stock in trade was fortified wines in the Sherry style, (digression alert!) made famous in the fourteenth century by Chaucer in 'The Pardoner's Tale':

Now kepe yow fro the white and fro the rede,
And namely fro the white wyn of Lepe
That is to selle in Fysshstrete or in Chepe.
This wyn of Spaigne crepeth subtilly
In othere wynes, growynge faste by,
Of which ther ryseth swich fumositee
That whan a man hath dronken draughtes thre,
And weneth that he be at hoom in Chepe,
He is in Spaigne, right at the toune of Lepe,
Nat at the Rochele, ne at Burdeux toun.

The town of Lepe is within the province of Huelva (although outside the modern-day DO Condado de Huelva), and it seems that the wines were legendary even in those days, and apparently on sale in Fish Street (London EC3) and Cheapside (London EC2). Chaucer's use of the word 'fumositee' implies that wines from Huelva were fortified at that time - no-one really knows when fortification of Andaluz wines began, although it is believed that the Moors, who ruled much of Spain from 711 until 1492 AD, introduced distilling. Until 1933, when the Sherry Consejo Regulador was founded (although it wasn't called that then), the wines were cheerfully shipped down the coast to Jerez for blending with Sherry. Since then the region has had to find a different role for its wines, although the fortified Condado Pálido (Fino type) and Condado Viejo (Oloroso type) are still made, and generally represent excellent value for money.

(Further digression alert!) Interestingly, too, Chaucer mentions La Rochelle which was originally the main port for the export of Cognac (although Cognac wasn't made until the 16th century, so the town would have been exporting wine at that time) and Bordeaux which, since the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry II of England in 1152 was an offshore part of England and which was shipping wine, duty free, in large quantities. The Worshipful Company of Vintners had been established in London in 1363 and it's as well to remember that Chaucer's father was a wine merchant.

(Further further digression alert!) Chaucer rhymes the town of Lepe with 'cheap' but, of course, its modern-day pronunciation rhymes with 'Pepe'. In popular culture the jokes which the English used to tell about the Irish, the Irish told about people from County Kerry, the French told about the Belgians, the Belgians told about the Dutch etc., etc. (these are not allowed any more, of course, as they are not politically correct) are told in Spain about 'Fernando from Lepe'. This is, perhaps, from the comic actor José Álvarez (1890-1967) who was known as 'Lepe', or, indeed, it may be that he took his pseudonym from the town because the jokes were already extant (he was born and died in Madrid). In either case, at one time the mayor of Lepe became so fed up with its reputation that, working on the basis that 'if you can't beat 'em, make a profit out of 'em', instituted a clowning festival which brought very welcome tourist income to the city. (All right, digressions over).

So, getting back to the job in hand, later in the morning I found my way to the Condado de Huelva stand and met up with Carmen. Sauci does not own vineyards but buys in musts and wines for blending and ageing (in Jerez it would be called an almacenista). The bodega produces wines from joven afrutado (100% Zalema - pleasant, undistinguished) all the way up to PX and the new classic style (well, all right, since about 1850) of vino naranja, fortified with spirit which has been used to marinate the skins of Seville oranges (no, honestly. They're all doing it now):

Sauci Espinapura (Condado Pálido) - 100% Palomino, 15% abv, 4 years solera - lovely flor freshness, clean on the nose; also clean, fresh and light on the palate, rather like a Manzanilla - delicious - 16/20 - €5

S' Naranja (Generoso de Licor) - Palomino and PX, 15% abv, 10 years solera - orange-scented, I wrote 'Terry's chocolate orange' in my notes; on the palate the orange flavour doesn't dominate and it comes across as a pleasant 'after dinner' type drink. Interesting - €12

S' PX (Vino Dulce Natural) - 15% abv - toffee with a hint of citrus on the nose, and a lovely, rich freshness (I wrote 'Montilla-style' but they'll probably hate that), clean fruit and a clean finish with 'toffee-apple' flavours - 17/20 - €13 (50 cl)

S' PX Solera 1989 - 15% abv - again that hint of citrus on the nose, fragrant and very softly-sweet on the palate, clean and gentle on the finish - delicious - 16/20 - €20 (50 cl)

These are, by and large, excellent wines and ridiculously cheap... But you try selling them in the UK. Interestingly, during the tasting with Carmen who should come by but Marta Angulo from 'A Taste of Spain', for whom I'd done a presentation at Alimentaria a couple of weeks ago (see post of 25-Mar-10). She is based in Andalucía, too, in Cádiz. It's a small world.

So, off to the Mercado de San Miguel. My colleague Ana Vitienes, who runs a food and drink PR agency in Madrid, wrote a piece for YES CHEF! Magazine singing the praises of the market which was reopened after a major revamp in May, 2009. It's a relatively small complex but with a wide range of stalls - meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, and various bars and cafeterias, humming with activity. If you're a lover of fresh produce, olive oil and good wine, this is a must-visit in Madrid, and it's only a stone's throw from the Plaza Mayor. It's open from 10:00 to midnight Sunday-Wednesday and 10:00 until 02:00 Thursday-Saturday. As a venue for after-theatre drinks, it's a magnet for the city's trendies: a fabulous place.

Our final 'formal' event of the trip was dinner at Ramón Freixa, a Michelin-starred restaurant in the Hotel Selenza in the calle Claudio Coello. Freixa is a Catalan from Barcelona, where his family has run a restaurant for yonks, and he now also consults for a restaurant in Melbourne, writes books, appears on telly etc., etc.

Anyway, the meal was excellent, kicking off with an amazing 'washing line' of crispy nibbles (hard to describe) but absolutely fabulous breads, French unsalted butter and Catalan olive oil, The main menu is very inventive, including a duck-burger with mustard ice-cream (I passed on the ice-cream) and loads of puds - apparently Freixa is an ambitious pâtissier. I was most impressed by a dessert of tiny fruit including an apple the size of a cherry, covered in gold leaf. There was also a basket made of 'Rice Krispies', delicious membrillo and a tiny marshmallow, a chocolate 'wedge' and, well, quite a lot of chocolate. We finished off with coffee and La Bota de Brandy from Equipo Navazos in Montilla. This was an excellent finish to a wonderfully-organised trip. Nothing could go wrong...

Pictures to follow

Salón de Gourmets Madrid - Day 3

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:31:00 +0000

13-Apr-10 - Work starts today at IFEMA, the major exhibition centre of Madrid. I had been booked by the Club de Gourmets (CdG) to do a presentation on pink wines but circumstances had led to the cancellation of that particular project. My contact, Reyes López, who is a director of the CdG Magazine, was apologetic but confirmed that the agreed fee would still be paid, which proved to be a boon later in the week (thanks to that volcano - more later). So I was free to wander, look up old chums and taste whatever presented itself.

I started off at the stand of Bodegas Barbadillo, the classic Sherry producer which now owns wineries in Ribera del Duero and Somontano. I was hosted by Ignacio Morán who explained how the company has developed over recent years, and invited me to taste some of the range. Prices, where quoted, are approximate retail (£) in the UK or, failing that in Spain (€) as listed by www.wine-searcher.com:

Solear Manzanilla - this is a classic of the genre and I know it well, but it's still wonderful, with a lovely, fresh, nutty flor nose and a delicious, bone-dry palate, fresh, clean, and reminiscent of blanched almonds - 18/20 - £8.59

2009 Castillo de San Diego, VdlT Cádiz - a bit of history here: unfortified wines from Jerez, made from the Palomino, had always been rather neutral, dull. uninspiring, and usually a bit oxidised. Then, a few years ago at the London Wine Fair I was called on to the Barbadillo stand to taste the new vintage of this wine. I refused initially but was convinced by the promise that the company had a new winemaker - Montserrat Molina - and that she had revitalised the wine. Oh yeah? Well, yeah! I was astonished at the freshness and cleanliness of the wine and, indeed, it went on to become Spain's best-selling white on the home market. The 2009 showed a hint of herby fruit on the nose with some fresh acidity, and although rather light on the palate was a clean, easy-drinking dry white and very pleasant - 16/20 - €4.20

The Vega Real (DO Ribera del Duero) wines seemed to need a bit more work - the 2008 Roble showed warm spicy fruit on the nose but a rather tannic austerity on the palate, and the 2007 Crianza was similarly tannic and seemed to need more time: 'fruit struggling' was what I wrote in my notes.

Then it was on to Bodega Pirineos in the DO Somontano. I first visited here in the 1990s when it was a new DO and this bodega was the Cooperativa de Somontano de Sobrarbe, owned by its members. On my next visit it had become Bodega Pirineos, a limited company with its former members as shareholders, and it was bought by Barbadillo in 2007. I particularly remember it as the winemaker there was one of the last few in Somontano to be working with the local, indigenous grape varieties. On my first visit (which was in 1989) we'd tasted samples of wine made from the white Alcañón and the red Parraleta and Moristel. Almost everybody seems to have given up on the Alcañón, and, as most of the major producers in the region are owned by giant multinationals, they aren't interested in experimenting with minority-interest local varieties when they can use grapes with a guaranteed track-record such as Cabernet-Sauvignon (which the DO website describes as 'a Burgundy grape' - great research there: must be a big surprise to them in Dijon!), Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, er... Sorry, I was nodding off, there.

Anyway, Pirineos is still persevering with Parraleta and Moristel, albeit in minority percentages, and they were showing the 2004 Marboré which is mainly Tempranillo with 12 months in oak, and a smoky fruit on the nose, big but austere fruit on the mid-palate but bright fruit on the finish with 'working' tannins, and should improve in a year or so - 16/20 - €17

A quick word about Somontano: the last time I was there it was a frosty February, with snow on the ground (remember that we're up in the Pyrenees here) and we visited several wineries (including Pirineos) but the one that sticks in my mind is Bodegas Lalanne, not only because of the excellent quality of their wines but because on our visit the boss was happily driving the forklift truck in the background, and we were shown round by his three beautiful daughters, Leonor, Laura and Lucrezia, all of whom are trained winemakers. As far as I'm aware the wines are not at present listed in the UK, which is a great pity.

And, staying with Somontano, the export manager at Bodea Pirineos is Martin Abell, and his wife Kathy works on behalf of the Ruta del Vino Somontano for those who want to visit this astonishingly beautiful part of Spain.

Anyway I digress - back to the Salón: at these shows I'm always interested in seeking out wine regions that are largely unknown and which, quite frankly, are so obscure that I couldn't really justify a trip to visit them. One such is Cantabria, which has two VdlT zones - Costa de Cantabria on the north coast, and Liébana further inland. I'd heard of them but never tasted any of the wines and, although Cantabria is yet another beautiful, mountainous part of Spain (incorporating part of the Picos de Europa) my only experience of it is driving through, after arriving at the port of Santander on the car ferry.

Bodegas Vidular was founded in 2006 in Junta de Voto, VdlT Costa de Cantabria, at an altitude of 120 m:

2007 Ribera del Asón - Albariño/Chardonnay/Riesling - a combination of 'peachy' Albariño and 'meaty' Chardonnay on the nose with big ketones, lovely soft fruit on the palate with weight provided by the Chardonnay, very clean, light and delicious on the palate - 16/20

Bodegas Picos de Cabariezo was founded in Cabezón de Liébana (VdlT Liébana) in 2000 when the vineyards were planted, and the first commercial vintage was made in 2007. They grow mainly Mencía grapes with a bit of Syrah:

2009 Picos de Cabariezo Roble - 5 months in oak - dark chocolate and spice on the nose and a very individualistic style on the palate, with the crispness of the Mencía softened by the peppery spice of the Syrah. Some acidity on the finish but this should soften - 16/20 - €6-7

I also tasted the 2007 with 6 months in oak, which showed more Syrah style but a rather bitter and austere finish. I think the winemaking has moved on since then.

