Just a quick post to say Happy Independence Day to our American friends and customers!

Meanwhile, here in Galicia, the summer holiday season and festivities are also well and truly under way. Our local beach (which is already overcrowded in summer) played host to a five-a-side soccer tournament this weekend. Not only did the temporary arena that they built take up about a quarter of the total beach area, but then it was accompanied by thumping music and a commentator screaming excitedly into his PA system all day…. Very relaxing for the visiting tourists!

So, if everyone is on the beach, then why not escape to the city for a bit of peace and quiet? Well, that wouldn’t quite work either….. An all-day concert in the bullring of Pontevedra sent loud music booming around the streets of our fair city. Too bad if you needed to open your windows just a little in the hot weather. Ah, the joys of summer!

That albariño looks a bit yellow!

The last week in Galicia (and indeed around the world) has been Carnival time. Unfortunately, we are not blessed with the same weather as Rio de Janeiro where the scantily clad samba schools shimmy their way through the hot and humid Sambadrome. Here it’s more a case of sheepskin bikinis, or any costume that will protect you in some way from the cold, damp February chill. Indeed, this year has been worse than most, as yet another storm system swept across western Europe bring high winds and dumping huge amounts of rain. Many Carnival festivities were either cancelled or have at least been postponed, so that all the effort of elaborate costumes and floats does not go totally to waste.

Carnival is also known as Mardi Gras (fat Tuesday), and is a Christian feast – the feast before the ritual fasting period of Lent. Originally it was the day when people filled themselves with fatty foods, or perhaps meat, to sustain them over a 40 day period until Easter. The word carnival itself probably derives from the Italian ‘carne levare’ meaning ‘to remove meat’, and the very first carnival parades were also recorded in medieval Italy – for a long time the Carnival of Venice was considered the most famous.

Today is yet another National Holiday in Spain – the day of the Magic Kings (Reyes Magos), known in other countries as Epiphany – the arrival of the Three Kings in the Nativity. It is celebrated in many villages, towns and cities with spectacular parades reenacting the arrival of the three kings, symbolised by the giving of sweets and small presents.

This year, certainly here in Galicia at least, it is possible that the celebrations could be a bit muted….. by the weather. Since the turn of the year we have experienced days of non-stop rain – dark, leaden skies, it has been thoroughly miserable (albeit that temperatures have been unseasonably mild). I seem to recall that this is in complete contrast to the Reyes holiday of last year, when we enjoyed sunny, blue skies during the day, but with temperatures below freezing at night.

There is however, something very different that we could be celebrating at this time of year. In the U.S. it is National Meat Month. To be honest I’m not completely sure of the origins of this tradition, but it does afford Americans the excuse to enjoy even more meat than they usually do. With an average consumption of 270lbs (123kg) of meat per person per year, which is nearly three times more than the world average of just over 100lbs (46kg), you would be forgiven for thinking that the Americans are world leaders, whereas actually they take second place, behind…… Luxembourg (of all places)! In terms of the type of meat consumed in the U.S., beef and pork were tied throughout the 1950’s. Beef then became the dominant protein up until the turn of the millennium, until eventually chicken overtook it as the most consumed meat only a few years ago. No doubt Colonel Saunders will be quite thrilled!

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We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our friends and customers around the world for your continued support. We send you our warmest wishes for the holiday season, and wish you a happy, healthy and (mutually) prosperous New Year.

Andrew & Angela[:es]

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our friends and customers around the world for your continued support. We send you our warmest wishes for the holiday season, and wish you a happy, healthy and (mutually) prosperous New Year.

Andrew & Angela

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It was only a couple of weeks ago that I wrote about the possibility of drinking Albariño with your holiday turkey – and now our denomination office appear to be sending the same message. Today they have changed the header on the official D.O. Facebook page. It is now resplendent with turkey…. Happy holidays to one and all!

The choice of what you drink over the holidays may depend, to some extent, on what you are eating. Having said that I should add that I am actually a great believer in the idea of drinking the wines that you really enjoy drinking, regardless of whether they are considered the perfect match for your food. Personally, I always enjoy a nice glass of Champagne, not just over the holidays, but actually at any time of year. I don’t need an excuse…

My focus today however, is more to do with winter warmers rather than just wine, and so is perhaps aimed more at our northern hemisphere drinkers, rather than those enjoying their festive turkey bathed in warm sunshine. Those lucky enough to live in the mountains, or maybe just spending their holidays in the snow, might be sipping a hot gluhwein, or my personal favourite aprés-ski tipple, jagertee (black tea, wine, rum, brandy, orange juice & spices). Two cups of jagertee and I could conquer the Hahnenkamm!

The choice of winter drinks is endless, and is not restricted to just mulled or spiced wines – many of the recipes can also be applied to cider or ales, and then don’t forget your liqueur coffees or chocolate based drinks. The list goes on, for example you might easily be offered a choice of toddies, nogs, punches, cocktails, nordic glöggs or Olde English wassail.

Final reminders: You can still drink albariño over the holidays, and……. make sure you are stocked up on Alka Seltzer (or milk thistle)!

[:en]So what will you be eating this Festive Season? Thanksgiving has come and gone, or “Turkey Day” as one of my American friends called it recently. Probably the most traditional festive lunch in the UK is still turkey, which not that long ago was considered as very much a luxury food item. Of course, these days it is much more widely available, and therefore consumers are always looking for something a bit more ‘luxurious’ to spice up this special time of year. An alternative that crops up more frequently now are the stuffed poultry variations, such as ‘turducken’ (turkey stuffed with duck and chicken). This idea, however, is not something new – in the 19th century the practice of using almost any combination of bird, stuffed one inside another, was not uncommon on the well-to-do dining tables of Europe. Anyway, as always, I digress a bit.

My point is that at this time of year we probably eat more than we should, and treat ourselves to foods and dishes that we wouldn’t normally eat during the rest of the year. For example, the British eat traditional festive desserts that can be pretty stodgy and probably quite unhealthy, consisting of heavy, almost black, treacly, steamed fruit puddings followed by equally heavy, black fruit cakes. They can feel like lead weights even before they enter the stomach!

One of my own little treats (not especially associated with the festive period), is the British pork pie. Pork pie is a traditional meat pie consisting of roughly chopped pork sealed in a hot water crust pastry, and can be eaten cold as a snack or perhaps as part of a meal. As you might imagine such ‘specialist’ food items are impossible to find in Spain, and there is no Spanish equivalent that I can eat as an alternative. The only option therefore, is to make them myself. It’s a labour of love, but in my opinion, worth the effort…. My own personal Christmas treat![:es]So what will you be eating this Festive Season? Thanksgiving has come and gone, or “Turkey Day” as one of my American friends called it recently. Probably the most traditional festive lunch in the UK is still turkey, which not that long ago was considered as very much a luxury food item. Of course, these days it is much more widely available, and therefore consumers are always looking for something a bit more ‘luxurious’ to spice up this special time of year. An alternative that crops up more frequently now are the stuffed poultry variations, such as ‘turducken’ (turkey stuffed with duck and chicken). This idea, however, is not something new – in the 19th century the practice of using almost any combination of bird, stuffed one inside another, was not uncommon on the well-to-do dining tables of Europe. Anyway, as always, I