Heading towards a tapas lunch generously provided by the CdG, I paused at the Extremadura stand which was very handsomely laid out with subsidiary presentations on individual tables celebrating the region's fantastic ham and oil as well as wine. I settled on the section devoted to Bodegas Ruíz Torres (VdlT Extremadura) with a view to tasting their range of wines, but this was not to be a success. The man I took to be in charge of the stand managed to avoid eye-contact at all costs, and spent most of the time talking on his mobile 'phone. Eventually I resorted to opening the bottles myself: the white Anteros (Pardina) was pleasant enough (15/20) as was the pink (Tempranillo - also 15/20). I was interested in these wines particularly because they registered 10% and 9.5% abv respectively, and in a market climate where people are, allegedly, looking for lower-alcohol wines they showed great potential. I would have liked to know more about them and also to taste the red, but mine host was still glued to his mobile 'phone and facing in the opposite direction so I left.

After the excellent tapas I was targetted by the lovely Paula Zuñiga of Bodegas Ramón Bilbao (DOCa Rioja and also with bodegas in Rías Baixas, Ribera del Duero and the VdlT Castilla) with an offer to taste through the range. Normally at events like this I don't go for the 'big-name' areas and especially not Rioja, as I seem to visit there on almost a monthly basis, but Ramón Bilbao has won so many awards in recent years that I succumbed to Paula's blandishments and went along:

2009 Mar de Frades, DO Rías Baixas - grapey, peachy Albariño fruit on the nose, very crisp, lipsmacking acidity and bone dry on the finish but with great aromatics - excellent - 17/20 - €11.30

2008 Finca Valiñas, DO Rías Baixas (barrel-fermented with 6 months on the lees) - I was quite surprised to like this, as in general I like the fresh fruit of the Albariño untouched by oak, but apart from hints of toasty oak on the nose, the palate showed good, clean, clear fruit and a lovely crisp finish. This is world-class winemaking - 17/20

Then it was on to Rioja. Paula told me that their agent in the UK is Ellis of Richmond, whose website seems to give every detail about the wines... Except for the price. Odd or what?

2005 Ramón Bilbao Reserva - 90/10 Tempranillo/Mazuelo and Graciano with 20 months US oak - good rich dark fruit on the nose with a gentle perfume, very clean fresh fruit on the palate with a nice balance between fruit and tannin. A crisp finish - needs 1-2 years - 17/20 - €10.25

2001 Ramón Bilbao Gran Reserva - spicy dark fruit in excellent, classic Gran Reserva style on the nose; rich fruit, crisp oak, lovely balance and fruit on the finish - superb - 18/20 - €19

2007 Ramón Bilbao Edición Limitada Crianza (this is the 'second wine' of Mirto - see below) - old vines Tempranillo with malolactic in the barrel - subtle deep, dark fruit on the nose, perfumed; lovely classic Rioja style on the foretaste with rich fruit, crisp tannins, nicely balanced and a long finish. Superb - 18/20

2006 Mirto (i.e. 'myrtle' in Spanish, after the wild plants around the vineyard - this is the bodega's flagship wine made from 70+ old vine Tempranillo) - very concentrated rich, dark fruit on the nose, which translates on to the palate with amazing structure and complexity and endless length. Fab - 19/20

And finally to Ribera del Duero, and Bodegas Cruz de Alba near Peñafiel, founded in 2003 and currently working out of a rented bodega until a new one is commissioned:

2007 Cruz de Alba - dark purple and big deep, dark fruit with a subtle perfume on the nose; big fruit and big tannins on the palate with power and warmth, a rich, powerful finish which is excellent but this really does need more time - 18/20

And that was it for day 3 - apart from dinner at the hotel. The restaurant Gozeiko-Wellington is run by Jesús Santos and, rather obscurely, it doesn't seem to be well-signposted from the main lobby but, no matter, we found our way there and I am indebted to my fellow traveller Florence Hernández who took copious notes while I simply immersed myself in the food (no change there, then. Ed):

We drank Durón Rueda (Verdejo) 2008 and Fos 2005 Rioja (made especially for the restaurant) and ate, variously, joselito ham 5 jotas, shrimps a la gabardina (tempura), piquillos verdes from the Basque country, anchoas a la plancha, merluza con chipirón en su tinta with mash (with truffles from Soria); jarrete de ternera lacado cocido 35 horas (fab pork!). It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. I slept well that night.

Pictures to follow

Salón de Gourmets Madrid - Day 2

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 05:02:00 +0000

12-Apr-10 - A not-too-early start (10:30), and met (some of) my fellow travellers: Rupert Parker from London, Florence Hernández from Paris, Cristina de Hevia from the tourist board and Javier Ruiz-Ogarrio who was to shepherd us around. Another member was Alberto Schieppati from Milan, but he'd already left for the Salón, and we were to meet up later.

We started off with the touristy bit, and a visit to the Reina Sofia Museum which is a gallery devoted to 20th century art, as opposed to the Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza which both cover a wider spectrum, and is great if you happen to be, as I am, a fan of Picasso, the early surrealists and, especially, Dalí. We were hosted by Cristina and shown around by Susana Jarabo who is an expert on the subject. Unfortunately, although the corridors around the galleries are well-supplied with benches, the galleries themselves are not. If you're lucky the attendant may have left his/her chair for some administrative purpose and you can sit on it for the duration, but this is rare. I like going to art galleries, especially those which have benches in the middle from which you can admire the exhibits, but this does not have them. It does, however, have some spectacular works, not just in terms of painting and sculpture but also film: restored DVD versions of Un Chien Andalou and l'Age d'Or are on permanent loop in two of the galleries. And there's a whole gallery devoted to Picasso's Guernica (Gernika), a huge and emotional evisceration of the devastation suffered on April 26th 1937, when Hitler's Luftwaffe destroyed the city on the orders of General Franco. It's a disturbing experience.

I was fascinated to watch some of the school and student groups which were visiting the gallery. All ages were represented, and I saw the teacher of a group of a couple of dozen primary-school children desperately trying to count them as they milled around. Most beguiling of all was a crocodile of infant-school age children (say, 5-6 years old) dutifully following their teacher, each one hanging doggedly on to the pullover of the child in front. It's good to see children getting the opportunity to appreciate culture, but I did wonder, given the turbulent history of Spain from General Primo de Rivera in 1923 to the new constitution of 1978, whether 20th-century art is, perhaps a bit 'brutal' for young children to appreciate until they're old enough to understand the politics behind it.

Next stop was the CaixaForum and post-modern art on the Paseo del Prado, also on foot, but my creaking joints were such that I chickened out and hitched a lift in the minibus to the Cafeteria Siguero on the Plaza de la Lealtad for a cold beer. Next-door is the Hotel Ritz, where we were to have lunch.

The Ritz is, of course, the grandest hotel in Madrid and was designed from the ground up to be so. It has five red towers in the Michelin Guide and for a while it vied with the Hotel Villa Magna on the Paseo de Castellana to be the greatest hotel in town. Since then the Villa Magna has changed hands and now has to languish with 'only' five black towers, but the Ritz has had massive investment from the Orient Express Group, which bought it in 2003. I confess to a slight feeling of inadequacy as I was wearing a short-sleeved, open-neck shirt, and I've been thrown out of the Ritz in London (owned by a completely different group) for not wearing a jacket and tie (see post of 13-May-09). But this is Spain, and although the service staff wear morning tails in Ascot grey my (our) informal appearance was not remarked upon, and we were conducted to an elegantly-laid table for six on the terrace overlooking the Paseo del Prado. This is just about the most must-be-seen-to-be-there place in the city for celebs and the super-rich, etc., so as a result, until this occasion, I had not been seen there. Indeed, some years ago (before Orient Express days) I was on a press trip which involved a stay in Madrid and the then owners of the hotel expressed an interest in hosting a group of UK journalists, and offered a 50% discount on their usual rates. The organiser told me that, even at that price, it was still double the price of any other hotel in Madrid, so we stayed at the Meliá Princesa instead, which is jolly good but... Well, it's not the Ritz.

Anyway, the lunch was hosted by Encarnación Muñoz who manages the public relations department of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade and it was spectacularly well-organised. If you've read earlier posts on this blog you'll know that, as a food and drink journalist of umpty-nine years' standing, I am fascinated by all aspects of food and beverage service. The first manifestation came as I shoehorned the Tijuana Brass (Cockney rhyming slang for the uninitiated) into the cushioned wickerwork armchair: a waiter appeared with a chair from indoors and suggested that I might be more comfortable without the arms... Spanish anatomies tend to be slimmer in that department (especially, and very attractively, in the female of the species). Next up was the menu, which started with a fabulous mille-feuille with fresh white asparagus, and an excellent Albariño from Rías Baixas. The next three courses (count 'em!) however, involved shellfish and my allergy to creepy-crawlies from under the sea came to the fore. I was presented with a very pleasant but undistinguished lentil risotto as a substitute. Ironically, one of the few marine denizens I can enjoy, lobster, was featured in the main course but the chef had prepared a special plate for me... Without the lobster. That is real food-service, of course, which you expect from the Ritz.

The Terrace at the Ritz - although this is a night-time shot. Pic.: The Ritz

By this time my aching limbs were asking for repose and, with the prospect of yet more walking during the afternoon and evening, I made my apologies and headed back to the Wellie for a very welcome siesta and, in the evening, a room-service steak and chips in front of the telly (yes, I know, boring boring boring but very good indeed). And the evening and the morning were the second day.

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Salón de Gourmets Madrid - Day 1

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 10:54:00 +0000

11-Apr-10 - Things started very well although this was not to last thanks to a certain volcano (more details to come), but let's not detract from a good start - mid-morning flight from LGW, a couple of large ones in the Linfield Lounge and then a lift on the milk-float to the gate. Boarding first (and, milagroso, next to an empty seat so I could fold down the table next to me and have a sandwich and a glass of wine) (and another large one, no doubt! Ed.) The flight was half an hour late departing and arriving, but I had plenty of time as the itinerary didn't start until dinner that night. I was picked up by a chauffeur-driven Mercedes and arrived at the hotel at about 15:00, in time for a shower and a siesta.

The trip had been arranged by the Spanish Tourist Office in London as well as the Club de Gourmets, and they very generously put us up at the Hotel Wellington on the calle Velázquez. I stayed here last year (for the same event) and it's very posh indeed with fantastic service (and fantastic bar prices - €22 for a large one) but very comfortable. Last time I stayed here I sloped off to the Bar Goya in the nearby calle Goya for a bit of local colour, but this time it was different: the 'dinner' was a room-service dinner: order what you want and (apart from a bottle of wine, for which I had to pay - no problem) it's all included. So, after a sleep, and still dripping from the shower, a bowl of vegetable soup and a steak sandwich and chips (yes, sorry, I know it's boring and predictable but one of the many things they do really well in Spain is the pepita de ternera) and a bottle of Rioja arrived on a trolley and I troughed the lot in front of the telly. Why don't more trips do this? When you've got people from all over the world arriving at different times, it makes sense to let people (a) wind down from a day's travelling and (b) eat and, perhaps, more importantly sleep at whatever time they choose in advance of the week's events. An excellent start.

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Alimentaria - Day 2

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:48:00 +0000

25-Mar-10 - This was my day for the presentation, but first I was asked to give an interview to an agency journalist called Oscar García from the website www.efeagro.com, who has promised to send me the copy once it's published (I have looked in vain on the internet), and subsequently I was very pleased to be invited to a tasting of the wines of El Puntido. I may have mentioned in an earlier post that, at a blind tasting of Rioja Reserva 2005s I had picked out two wines at 19/20 and one at 18/20 which turned out all to have been made by Marcos Eguren at one of his Rioja Bodegas. The best known are Señorío de San Vicente and Sierra Cantabria, but Viñedos de Páganos is the most recent, situated in the village of the same name, and producing two wines - La Nieta and El Puntido. I visited the then-new winery in 2003 while I was researching The Wines of Rioja and was surprised to see that alongside the stainless steel were small oak tinas for pressing grapes from individual plots. Some of the wines are also still trodden by foot, in a marriage of traditional and modern techniques.

The Páganos barrel-cellar. Pic.: www.eguren.com

So, the opportunity to taste a vertical of El Puntido, six years on, was not to be missed, not to mention meeting once again the devastatingly attractive Valvanera Valero, who is Eguren's head of Communications. Marcos himself conducted the tasting, and we were presented with six vintages, from 2007 back to 2002. They were all 100% Tempranillo harvested from the single, 25ha vineyard, and with 16-18 months (according to vintage) in French oak, and at rather lower yields - typically 25-30 hl/ha - than the permitted maximum, which is about 41 hl/ha.

Interestingly, all six wines showed a very similar colour - 'vvdpu' in my notes which is shorthand for 'very very deep purple'. Even the 2002 was as dark as the 2007, which may say something about time spent in maceration for every vintage. Prices, where given are approximate retail in the UK or, failing that, in Spain as listed by www.wine-searcher.com.

2007 - big, deep, dark fruit and lots of it on the nose, big fruit and big tannins on the mid-palate, big structure and long, hot complex finish - 17/20 - €22

2006 - dark, tight, 'strawberry' fruit - more aromatic than the 2007; similar structure but there is notable development with fruit prominent - 17/20 - €32

2005 - spiky/brambly and yet subtle fruit on the nose; that big structure again, and considerable complexity. This needs time but is already splendid - 18/20 - £27.50

2004 - more depth and darker, richer fruit on the nose; big 'chewy' fruit on the palate with a lot of tannin but excellent balance and prominent fruit - 18/20 - £23.50

2003 - darker, richer, deeper fruit on the nose, and starting to show some maturity on the palate. Tannins still working well and a long, spicy finish - 17/20 - £40 - €30

2002 - big, concentrated fruit - almost 'Rowntrees Fruit Gum' strawberry intensity with a hint of wood-oil - very rich. On the palate lovely rich fruit, maturing well, hot spice on the mid-palate and richness on the finish - 18/20 - €32

I have visited all three of the Eguren Rioja bodegas and one thing all the wines share is this concentrated fruit intensity. These are very modern generico wines and, on this showing should continue to improve for many years.

The El Puntido Vineyard

Then it was time for the presentation 'Improving International Communication about Spanish Wines'. They had originally asked me to do it in Spanish, but when I sent Marta the first draft of the PowerPoint presentation she suggested diplomatically that I should do it in English and that they would provide simultaneous translation. There was a good turnout including several old acquaintances, including Manuel Duran, former boss of Freixenet (now retired), Stanley Moss, formerly of Torres and now with Bodegas Laus (DO Somontano) and Helen McEvoy, formerly of Sainsburys, now with Laithwaites, and a regular panellist on my team at the DECANTER World Wine Awards (coming up very shortly). The event was filmed for the internet, and is theoretically to be found on the website, but I haven't been able to get hold of it so far. It all went very well except for a glitch in the middle when the simultaneous translation broke down, and I soldiered on for the next few minutes in English and Spanish until it was fixed. They very kindly gave me a round of applause for my Spanish which, I think was more in sympathy than adulation. Whenever I'm presenting in Spanish or French many people in the audience seem to be smiling to themselves... And I don't think it's because of my brilliant wit - more likely because I sound to them like Manuel from Fawlty Towers sounds to us!

Anyway, more people to meet and wines to taste although, as ever at these events, I didn't get round to see everyone who'd invited me, so here's a random selection of what I did manage to do (only those marked 16 and above):

2009 Oro de Castilla Verdejo, Bodegas Hermanos del Villar, DO Rueda - lovely fresh Verdejo fruit on the nose, delicious, crisp fruit and lipsmacking acidity on the palate - 16/20 - €8

2008 Rejadorada Roble, DO Toro - nice ripe fruit aromas and good, tight, ripe fruit on the palate, with crisp tannins - needs a bit more time (fab value) - 17/20 - €7

Bodega del Jardín, VdlT Ribera del Queiles
A word of explanation here - this was formerly Guelbenzu but the Guelbenzu brand-name and most of the vineyards were sold to the Caja de Ahorros de Navarra group in October, 2009 . The family, however, retained the garden vineyard (hence Bodega del Jardin) and the winery, and now produce wines on a more 'boutique' scale. Ricardo Guelbenzu is still in charge of winemaking and he and his sister Inés were at the show. The wines are available in the UK at Moreno's in London, but no current prices seem to be available.

2007 1 Pulso - 70/30 Tempranillo/Garnacha - lovely fruit, fresh, crisp tannins and a spiky/spicy finish - delicious - 17/20 - €5.50

2007 2 Pulso - 40/40/20 Tempranillo/Merlot/Garnacha with 12 months' oak - another big spicy fruit style with working tannins and a bit of austerity on the finish; needs time - 16/20 - €11

2007 3 Pulso - 80/20 Tempranillo/Garnacha, 24 months' oak - rather closed on the nose but with hints of dark fruit, but very rich 'hard' fruit on the palate overlying some hard tannins - this really does need time to develop - 17/20 - €21.50

Abadía Retuerta - VdlT Castilla y León

2006 Pago Negralada - Tempranillo with 24 months in oak - spicy fruit on the noise, big spice, warmth and ripeness on the palate and a long finish - 17/20 - £21.50

2006 Pago Garduña - Syrah with 24 months in oak - big spice and 'Fruit Gum' concentration on the nose and big, hot peppery fruit on the palate - 17/20 - €56

2005 Pago Valdebellón - Cabernet-Sauvignon with 24 months' oak - herbal 'green pepper' on the nose, great big fruit and spice, pepper, power and heat on the palate - 18/20 - €60

2006 Pago Valdebellón - do. - big soft, meaty-spicy richness on the nose, big power and fruit with lotsa tannin on the palate, warm, ripe length - 17/20

Verdict - great wines but yawn, yawn Syrah and Cabernet...

I made a last call at the stand of Bodegas César from Eivissa (Ibiza) more out of curiosity than anything. About three years ago I spoke at a wine conference in Mallorca and became interested in the wines of the Balearic Islands, and I learned that there are also a few wineries on Menorca and Eivissa and even Formentera. The best wines of Mallorca are world-class but in short supply and, frankly, too expensive for the international market. Since then I've chased up wines from the other islands at various wine shows to see how they're developing and, I have to say, usually with the note 'needs more work'.

Bodegas César was showing a Sauvignon/Chardonnay (nice and fresh, a bit off-dry but pleasant) and a red Cabernet-Sauvignon (a bit over-oaky) under the Tentación label (with a rather sexy label), and 'premium' reds Puig de Missa Cabernet-Sauvignon (decent fresh fruit, clean and pleasant) and Cabalonicum (soft fruit, nice grip, again a bit heavy on the oak). The winery produced its first vintage in 2007, and prices are very reasonable - €3-€4 retail on the island. I tried to get more information from their website but, as all too often happens, it's still 'under construction'. Verdict - needs more work and, yawn, yawn Cabernet and Chardonnay again.

And that was it - back to the hotel, shoes off, allow feet to stop smoking, a few large ones in the bar (heart-attack: the bill was €80! It's a very posh hotel) and room service again before zonking out.

Back to Barcelona airport the following morning, and the taxi-driver seemed to be taking the scenic route is we passed what used to be terminals A, B and C. I was to learn why. I asked at the check-in desk for a lift on the milk-float at Gatwick and the clerk asked me if I wanted a lift there and then. I said 'no', as I knew the airport well: up the escalator, right and right again, through security and you're in Module 3, quick sit-down to get breath back and then through passport control to Module 5, stagger into the Salvador Dalí lounge and pour a large one whilst waiting for the flight to be called. The clerk looked at me oddly, and I was about to find out why.

Since my last visit (July 2009) they have (a) opened an entire new terminal called terminal 1, and (b) extended the original terminal (now known as terminal 2) such that only marathon race-walkers can use it. I found myself in Module 0 after security with the prospect of... Well, let's say that it took me 40 minutes to get to Module 5. Most of the shop-units are still under construction and a good deal of the terminal appears to be a building site, but fortunately there are periodic seats and regular waste-bins which are just the right height to perch on for a quick breather. I eventually made it only to find that the Salvador Dalí lounge was closed and I had to pay retail for a coffee and brandy. The flight back was a pleasant contrast by comparison, and the milk-float at Gatwick took me all the way to the car park where my taxi was waiting. I shall know better next time (ho ho ho, Ed.).

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Alimentaria - Day 1

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:09:00 +0000

23/24-Mar-10 - Another day, another airport: this time it's off to Barcelona for the Intervin division of Alimentaria where I was giving interviews and doing a presentation on 'Improving International Communication about Spanish Wines'. In deference to my creaking joints I now routinely ask for a lift on the milk-float to the gate, and they very obligingly picked me up from the Lindfield Lounge. Such was the level of service that I began to feel that I might actually start enjoying flying again - it's all a matter of getting organised in advance. Join Priority Pass, use the lounge, book Special Assistance on check-in and it all runs like clockwork. The flight was packed but it's only about two hours, and I managed to get a couple of large ones to help pass the time. People complain about Easyjet but I've always found the on-board staff to be excellent. The drinks aren't cheap but then, the air-fare is, so I don't complain.

My hosts for the trip were A Taste of Spain, who had arranged a series of tastings and seminars over the period of the fair. They had very generously put me up at the Hotel Condes de Barcelona in the Passeig de Gràcia which is, of course, one of the poshest areas of the city and with some of its most spectacular architecture. That evening I'd arranged to meet a former client, Bobby Lim, who is an importer from Singapore, for dinner and he wanted to go to Cal Pep, which is a very trendy place on the edge of the old town. Unfortunately it turned out to packed, with people spilling out on to the street, so Bobby had established himself at a tapas bar across the road. We sat outside (in March!) and had a very pleasant evening with excellent tapas and a bottle of Álvaro Palacios's Petalos de Bierzo, which was simply sublime (and only €25 on the table!).

Next morning it was off to the Fira de Barcelona Gran Vía, which is the newer part of the city's exhibition complex, and appears to be several miles long. There's an elevated walkway which crosses its eight aircraft-hangar-sized pavilions but which is well-supplied with benches to pause for breath along the way. Here's a piece of anorak information: at the top of the escalators inside the main entrance, walking towards the pavilions, there's an unmarked door on your right. Behind that door is a catwalk which leads up on to the roof, where there are two helicopter landing pads (see 01-Feb-08: this is where we flew from in a fleet of helicopters to see the Torres vineyards from the air). Not many people know that.

The Fira de Barcelona Gran Vía. To the right of the wiggly-woggly entrance area you can (just) see the helicopter pads (click to enlarge). If you can't, then search Google Maps (satellite view) at Carrer de les Ciències, 08908 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona). The red tower in the foreground is the new Porta Fira Hotel, designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, and predictably panned by all other architects ("I could have done it better..."). Pic.: Fira de Barcelona

Fortunately the centre is also well-supplied with lifts and escalators so I reached my destination well on time to meet Marta and Fátima, who were my hosts. Having had a quick look around and met some old chums I joined one of the tastings, conducted by Roger Viusà, who is the sommelier at the splendidly-named Restaurant Moo at the Hotel Omm (which is also on the Passeig de Gràcia) and who won best sommelier in Europe in 2007 and was runner-up to the best in the world in 2008. He was presenting wines which he recommends with some of the classic dishes served at Moo, and although we didn't get to taste the food he did show us the recipes and explained the decision-making process which guides the sommelier to the right choice. We did, however, get to taste the wines:

Marfíl Generós Sec, Solera 1976, DO Alella, made from Xarel·lo (known thereabouts as Pansà Blanca). I had arrived slightly late and tasted this one blind, and I had it pegged as a good old dry Amontillado from Jerez, whereas it's one of the traditional rancio wines of the east coast - big, nutty aromas, a long, 'dark' finish and bone dry - truly excellent 18/20. It sells for about €28 (50cl) in Spain.

2007 Masia Carreras, Martí Fabra, DO Empordà, made from Cariñena blanca. This looked interesting but the bottle served at our table was slightly corky so I didn't mark it. It sells at €14.50 in Spain.

2008 Taleia, Castell d'Encús, DO Costers del Segre, a Sauvignon/Sémillon mix, part barrel-fermented. It had the characteristic 'white-Bordeaux-style' aromas but with lovely fresh, clean Mediterranean fruit on the palate, and a delicious finish - 16/20. It sells at €17.50 in Spain.

1999 Torcas Merlot, Viña Magaña, DO Navarra. In some vintages this also has Cabernet-Sauvignon, Syrah and Malbec, but the nose here offered a great, big 'Rowntrees Fruit Gum' concentration of blackcurrant fruit (I wrote 'delicious!' before even tasting it). On the palate: lovely ripe, mature fruit with musky oak and a long finish - 17/20. It sells at €24.90 in Spain.

1995 Quinta do Noval Colheita. Nice to see a decent Port being served by a sommelier as a food accompaniment: warm, delicately nutty nose, big spice and still quite a bit of tannin on the mid-palate, remarkably fresh for a '95 colheita - 17/20. Sells in the UK for £34.99 a bottle.

I made a mental note to go to Moo next time I'm in town and have some free time to see how they really go with the food.

And, speaking of food, there was a special Ibérico con Compaña restaurant showcasing Spanish foods to match with the wines, such as Ibérico de Bellota ham with coca bread, salad with Ibérico de Bellota cured loin and goat cheese, Ibérico sirloin medallion with apple compote and, well... You get the idea. Marta guided me around the self-service counter and the idea was to choose three items - something hot, something cold, something else, and match it with a selection of wines and olive oils. I'm not sure if you were allowed to go round a second time but after the first I had done very well. A million fabulous combinations were available, but I had work to do, stands to visit, wines to taste...

That night I didn't venture out of the hotel (my feet seemed to have become separated from my legs after going round the exhibition) so opted for a room-service steak sandwich, rather beguilingly served in a toasted pitta and with a 'sardine tin' of baby chips, and a bottle of Conde de Valdemar Crianza - an excellent way to end the day.

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YES CHEF! Magazine Issue 13

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 08:52:00 +0000

14-Mar-10 - Off to Buckingham via MK to put issue 13 of YES CHEF! Magazine to bed. Fortunately my deputy editor Katy Morris has already e-mailed me most of the pages so the corrections are well on the way. Being a Sunday, my regular connection at Clapham Junction wasn't running, so it was across town to Euston in a cab, which is a nuisance but there was no other way, and at least the connection from Euston is much faster than the one from Clapham. Then it's that fiendishly-expensive taxi-ride from MK to Buckingham - £25 on a good day (when the driver doesn't get lost!). I stayed overnight at the very pleasant Buckingham Hotel, which is just around the corner from the office, and after four hours of travelling decided that a quick room-service sandwich and a glass of wine were in order - they were very good (and the service was very quick) but I was quite surprised when the waiter asked for cash, rather than putting it on the bill.

The following morning my colleague Hilary Mayes picked me up from the hotel, and we got started on the magazine. It all went very well, and by the time I'd done the admin bits (contents page, coverlines etc.) and corrected the last of the proofs, Katy and the designer, Phil Donnelly had more or less got the magazine together - indeed, I think it's one of our best front covers ever (click to enlarge):

Issue 13 also includes the latest issue of JOHN RADFORD'S WINEWIRE which features the wines of Corsica, new releases from Vega Sicilia and Tokaji Oremus, and the usual bits and pieces.

Jacquart Rising Stars

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 07:53:00 +0000

14-Mar-10 - I had been booked to serve as a judge for the Jacquart Rising Stars regional final at Thames Valley University in Ealing, with an 08:30 start on Monday 15th. Rather than get up at 4:00 am to get the first train into town I found a very pleasant small hotel called Grange Lodge which offered B&B for £45 and was just around the corner from the University. The Rising Stars competition is held every year, and the participants are a young sommelier and a chef. The chef has to create a starter and a main course from specified main ingredients, and the sommelier has to blind-taste a range of wines and choose one for each course. Then we judges interview the sommelier, taste the food, and assess the wine pairing. I can say no more at this stage as the final is later in the spring and the full results will be published in THE DRINKS BUSINESS magazine. What I can say is that I was very impressed with the rapport between sommelier and chef - a far cry from some of the over-inflated egos we see in certain kitchens, especially on TV.

The interview panel cogitating hard - left to right Michael Coaker (TVU), Jade Koch (St John Restaurant), Ronan Sayburn (Hotel du Vin), Jane Parkinson (The Drinks Business), me, Tom Harris (St John Restaurant)

Spanish Week (2)

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 07:41:00 +0000

11-Mar-10 - The Spanish Wine Trade Fair is held at Old Billingsgate, and seemed to be well-attended, as always. I have given up trying to see everybody and so concentrated on tasting wines from Murcia (DOs Jumilla, Yecla and Bullas) as I'm doing presentations for the Region de Murcia in Manchester and Edinburgh in June. I met up with MariPaz López from the Murcia International Trade department and Adrian Jones, who runs the Murcia UK office during the afternoon to discuss the details. There will be events at The Glasshouse in Edinburgh on Tuesday 08-Jun-10 and Grado in Manchester on Thursday 10-Jun-10, comprising a walk-around tasting, two tutored sessions and tapas. On- and off-trade and press are invited, and can get more information and request an invitation from Adrian.

Before leaving I did make sure to visit the stand of Sangenis i Vaqué - a small family producer founded by Pere Sangenís and his wife Conxita Vaqué in the DOQ Priorat in the 1970s, long before Priorat achieved international fame. I first tasted their wines in 2003 when I was researching the new edition of THE NEW SPAIN and gave it 19½/20 in a blind tasting. Their wines - especially the single-vineyard Clos Monlleó - are exceptional, and I've written about them several times, but they're still looking for an importer in the UK. They're also a very generous family, and always send me a few bottles at Christmas - sublime with the roast duck!

Left to right: Nuria Sangenís (winemaker), me, María Sangenís (winemaker) and Pere Sangenís (boss, father, joint founder with Señora de Sangenís Conxita Vaqué)

Spanish Week (1)

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 07:31:00 +0000

09-Mar-10 - February proved, as always, to be a very quiet month, mostly working from home and getting copy filed for the spring issue of YES CHEF! Magazine. The wine trade starts gearing up in early March and then doesn't let up until the end of June with tastings, fairs, exhibitions and other wine-related events, and the first stirring comes with the annual dinner of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino. This used to be in January, but the unreliability of the weather - and the timing of the Spanish Wine Trade Fair in March - moved it along to be a couple of days before the Fair. The dinner is a full dress affair and is currently held at the Dorchester in London while our original venue was the Four Seasons, which is closed for refurbishment at the moment. The Gran Orden honours the great and the good who have worked in or with Spanish wine 'above and beyond the call of duty' and there are currently around 60 members - two new ones (typically one from the UK and one from Spain) are inducted each year, and this year they were Sarah Jane Evans, my co-chairman at the DECANTER World Wine Awards, and Pablo Álvarez of Vega Sicilia.

The 'Cabs' 2010 - 24 members made it to the dinner. The tall guy in the middle of the back row is Pablo Álvarez, with Sarah Jane Evans on his right. Click to enlarge. Pic.: ICEX-UK

I had volunteered to arrive early and 'nose' the wines, along with a couple of colleagues, and this proved to be something of a marathon undertaking, with several hundred bottles to check. We were a bit disappointed with the 2001 Gran Reserva Rioja (theoretically a great year which should be starting to drink at its peak) which was throwing a fine tartrate sediment, and we rejected 14 bottles for being corky, although several more were discovered later. Apart from that, however the dinner was excellent (rather better that the Four Seasons, I thought) and, of course, everybody knew everybody, and you see someone in the distance and think 'must say hello' but somehow never get across the room to talk to them - there were something over 300 diners. I did manage to meet Sara Jane's husband and two charming daughters who'd come along to see her 'gonged', as well as Carlos Falcó and our current chairman, Alan Cheesman, and I sat next to the ever-entertaining Margaret Rand, who was my editor for THE WINES OF RIOJA (now out of print and changing hands for $150 and more on e-bay!) back in 2004, so the evening was a very convivial one.

I'd booked a car to take me home, which arrived on the dot of 12:00 midnight and I was home in just under an hour and 20 minutes from Park Lane to Worthing, which is a record (even thought it only represents an average speed of 45 mph). I used to stay up in town but the taxi is actually slightly cheaper than a hotel in central London, and I don't spend half the following morning getting home again.

Jumping into Jersey

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:23:00 +0000

21-Jan-10 - But there is, as they say, no rest for the wicked, and the following morning it was another flight, this time to Jersey on behalf of EAT JERSEY magazine. There were interviews with various of the island's gastronomes, including Sergio dos Santos, the sommelier at the Atlantic Hotel, Robert Jones, owner of the Castle Green gastropub, and Patrick Tweedie, the chef at The Oyster Box in St Brelade's Bay. This last is an amazing place with fantastic views out to sea, and was converted from an old café and gift shop in 2008. Oysters and other seafood are the main attraction, of course, but given my shellfish allergy I had a crack at the chicken, mushroom, pearl onion, smoked bacon and tarragon pie with rosemary sauté potatoes, which was simply superb - very much my kind of food.

I stayed the night at Longueville Manor, which is one my favourite places in the British Isles. It has 5/10 in the Good Food Guide, five red stars from the AA and four red towers in the Michelin Guide. The occasion was a celebration of a new book called A TASTE OF RELAIS & CHÂTEAUX, which features profiles and recipes from all 29 member hotels and restaurants in the UK and Ireland. We were hosted by Malcolm Lewis, who runs Longueville with his wife Patricia, and chef Andrew Baird cooked up the three recipes which are featured in the book: poached lobster tail and ham chowder, fillet of Angus beef with oxtail ravioli, and hazelnut sablé with chocolate and sesame ice-cream. The meal was, quite simply, sensational.

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Noshing in Northern Ireland

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:11:00 +0000

19-Jan-10 - Off to Belfast to speak to the Northern Ireland Wine & Spirit Institute. They're a very keen bunch, some trade, some enthusiasts and I've spoken to them before, albeit back in May-04. My host, Alastair Bell, picked me up from the airport and we had a very pleasant lunch at The Bay Tree Coffee Shop in Holywood, which was positively bustling, with everything from coffee and cake to local specialities (and quite a few very interesting wines by the glass - never had an Australian Nebbiolo before). It's an unpretentious place (2/10 in the Good Food Guide), run by chef-patronne Sue Farmer, and its proudest boast is that 'we make everything ourselves' - the cinnamon scones have been voted 'best in the UK' by the BMW guide. I can also vouch for the pork and scallion sausages and mash, but there are more ambitious dishes on the menu such as crab claws, guinea fowl and a Russian starter with smoked salmon, pickled mushrooms, beetroot salad and vodka. The clientèle is eclectic, from old dears having coffee and cake to whole families apparently having everything. I was particularly beguiled by a smart-looking young couple - late teens, maybe - having lunch at a table by the window. When they stood up to leave I saw that they were both wearing school uniform, and I thought how very civilised that was - out for a proper lunch and then back to school. And how very different from my own schooldays when a visit to the chip shop (strictly against the rules, of course) was considered the height of sophistication.

The tasting went well: wines of Castilla y León, for which I have a detailed PowerPoint presentation, and 12 wines, including some rarities which I'd discovered on my last couple of trips over there: the range from La Setera in Arribes (including their slightly-illegal Touriga Nacional) and also Otero in Benavente and finishing off with Pintia, the Vega Sicilia outpost in Toro. Interestingly, Sara Groves-Raines who, with her husband Patxi Martínez, runs La Setera, is originally from Northern Ireland, and one of the guests actually knew her family: a small world.

The event was held at Nick's Warehouse in Belfast old town. As the name implies it was formerly a whisky warehouse belonging to Bushmills, and had been virtually derelict for years. Today it's a very trendy eaterie run by Nick Price (who is the brother of Sue Farmer of the Bay Tree) and has 3/10 in the Good Food Guide. We had an early dinner before the event - the menu changes on a daily basis according to what's available - and I can vouch for the chicken with black pudding on chorizo and olive mash. The wine list is wide-ranging, and we had a bottle of Urban Merlot from Bodegas O.Fournier in Chile, a winery which we visited in 2008, thanks to the generosity of José-Manuel Ortega (12-Feb-08). All in all it was an excellent evening, topped off with a stay at the very comfortable La Mon Hotel and Country club. The service there is exemplary: I got back at around midnight and asked for a sandwich and a glass of house red. The receptionist brought them up to the room himself and I was delighted to note that the sandwiches were not only good and varied but also completely slime-free (no mayonnaise, pickle, mustard or other ghastly and unnecessary accoutrements)! I slept well and even had a light breakfast (something I seldom do) before getting an early-afternoon flight home. All in all it had been a very civilised and pleasant couple of days.

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John Radford's WineWire - Winter 09/10; and results?

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:59:00 +0000

15-Jan-10 - It had been a very quiet start to the new year and I even managed to get my accounts done in the nick of time. I just don't know where 2009 went. We held over the publication of YES CHEF! Magazine until w/b the 19th, as the new UK and Ireland Michelin Guide was out on the 18th. As with earlier editions, however, the headline news was leaked on the previous Friday, so the weekend was spent in feverish attempts to contact those chefs who'd won or lost stars, get quotes from them, and put an article together. The rest of the magazine had already been printed, so we were able to get it out by Monday 25-Jan-10. It also includes the second edition of JOHN RADFORD'S WINEWIRE with an in-depth look at the wines of Navarra, some unusual items from California, and the usual gossip.

Results - In an earlier post I mentioned my 'exploding' car keys, and that I had written to Proton complaining about a bill for £300-plus. They did write back and said that the car is out of guarantee but, as a goodwill gesture, they'd refund the cost... Against the price of a brand-new Proton, which I can't possibly afford. Oh well, at least I tried, and I suppose it was pretty fair offer. And to fix the windscreen wipers cost £109.96 - roll on the next car, next month.

A better result from the Southern Railway, after my £50 taxi-ride home from Haywards Heath when the train broke down (18-Dec-09). They 'fessed up and sent me a cheque for the £50. I shall use them again!

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Christmas at The Eversley

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:50:00 +0000

December, 2009 - James and Claire wanted Evie to spend her first Christmas at home, so they arranged to come down in the week between Christmas and New Year. As a result we had a relatively quiet weekend, although it didn't start well. On the Wednesday before Christmas Jill was going to the shops for some last minute essentials when her car-key 'self-destructed'. The plastic fob split in half and the electronic thingamajig inside flirted out, meaning that the key wouldn't start the car. In the event she used my key instead, but on examining hers, I saw that the metal blade of the key fits into a tiny socket in the fob, held in place by a screw, so that when the key is turned all the strain goes on to this small 'junction'. Anyway, it was too close to Christmas to do anything about it, and we're changing the car in March anyway, so I thought we would manage with one key between us.

James, Claire and Evie duly came down on the Monday after Christmas, and James went out to move our car so that they could park. As he inserted the key into the lock, exactly the same thing happened as had happened to Jill's key: it split apart, the thingamajig leapt out and, to make matters worse, the plastic fob came completely away from the blade, which was still in the ignition. It would neither turn nor be removed. We managed to release the handbrake and push the car forward successfully but, of course, the steering was locked so it could only move a few feet.

For the record, the car is a Proton Impian X, first registered on the 26th April, 2005, so coming up for five years old, and with about 26,000 miles from new. I bought it from the garage which had sold it new, and they've serviced it ever since, so it's been well looked-after. At this age, of course, everything is well out of guarantee, but as I put in my letter of complaint to Proton UK about the two keys 'self-destructing' within five days of each other: "I am no mathematician, but I think that random odds for this happening must be close to those for being hit by a meteorite or winning the national lottery".

As the car was neither driveable nor towable they had to send a truck to pick it up, and we got it back a week later with two new keys, along with a bill for £338.11. They keys are £76.38 plus VAT - a nice little earner for Proton, I'll warrant. They should receive my letter by the end of the week, and I'll record here what the outcome is. [See 15-Jan-10 above]

Anyway, once the car business was out of the way we got down to the serious business of Christmas. Jill always puts on a spread of nibbly bits (mostly prawny and crabby things) for when they arrive, and we somehow managed to get down a magnum of Jacquart Brut de Nominée, especially since I only had one glass (not much of a lover of fizzy wine, although the others made up for it, especially James).

We had decided not to do the present thing until the Tuesday morning, so the next stop was dinner. James loves to go rooting in my wine rack for dusty old bottles that he thinks I've forgotten about. Jill had prepared a couple of brace of spatchcock poussin and James dug out a bottle of Riberal Reserva 1996, from Bodegas Santa Eulalia in Ribera del Duero, which required very careful decanting. I wasn't sure how it would have survived (I've moved house twice since then) but, in the event, it was still there, and drinking splendidly: mature, aromatic and delicious, with just a hint of fading on the finish. I haven't got any more of that vintage but if I had I'd say it needs drinking up soon.

We did the presents on the Tuesday morning. Evie is, of course, much too young at 14 weeks to understand what it's all about, but she got the biggest 'stocking' of all, including a Winnie the Pooh which is almost the same size as she is. Claire has had to ask all their friends not to buy any more clothes for Evie as she now has an absolute wardrobe full, in all sizes up to a year old. I got a nice woolly jumper and, erm, well, I'll think of it in a minute. I never know what to buy for Jill and she never knows what to buy for me, so I gave her the bill for the car, and she gave it back to me.

We haven't bothered with turkey for many years, and Jill usually does a crispy duck - Peking style - which we all love and which she has perfected over the past 20 years until it's always absolutely spot-on, but this year she's developed a recipe for crispy lamb. She takes a shoulder of lamb, rolls it out and marinates it overnight with the same spices that she uses on the duck. It then goes into the oven until it's well and truly roasted - almost black - before being smashed up, again in the style of crispy duck. They like it Mongolian-style, rolled up in pancakes with cucumber, spring onion and hoy sin sauce (like the duck, again) but I prefer it Mediterranean style, with coarse salad inside a toasted pitta bread. In either case it disappeared very rapidly. We drank a bottle of Bruñal 2004, a gift from the importer (Besos wines of Chichester - 01-243-511-151), which was just as well, as it retails at about £85 a bottle. Bruñal is an obscure grape which only grows in one small plot in Pereña de la Ribera, in Arribes. The winemaker at Bodegas Ribera de Pelazas, Julio Gallo (no relation - he's actually Uruguayan) discovered the abandoned vines and decided to resurrect the vineyard, with a first vintage - of only 1,500 bottles - in 2003. I first tasted it at the London Wine Fair in 2006, and was astonished at the quality. The 2004 performed no less well with the crispy lamb: big, powerful fruit with balanced tannins and more than enough 'oomph' to cope with the food.

I'm a bit of a backslider when it comes to puddings, but Jill had got some crème brulée, which everyone loves. Indeed, James had bought her one of the blowlamp things which you use to caramelise the sugars (but guess what - it came out of the box 'fuel not included', and all the shops were shut). The family still enjoyed it, however, and James managed to find a really old, forgotten, dusty bottle at the bottom of the wine rack: 1969 Château Guiraud, Sauternes. Indeed, the dust was so thick that I had to scrape it off to read the label. I bought it during my first stint in the wine trade (1972-5) and I might have paid £1.80 for it, or thereabouts. It was actually a present for Jill, who has resolutely refused to open it until now, and I wondered whether it would have survived 40 years (and five house moves), especially since 1969 was not considered a very good year (which is probably why I could afford it).

In the event, the cork was encouragingly sound, and the wine decanted with surprisingly little sediment. In the glass it was perfumed, with no hint of oxidation, and on the palate it was undeniably faded but still retained some of the classic Sauternes magic - gentle, elegant sweetness and a lovely old-fashioned style. Another one to drink up, but what an experience 40 years on and from a pretty duff year... Although, of course, Guiraud is a Premier Cru.

The débris (well, some of it): Riberal '96, Bruñal '04 and Guiraud '69

As with Christmas, James and Claire wanted Evie to spend her first ever new year at home and, with more snow forecast they decided to head back on the Wednesday, and had a quiet journey - I think most people had stayed at home - punctuated by the regulation stop at the bikers' café at Box Hill (their bacon and egg baps are astonishing, but the coffee is so hot that you can't drink it until it's too late).

01-Jan-10 - Our own new year weekend was as quiet as Christmas - indeed we didn't set foot outside the house until the 9th January to replenish urgently-needed stocks (whisky, Bourbon, brandy, milk, er, oh, and there wasn't a loaf to be had in the supermarket) and guess what. After scraping an inch of snow off the windscreen and getting the car going, the wipers went 'phut' and have not moved since. That'll be another 300 quid then... B****y Proton! [See 15-Jan-10 above]

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December Travels, and Stranded by Snow

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 08:09:00 +0000

December, 2009 - aside from the birthday thing (see a previous post) December was pretty quiet:

02-Dec-09 - a four-hour drive in the filthiest imaginable weather conditions (the rain was so heavy on the A34 we almost had to stop) took us to Whatley Manor, near Malmesbury in Wiltshire. Last year I had the great pleasure of travelling around northern Portugal with the chef, Martin Burge who, at that time, had a Michelin star. In January, 2009 he won his second star, and we were to have dinner and interview him about his food and the restaurant - the dinner was fab. Full details are in the January, 2010 issue of YES CHEF! Magazine, but I must give the hotel itself a mention:

The approach to Whatley Manor in darkness is a revelation: on an unlit, winding country road between Malmesbury and Easton Grey, lights appear in the trees ahead. Then stone buildings and, finally one of those brown and white tourism signs finally admits that you are approaching the hotel. A long driveway lit by axle-height pylons leads you to another stone building and two firmly-closed gates which look remarkably like the drawbridge to a mediaeval castle. A sign advises hotel guests to drive towards the gates 'which will open automatically', and they do, revealing an elegant, cobbled courtyard, herbaceous borders and a welcoming light at the main entrance. There are few, if any signs to say that this is a hotel, and that's the idea, says Eloise Gordon, from the marketing department. "We want it to feel like a private country house, which is what it was when it was built." When was that? Stone walls, leaded lights, Elizabethan pediments - 16th, 17th century? "Well, no, actually it was in the 1920s. It was converted into a hotel in the 1950s and an extra wing was added in the early 2000s", but you wouldn't know it to look at it. You really can't see the join.

The Courtyard at Whatley Manor. Pic.: www.whatleymanor.com

In daylight you can see the magnificent formal gardens and the river Avon which, even in winter, raise the spirits. If you're looking for a real romantic getaway, this is definitely it.

03-Dec-09 - From Whatley onward to Daventry in Northamptonshire, via Cirencester and Banbury: a pleasant drive through some lovely old towns and villages, and even some decent weather after the downpours of the previous day. The occasion was a gig for The Wine Adventure, which arranges corporate wine events, and this was the 'finale' for a sales conference. The group were enthusiastic and boisterous but did remarkably well in identifying the wines - indeed the overall individual winner who got all but one of the questions right, admitted publicly that he knew nothing about wine. I think he probably does now.

We were staying at the Premier Inn (very pleasant, no frills, excellent service), near to junction 16 on the M1, so the following morning we were able to call in and see James, Claire and Evie on our way home. A very pleasant three days (apart from the weather on day 1!).

08-Dec-09 - another very welcome late invitation arrived from La Rioja Calidad, which is the organisation which looks after all the DO products of La Rioja, including wine, of course. They asked me to conduct three evening tastings as part of a 'La Rioja Week' at the National Geographic store on Regent Street in London. I thought it a rather unusual venue, but in the event they were perfectly geared up for it, and the tastings were well-attended, and I was able to taste one or two wines from bodegas which I haven't visited, perhaps most notably Bodegas Tobía in San Asensio, whose range was impressive. They are on my list for a visit next time I'm in Rioja. The organisers were Jorge Portu from Rioja Calidad, and Juan Chavarri from the regional Ministry of Agriculture, who helped to field the more technical questions, and everything went like clockwork.

I'd never been to the store before and was amazed at the range of stuff they stock: not just maps, books and magazines but furniture, ethnic artefacts and specialist clothing. Most fascinating was the range of 'arctic-wear' in the basement, where there's even a freezer chamber with glass walls and a thermal-imaging screen, so you can try on your polar parka, go inside and see where the heat is leaking out - if any. I could have watched it for hours.

17-Dec-09 - the last 'away from home' job of the year was putting issue 12 of YES CHEF! Magazine to bed. Jill warned me that it was going to snow and I laughed: it never snows in Worthing, apart from a few feeble flakes. Before the train had even arrived, however, snow did start to fall... I changed trains at Clapham for Milton Keynes, as usual, by which time I'd seen some fairly substantial falls from the train window, and they got heavier the further north I went. The train was, nevertheless, more or less on time, and I got a cab to a bar where I'd arranged to meet a former colleague - Sam Jones, who'd been my deputy editor at YES CHEF! but was about to take up a new job with a magazine in London. The idea was that the publisher, Peter Marshall, would pick me up at 7:00 pm and take me over to Buckingham, where I'd stay the night prior to going into the office the following morning. In the event he'd flown in from Jersey to Birmingham and the flight was late, so we ended up running up a rather large bar bill while we waited. Eventually he did arrive and we decamped to the Brasserie Blanc on Avebury Boulevard - I can recommend the strog.

The drive back to Buckingham (about half an hour on a good day) was a bit slippery, although the snow had stopped falling. I was telling myself that it'd all be gone by tomorrow morning as I turned in at the Buckingham Hotel - very comfortable, warm, and free wifi, too.

18-Dec-09 - it snowed again overnight. Peter picked me up at 09:00 and we slipped and slithered towards the office. It's on an industrial estate so there's almost no through traffic, and it took us several attempts to get up the gentle slope to the office door, but we did it in the end. I knew that this one was going to be a long job, and had originally suggested that I should stay over a second night rather than risk having to cross London on a Friday evening, but as they day wore on and the internet weather news got worse and worse, I began to think I should just do what I could and leave as early as possible. Then things got worse still. Trains were cancelled, roads closed. There were no trains between Brighton and Worthing. I began to worry about the prospect of being stranded somewhere like Clapham Junction and freezing to death overnight, so I decided that I would have to stay over, after all. But we did get the job finished, by about 6:30 pm. They put me up, not at the Buckingham, but at the Villiers, in the centre of the town, and a charming old coaching inn. It looks very quaint from the outside but inside it's warm and welcoming, has a lift (alleluia) and wifi (but only in public areas). I was, however, exhausted, so I retired to the room which proved to be very spacious, warm, and comfortable, and sent out for room service (steak baguette, chips, bottle of house red - sorry, not very original) and had the best night's sleep I'd had for a week.

19-Dec-09 - no more snow, and the roads were pretty clear as I travelled back to MK in a taxi: an interesting thing, the cost. When I get a taxi from MK to Buckingham it costs around £25. The taxi in the other direction (admittedly a private-hire car rather than a hackney) was only £16. I must keep their number.

Anyway, the train was in, there were, apparently, no delays, and all seemed well. We arrived at Clapham on time, and there's about a 20-minute dwell for the Worthing train, which also arrived, more or less, on time. I was congratulating myself on good planning... Until we got to Haywards Heath. The 12-car train split into three 4-car sets, one fast to Eastbourne, one slow to Ore, and ours (at the back) for Worthing and Littlehampton. And then... Nothing happened. After a good bit of shilly-shallying the guard eventually told us that the front set had broken down (apparently nothing to do with the 'severe weather conditions') and so, of course, the middle and rear sets weren't going anywhere, and would we please get out and take the next train from the platform opposite. Trouble is, the next train (a Brighton service) had been cancelled, which meant that there were now passengers from 16 or even 20 carriages waiting for a connection, and it was quite possible that the incoming train might only have four carriages. The next (Brighton) service was diverted to one of the up platforms, which meant a trek down into the bowels of the station, and when I got down there amongst the flowing herd of fellow travellers I saw a welcome sight: 'Taxis'. So that was it: a taxi home cost me £50 and I've written to Southern to complain and ask for my money back. We shall see.

November travels - Scotland and Northern Navarra

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:35:00 +0000

November, 2009 - Not such a busy month, travel wise, but a lot of work putting together the January issue of YES CHEF! Magazine.

06-Nov-09 - off to Glasgow by train for the Scottish Chefs' Conference and interviews with chefs around the city for a feature trying to establish the difference between the eating likes and dislikes of restaurant-goers in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as a chat to Conference-organiser Willie Pike about the importance of the event for training young, up-and-coming chefs. You can read all about it in a future issue of the magazine. We stayed at the very pleasant Thistle Hotel on Cambridge Street, where the conference was being held, and attended the gala dinner on the night. The following day I caught the train for Milton Keynes via Crewe for a meeting the next day which was, as it happened, aborted, so I was able to stay overnight at the Jurys Inn (a room right next to the lift and an ice machine on every floor - very civilised) and get a mid-morning train the following day. There's a new(ish) Southern service direct from Milton Keynes to East Croydon, and if I change at Clapham Junction it's just two platforms for the direct Worthing train: no hauling across London by tube or taxi. And, yes, that's a fair amount of train travel but I actually prefer that: it's 6-7 hours in each direction between Worthing and Glasgow Central, but it means that I get 4-5 hours uninterrupted working time on the train from/to Euston which is extremely useful. My colleague Sue Prain flew up early on the morning of the Conference and back early the following morning - four airports in 24 hours - no thanks!

18-Nov-09 - an unexpected invitation to the far north of Navarra came through early in the month, and as I hadn't been on a 'proper' visit there since 2000 I jumped at it, especially when I learned that I would be the only person on the trip. They say that 'he travels fastest who travels alone', but the real advantage was that I was able to apologise in advance for my creaky joints and request that there would be no walking through vineyards, fermenting halls or barrel cellars. As a result I was able to squeeze in at east one extra visit each day, which was extremely useful. Unfortunately I had to fly from Heathrow Terminal 3 as no-one seems to fly from Gatwick to Bilbao any more, and a flight direct to Pamplona would have meant changing at (horror! Horror!) Madrid terminal 4, so there was no choice. Terminal 3 is possibly the most appalling human anthill of any airport in the UK but it does, at least have a Priority Pass lounge so I was able to secrete myself for an hour or so away from the madding crowds.

After that, everything was plain sailing, with a car to meet me at Bilbao and whisk me off to the Hotel Tres Reyes in Pamplona, which is very pleasant - I've stayed there before, but on this oaccasion I arrived at about 23:15 and, unfortunately, room service had finished and the restaurant was closed (in Spain? Yup) so I had to settle for a rather greasy plate of cold embutidos and a bottle of house red, which was disappointing, but the rest of the trip made up for it. I was hosted by Pilar García Granero and Jordi Vidal of the Consejo Regulador, and later by Conchi Biurrun, who I have known for many years and who is the manager of the Asociación Bodegas de Navarra. Indeed, she took me to dinner at a VERY trendy restaurant called Enekorri: long and thin with floor-to-ceiling wine-racks, and full of very trendy thirty-somethings with dangerously-expensive haircuts. We ate well and dined well into the night. The wines and visits which were part of the trip are covered in the January issue of JOHN RADFORD'S WINEWIRE, which is out in the first week of January, 2010.

Catching up - October - Jersey, Corsica, and an Exploding freezer

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:31:00 +0000

October, 2009 - This is a round-up of what's been happening since the last time I was able to file some posts. It's been a very busy time and I'm still trying to catch up. So, very briefly:

12-Oct-09 - three excellent days in Jersey doing interviews for EAT JERSEY magazine, staying at the magnificent Longueville Manor in St Saviour, as the guest of the Lewis family, who celebrated 60 years at the Manor in 2009. Currently run by Malcolm and Patricia Lewis, the hotel is the only one on Jersey with five AA red stars and membership of Relais & Châteaux. I had a ground-floor room overlooking the lawns and swimming-pool and, even draped with autumn leaves, it was splendid. So was the food - dinner at the family's restaurant Suma's in Gorey, then lunch with the whole family at Longueville. An excellent few days.

Longueville Manor. Pic.: www.longuevillemanor.com

18-Oct-09 - off to Nice for the night, on my way to Corsica for yet another wine trip. There are no direct flights to the island, and flights from Gatwick to Nice are at odd times of the day, so I stayed overnight at the Campanile at Nice airport, which was very pleasant. My flight out the following morning was quite early, and I arrived in Bastia at 09:50. The trip was organised by UBIFRANCE, the French Embassy commercial office in London, and led by the enigmatically-named Pandora Mistry, whom I was to meet later. In the meantime, they'd sent a car to pick me up at the airport - it's about half an hour's drive from the town. The driver pointed out, as we drove along the coast, that you could see the islands of Elba and Monte Cristo on the horizon, although fog made them rather hazy. He also filled me in on some of the details of the Corsican language, which is neither French nor Italian but somewhere in between. The scenery can be hauntingly beautiful, as well.

A glimpse of the island's interior. Pic - UBIFRANCE

We were to stay at the Hotel Posta Vecchia, a charming olde-worlde peeling-stucco building on the seafront, in the colonial style. There was a lift, however, and the rooms were very warm and comfortable, with satellite TV and free wifi as well. Best not to judge by first impressions. The hotel only does bed and breakfast, and as lunchtime approached the very helpful receptionist directed me out on to the quayside, where there were 'lots of restaurants'. Which I'm sure there were, in the season but not, it seemed, in October. The seafront was festooned with framed canvas shelters which, presumably in the summer, are extensions of the local restaurants alive with the smell of freshly-cooked seafood and the sounds of enthusiastic visitors. But not today. Indeed, there were several large restaurants on the other side of the road, all of which seemed to be closed. And then, squeezed in between 'Chez Même' and 'O Moule' I discovered 'Les Zéphyrs', with a canvas-covered frontage and an open door. There was no-one inside but it appeared to be open, and I went in. At the rear were steep, outdoor steps leading down to what I took to be the kitchen, but no sign of life. A moment later a most charming lady appeared and confirmed that, yes, they were open, and she could do me a pizza and a pichet of the local red wine. Fortunately I love pizza, and was veritably starving, having had nothing since the previous night. The pizza proved to be the classic Italian, thin crust, pepperoni, ham, mushrooms and all that stuff, and it was so big that it overhung the plate. The wine was a simple, local red, served lightly chilled, and absolutely delicious. For this feast she charged me the princely sum of €15, after which I staggered back to the hotel for a siesta.

That evening we were to meet the rest of the team, all of whom had arrived at different times, and the party included a couple of old chums: Andrew Hill from George Hill of Loughborough and Susan Hulme, a fellow member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Pandora took us to a restaurant called Le Bouchon, down by the old port where, to be honest, the food was a bit underwhelming: the crottin was very 'clarty' and escalope of veal turned out to be more of a burger, and slightly sweet. I didn't finish either. I did, however, enjoy the 2007 Domaine Pierre Rolle (Vermentino), Coteaux de Cap Corse, and the company was, of course, excellent.

The next two days were spent in visits and tastings, and these will be written up in detail in the spring, 2010 edition of JOHN RADFORD'S WINEWIRE.

Vineyards in Morsiglia, Haute-Corse. Pic.: UBIFRANCE

So, fast forward to Wednesday 21-Oct-09 and the Hotel Solemare in Bonifacio, a lovely place right by the harbour with views of boats bobbing about, lights and activity going on. Pandora had arranged another visit to a typical artisanale Corsican restaurant which was 'ten minutes walk' away (in other words probably a mile or more and up steep, cobbled streets) so in deference to my creaking joints I chickened out and asked at reception if there was a restaurant a bit nearer. There was indeed - right next door. The Restaurant du Centre Nautique has a fabulous dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the harbour. I dined in solitary splendour on fillet steak, Cap Corse wine, coffee and the local brandy (which is mind-boggling). The following morning several of my colleagues confirmed the marathon race-walk which had been the previous night's journey to the restaurant, and that the food had been, well, underwhelming again. Andrew had set out in the morning to retrace his steps but been defeated when he got to 'the hill'. "You would never have made it, John," he said. I was glad I hadn't tried.

Then it was off to the airport at Figari for flights home. Once again, we were all leaving at different times and it was my luck to be one of the latest flights (via Nice again) which meant some three hours at the airport. Figari is small and doesn't have a Priority Pass lounge, but it does have a large bar... Which was closed. I was, however, able to bash out a 1,000-word article on my laptop whilst waiting, so it wasn't completely wasted. Incidentally, I was interested to learn that one of my journalist colleagues was flying to Orly and taking the Eurostar home, which seemed a much better idea than my trip via Nice... Except that you still have to get across Paris to the Gare du Nord. And I was home in time for apéritifs.

A smashing, and beautifully-organised trip, however, and some eye-opening wines. Log back in in April for more details about that.

24-Oct-09 - freezer went on the blink, packed with food, so I had to dash out and buy a replacement, as the engineer couldn't come until the following Thursday. When he did it cost me £160 for some hi-tech piece of computer printed-circuit board which runs the system. Our old freezer lasted 17 years before it finally blew. The new one lasted only five. Still, that's progress for you.

Catching up (again!!)

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:49:00 +0000

December, 2009 - Several people have complained that I don't update this blog often enough, and the reason has been that I've just been almightily busy, out of town, out of the country, out of my head... I've been to Jersey, Nice, Corsica, Glasgow, Navarra (featured in the January edition of John Radford's WineWire which will be published here next month), Dorset, Northamptonshire and been stranded in Buckingham by the snow after putting YES CHEF! Magazine issue number 12 to bed. Details of some of these exploits will appear on the blog in due course (and, no, I still haven't forgotten the second half of my trip to Catalunya last June). January is a quiet month and I should be able to catch up. But that's what I said about August. In the meantime just a couple of quick catch-ups:

01-Dec-09 - Another year, another birthday, and rather gratifyingly lots of birthday wishes from old chums, including many who used to listen to me on the BBC. It's now three years and nine months since the night of the long knives, and people still remember. I look back on those days as a golden age which, sadly, has been destroyed by incompetent management. I draw special attention to the work of Lesley Harvey, who is an artist and caricaturist (and former listener) from Seaford who used regularly to send in pictures of me and the team, and who has done a a lot of work for me: The Eversley is full of her caricatures of us and the family, and she came up trumps again with the following birthday œuvre:

You can see more of Lesley's work at www.lesleyharvey.co.uk

Heavenly Twins

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:28:00 +0000

Some time back in the spring - the dates are bobbing about a bit, but I thought I'd like to share the cartoon, anyway. Earlier this year half a dozen regular DECANTER contributors were asked to choose their 'desert island wine': the one wine they could choose to drink happily for the rest of their lives if they had to. Quite a few people chose vintage Champagne, although they didn't reveal how they'd store it or chill it on a desert island. My own response was unequivocal and rooted in practicality:

There is no contest here. It would have to be a wine which goes with every kind of food, which could be enjoyed at any reasonable temperature, ambient or chilled, which wouldn't go 'off' and which didn't need kid-glove treatment to show at its best. I'm talking about the world's finest wine, of course: Sherry, and particularly a dry Amontillado. I'd have to select the cabeceo myself to make sure that it really was a solera-aged Fino and not the 'medium' blended stuff which masquerades under the name in so much of the UK trade, and I think something with an average age of about 15-20 years would hit the spot. As a child, from the age of about 12, I was allowed a very small glass of Sherry once a year on Christmas morning. It was probably to get me back to sleep, but the magic of those moments has never left me.

By chance, the charming Sarah Jane Evans, quite independently, chose exactly the same wine. The magazine decided to illustrate the piece not with our usual mugshots but with a cartoon, which Sarah Jane dubbed 'The Heavenly Twins'. I insist that I'm not that fat, although Jill says I am!

Cartoon by Chris Burke - www.chrisburke.org.uk

John Radford's WineWire - 1 - Autumn 2009

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:01:00 +0000

01-Oct-09 - One of the reasons for the current drought on the blog regarding tastings, etc., is the birth of JOHN RADFORD'S WINE WIRE which, from this quarter, is being published as a supplement to YES CHEF! Magazine. Ever since we launched YC! (and it'll be three years next spring) I've felt that, as well as content relevant to chefs and restaurateurs it should also have something for sommeliers: new wines, new vintages, 'off the wall' stuff' and tastings of some of the many samples which find their way to The Eversley. The first issue is now out featuring Jadot Burgundy (the 2007 vintage and the 2003/4 revisited) as well as red German wines and other bits and pieces about what's happening in the wine world. The next issue will feature wines from Corsica, Navarra, California, Priorat and Australia and, well, anything else that crops up between now and deadline. To read the autumn, 2009 issue click here.

Autumn in the Rheinhessen

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:56:00 +0000

03-06-Sep-09 - Things are getting a bit out of order at the moment thanks to pressure of work, so yet again the rest of the June trip to Catalunya has been delayed but it WILL appear in due course. In the meantime, going back before Sally and Wig's wedding I was lucky enough to go on a trip to the Rheinhessen, courtesy of the local generic body. I wasn't able to write about it before as elements of it were due to be published in YES CHEF! Magazine as well as CIRCLE UPDATE but time has moved on and the .pdf is now on file. It involves visits and tastings, particularly of Silvaner and Pinot Noir wines from the Rheinhessen - two grapes not really rated as recently as 10 years ago but now pulling their weight with a vengeance. Anyway, to read the full story, please click here. The 'Wine Supplement' mentioned in the text refers to John Radford's WineWire, for which see the following post.

A wonderful end to the Summer

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:52:00 +0000

23-27-Sep-09 - The car doesn't often get a decent run out, but this was to be a four-day marathon covering about 500 miles and encompassing a really splendid weekend. We left The Eversley on Wednesday for the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, where Evie Alice was, we hoped, waiting for us. Unfortunately it was not to be, as she'd been taken into the neonatal unit for tests, and only parents (and not grandparents) are allowed in there. We did see James and Claire, however, who were in good spirits although they didn't know when the baby would be back on the ward, and James was living on sandwiches from the League of Friends.

Then it was off to Milton Keynes, where I was booked into the Jurys Inn for two nights, prior to going to Buckingham to put YES CHEF! Magazine issue 11 and John Radford's WineWire (issue 1) to bed - more about them later. We had dinner with my former deputy editor Sam Jones and her fiancé at the Living Room, next door to the hotel - she's their events manager. The food, I have to say, was a bit iffy but the company was good and the wine flowed - and we didn't have far to walk back.

Jurys Inn is a very comfortable place, set overlooking a square which must have a dozen bars and restaurants around its perimeter, and it's a long time since I stayed in the centre of the town. I mused that there were probably more eating places in that small area than there had been in the whole of MK when it was part of my radio patch, from 1994-1997.

The following day was press day and we managed to get through most of it, allowing for late delivery of pictures and, of course, the first edition of WineWire. I'd always felt that YES CHEF! Magazine didn't have enough about wine in it - it is, after all, aimed at Chefs - so this was an opportunity to do something for sommeliers as well. The first issue has a retasting of some of the 2003 and 2004 Burgundies from Louis Jadot, as well as an overview of how the 2007s are developing. There's also news about my eventful trip to the Rheinhessen and a mind-blowing tasting of German Pinot Noir wines at Vintners' Hall, put on by the Institute of Masters of Wine. And then there's a bit of gossip, news, and odds and ends about what's been happening in the wine world over the summer. I hope to be able to offer copies of it through this website in due course.

The following day we had a leisurely drive north to Cromford, in Derbyshire, where my niece was getting married. The M1 is horrendous at the moment (what do you mean 'at the moment'? Ed) between junctions 25 and 28 and we ended up taking the scenic route via Wessington and Tansey (with a brief stop for lunch at the Three Horseshoes in Wessington - double egg, chips and peas for £3.95!), and then through Matlock, which seems to have changed quite a bit since I was last there. My late mother ran the High Tor Hotel (Grade II listed) there for about 20 years - it's currently being converted into apartments, which is a pity but at least it's being looked after.

We were to meet up at Alison House Hotel in Cromford, just beyond the Arkwright factory, which is a charming 16-bedroom small country hotel with a lovely garden, and licensed for marriages. A bit of background: my niece Sally was paralysed from the waist down after a road accident at the age of 14 which killed her father, my brother-in-law. Some children would have given up, but she proved to be a fighter, went back to school, then university, got a degree, and now works for the local authority. Meanwhile her childhood sweetheart Will (known as Wig - they met at school aged 11) stuck by her and (although she denies this hotly) it is rumoured that he proposed to her several times before she accepted.

The wedding took place in an annexe to the hotel, and it was very emotional as Sally wheeled herself up the aisle and, of course, had to be given away by her elder brother. She looked radiant, however, and as we flooded out into the gardens the staff served canapés and Kir Royale. The weather was absolutely perfect, with bright sunshine and cloudless skies. The children (ages 3-7) ran riot all over the lawns and we dutifully lined up for the photographer, who had taken it into his head to line us all up and then run up two flights of stairs to photograph us from an upstairs window. Rather him than me.

The happy couple signing the register

The reception proper was in a marquee on the lawn, and was magnificent, with whole hams, barons of beef, poached salmon, plenty of wine, then cheese and Port. It was just wonderful to see so many people enjoying themselves. I have to confess that I retired for a siesta at about 7:00 pm, even though there was a barbecue to follow. Jill snuck out and bagged a couple of big steak baguettes and some salad and we had a midnight feast in the hotel room.

I've included this picture because somehow it encapsulates the whole wedding: lots of laughter, lots of sunshine and lots of lovely greensward for the children to enjoy. On the left is my great-nephew James (5 - and that's his mum, my niece Elisabeth in the foreground), in the middle is my great-nephew Ollie (3). They had a wonderful time.

The following morning Sally and Wig were packing to leave for their honeymoon in Lanzarote, and we set off southwards, not knowing what we were going to find - if anything - at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital. James 'phoned at around 11:00 am, however, to say that Evie had finished all her tests and was back in her cot, next to Claire's bed. We weren't allowed in until visiting started at 15:00 but.. Well, there she was. I'm not going to get into all that grandparenty stuff about how lovely she is, but when she raised her arms, and unfolded her tiny fingers, and yawned, it was a wonder to behold. We unpacked all the presents that people had sent - mostly toys and baby clothes - left about 16:30 and headed south again.

At Last! Doting Grandparents get to see Evie Alice

Very often we like to stop at the bikers' café at Box Hill for a bun and a coffee on the way home, but there was a sign saying that the car-park was closing at 18:00 (which was the time we arrived) so, not willing to risk it, we decided to find a suitable road-house and, after some country-lane ramifications, ended up at the Shelley Arms in Broadbridge Heath. I can thoroughly recommend this place - a big garden with a children's play area and excellent bar food. We shall be going back.

We got home about 20:00, thoroughly exhausted, and had a couple of large ones before turning in. The following afternoon (Monday) James 'phoned to say that they'd been given the go-ahead to take Evie home, and she was safely tucked up in her own little cot. On the whole, apart from the endless driving, it had been a perfect few days.

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Tarragona - Day 2 (am)

john@johnradford.com (John Radford) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:25:00 +0000

11-Jun-09 - The day did not start well. The wifi which I had used the previous night had decided that it didn't exist. Indeed, later in the day I took the laptop downstairs to close proximity with the transmitter, and it still insisted that there were no wireless networks available, even though my colleagues were cheerfully surfing away across the table. It confirmed my suspicion that computers are neurotic creatures which sometimes, and for reasons they refuse to explain, decide that they're not going to do something they have done quite happily before, or are going to start doing something they've never done before, and you can get stuffed.

DOQ PRIORAT

I first met Álvaro Palacios in 1996, at which time his winery was housed in a disused theatre in the village of Gratallops. We tasted what was then Clos (now Finca) Dofi, and he took me to see the 45º slope that is l'Ermita. I was bowled over by the wines and devoted a whole chapter of the Oz Clarke Wine Guide for 1997 to them.

Since then I've met Álvaro many times, at the family winery in Alfaro, Rioja, at trade events and we have occasionally shared a platform at conferences in Spain. I had not, however, visited his 'new' winery which is on the outskirts of Gratallops. Needless to say he designed it himself and it gleams with all the latest technology. The tasting room is light and airy and, after a quick tour, we settled down to some serious sampling.

Patricia Langton doing some serious sampling; Álvaro Palacios, right.

2007 Camins del Priorat - 50/40/10 Cariñena/Garnacha/Cabernet-Sauvignon and Syrah - 8 months Fr. This is Álvaro's new 'entry level' wine retailing at €12-14 in Spain: bright purple with rich, concentrated, damsony fruit on the nose, big structure, power and tannins on the palate, but the balance is right and this should be a stunner for Christmas. 17/20

2007 Las Terrasses - 50/50 Cariñena/Garnacha - 12 months Fr. This is made from bought-in grapes, but Palacios pays well over the odds for grapes from old vines so his contract growers give only of their best: purple, spicy, spiky, brambly fruit on the nose, with very crisp tannic 'grip' on the foretaste, 'locked in' fruit on the mid and a long, musky finish. Needs another year (at least). The 2006 sells for £20-22 in the UK. 17/20

2007 Gratallops - Garnacha/Cabernet-Sauvignon - the first 'village' wine: purple, soft, perfumed fruit with Cabernet prominent on the nose, very clean, crisp fruit on the foretaste with some complexity and well-integrated fruit on the mid. Fresh acidity and a long finish. 17/20

2007 L'Ermita - made from 70-80-year-old Garnacha cropping at 9 hl/ha. Purple, lovely rich, perfume with complex aromatics, rich on the foretaste with fab structure and a long, musky, finish. Needs five years - the 2006 sells in the UK for around £420. 19/20

2008 L'Ermita (cask sample) - dark purple, big, spiky, brambly spices on the nose, this reminded me of the first tank sample I'd tasted back in 1996: wonderful complexity, endless structure, perfumed fruit. Fab. Needs 10 years. 19½/20

There were a couple of funny moments: Rebecca ('La Jovenissima') said that she'd like to sit down after tasting l'Ermita, such had been the experience, and I asked Álvaro whether it was true that he and Peter Sisseck (of Pingus fame) were vying with each other to make the most expensive wine of Spain. "I had dinner with him last night" said Álvaro. "I think I'm still ahead!" Pingus is listed in the UK at around £399.

'La Jovenissima', limbering up for l'Ermita

DO TERRA ALTA

And then, for something completely different, the DO Terra Alta, one of the least-known wine areas of Catalunya. The capital is Gandesa, about 70 km west of Reus and 50 km south-west of Gratallops, which has some wonderful modernista buildings, including the local co-op, which was designed by César Martinell, a pupil of Gaudí.

The Gandesa co-op building. In need of a lick of paint when this was taken.
Pic.: Gandesa website

We were not to visit the co-op, however (although we did drive by it) as the Consejo Regulador had arranged a generic tasting for us at its offices in the town centre. I was particularly looking forward to this as my last visit to this area was a long time ago and bedevilled by time constraints as I only had one day there and had to get to Barcelona airport later on, so only managed three bodega visits (including the Gandesa co-op and Bàrbara Forés - see below). The opportunity to taste a dozen wines from 12 different wineries all in one go was very welcome, and we were efficiently served by the lovely Raquel Estrada.

Raquel Estrada pouring for the DO... And modelling the latest in skimpy denim tops.

The general style hereabouts is pretty middle-of-the-road: the countryside is dotted with co-ops, many of which are still a bit old-fashioned and sleepy ( I remember visiting one which still sold its wine in bulk from one of those old 'petrol pump' dispensers with a clock-face, to families who turned up with their own five-litre containers) but, as everywhere in Spain, there are a few bodegas doing something different, and in some cases spectacularly so. There's a lot of work being done with such as Syrah, Cab and Merlot, but the traditional Garnatxa (as it's spelled here) also showed promise. The usual criteria apply:

2008 Vinyes del Grau Syrah, Josep Vicens - 14.5% abv, €6 retail - I liked this - big rich, oily peppery on the nose and palate with loads of fruit on the mid and a potentially blockbusting finish. 17/20

2005 Torremadrina Selecció, Tarroné - Garnatxa/Syrah/Cabernet-Sauvignon/Merlot - 14% abv, 8 months oak, €14.95 retail - that old-fashioned hot, spicy, 'sawdusty' Garnacha dominates on the nose, very austere on the foretaste but there is good complexity and structure, as well as spicy fruit fighting to get out. Good length. 17/20

2005 Via Edetana Negre, Edetària - 33/33/33 Garnacha/Garnacha Peluda/Cariñena - 14% abv, 12 months Fr, €12 retail - very nice subtle soft dark fruit on the nose, some austere tannins on the palate but the structure is there and the fruit is working well. Long, hot, spicy finish. 18/20

2005 l'Avi Arrufi, Piñol - Garnacha/Syrah/Cabernet-Sauvignon/Merlot - 14% abv, 15 months, €17.40 retail. This has been one of the few 'classics' from Terra Alta for several years: purple, some rich, 'hidden' fruit on the nose which bursts into life on the palate with big spicy ripeness and a long, golden finish. Excellent. 18/20

Traditional Sweet Wines

2007 Edetària Dolç, Edetària - Garnacha/Cabernet-Sauvignon - 15% abv, 8 months Fr, €12.50 retail (50cl) - dark purple, lovely dark, rich 'fruitcake' nose, classic tannic 'grip' on the foretaste and some real structure on the mid, and long, long, long. 17/20

2007 Merian Dolç, Tarroné - Garnacha - 3 months Fr, €8.25 retail (50cl) - very dark purple, lovely perfumed 'hi-end' fruit nose, lovely fresh clean uncloying sweetness on the mid but still with a gentle tannic 'grip'. 18/20

1928 (solera) Covilalba Ranci - Garnacha Blanca - 19% abv, €20 retail. This is the Vilalba co-op's flagship ranci, the most traditional style all the way along Spain's north-east coast. Walnut, rich, soft, long 'dry Oloroso' on the nose, but more like an old Amontillado on the palate, nutty, perfectly mature and excellent. 18/20

I am always depressed when I taste these wonderful, old-fashioned wines, that they're virtually impossible to sell in the UK market - people simply don't know what they are. Fortunately, however, from Alella in the north to Terra Alta in the south they are still being made, and local people (and visitors such as I) continue to enjoy them.

Our next visit was just around the corner to Bàrbara Forés. I'd particularly asked to go there because I'd been before and the winery is an agreeable, handsome old family house (built by the architect Ramon Salas Ricomà), in a city street and on several levels, but also because of its history. Bàrbara Forés (1825-1905) was a winemaking pioneer of the nineteenth-century, and her son, Rafael Ferrer, followed in her footsteps, and even bottled wine (which was rare at the turn of the 20th century). Bàrbara's great-great-granddaughter María-Carmen Ferrer and her husband Manuel Sanmartín did the restoration work and put the bodega back to work in 1994 with the help of José-Luís Pérez of Clos Martinet (whose daughter Sara we shall meet in two days' time). The wines, I remembered, had shown great potential and this was confirmed by the tasting:

Tasting at Bàrbara Forés - María-Carmen Ferrer third from left

White Wines

2007 Bàrbara Forés Blanco - 90/10 Garnacha Blanca/Viognier with 18-20 hours' maceration - 13.5% abv, €7.90 retail - very pale straw, Garnacha Blanca power on the nose with some Viognier perfume. On the palate a bit austere but with fresh fruit and good acidity and weight, steely dry on the finish with a hint of bitter almonds. Lovely. 17/20

2005 Bàrbara Forés Blanco barrel-fermented with batonaje - Garnacha Blanca (60-y-o vines) - 14% abv - full straw, rich, smoky Garnacha Blanca aromas, and a lovely structure with complex 'savoury' fruit with a minerally character. Some austerity on the finish but long. 17/20

2007 Bàrbara Forés Blanco barrel-fermented with batonaje - as above - pale straw, that 'mineral' character again on the nose, big, mouth-filling fruit, some austerity but good balance and lovely freshness and cleanliness leading to a long finish. 17/20

Red Wines

2004 Coma d'en Pou - Garnacha/Cabernet-Sauvignon - 14-16 months Fr - 14% abv, older vintages retail at €18-€20 - This is a single-vineyard wine: dark purple, real, rich, deep, dark fruit with subtle 'chocolatey' hints on the nose, rich, structured, complex, and lovely fruit on the mid, tannins kick in but in balance, and the length shows real class. 17/20

2005 Coma d'en Pou - as above - bigger spice but still rich deep, dark fruit on the nose, and big fruit on the palate along with big tannins and an equally big finish. This will be a blockbuster. 18/20
Traditional Sweet Wine

2006 Vi Dolç Natural - Garnacha Blanca - 13.5% abv, 16 months - Also from the Coma d'en Pou vineyard: pale walnut in colour, soft, gentle, aromatic sweetness on the nose, carrying through to the palate. This is simply long, generous and delicious. 17/20

And, on a self-referential note, they had a copy of THE NEW SPAIN in their library, and asked me to sign it.

DO MONTSANT

It's about an hour's drive from Gandesa to Cornudella de Montsant, which is 33 km north-west of Reus, where we were to visit Cingles Blaus ('blue cliffs' after the Montsant rockface). The bodega is new but housed in ancient stone buildings in a kind of 'farmstead' down an unmade road, with a pleasant courtyard and an even more pleasant 'lounge bar' well supplied with cold beer, which was much in demand after a hard morning's work. We were hosted by Jordi Busquets, a member of one of the owning families (the winemaker, Eloi Milà is a member of the other family), and served coca, the savoury Catalan cake which is made with different toppings according to the time of year and the saints' days.

Cingles Blaus - the road to the winery

While the others went off to look at the steel tanks I had another beer and examined the 'QR (Quick Response) Code' which adorns the labels of the wines. This a matrix of dots unique to each wine (or any other product - it was originally developed for tracking motor parts in Japan), rather like a barcode but, according to the blurb, 'more glamorous' and favoured by designers because of its graphic potential. The idea is that you download an application into your mobile 'phone and then you can take a picture of the Code. This will then trigger a text message giving you information about the product, possibly including a web address and, if the 'phone has internet access, a click-through to the website for more information. So you could be sitting at a restaurant table drinking a bottle of wine, want to know more about it, and be looking at the winery's website in a matter of moments. Clever, eh?

One of the QR Codes from Cingles Blaus

But back to the tasting: outside in the courtyard they were barbecuing huge fillets of beef for lunch, and when my compatriots returned we tasted through the range:

2007 Octubre - 40/40/20 Garnacha/Cariñena/Syrah, 4½ months Romanian - 13% abv, €8 retail. Purple/ruby with soft, smoky rich subtle aromas, and excellent balance on the foretaste with fruit well-integrated - clean, soft tannins on the finish. Delicious. 17/20

2006 Mas de las Moreras - 50/20/30 Cariñena/Garnacha/Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot Syrah, 12-15 months oak - 14% abv, €12 retail. Purple/ruby with lotsa fruit perfume on the nose. Another very nicely assimilated palate, with musky tannins well under control, and a good, right mid and length. 17/20

2004 Cingles Blaus Selecció - Garnacha/Syrah, 13½ months new oak - about €20 retail. Ruby, with big smoky, dark subtle fruit on the nose and another beautifully balanced palate - the tannins are still a little prominent on the mid, but there is great potential here. 18/20

2002 Cingles Blaus Dolç - Garnacha Gris, 18 months French - 15% abv, about €25 retail. This is a passito wine, the grapes allowed to dry inside the winery for four months to concentrate the juice and encourage Botrytis, and fermentation is stopped at 15%. Pale gold, some Botrytis evident on the nose and also the palate - a very gentle but rich sweetness but not cloying. Lovely 'golden' finish. 18/20

And then it was upstairs for lunch at a long table - huge fillet steaks, chips and coarsely-chopped salad with the remains of the tasting wines. A splendid repast, indeed.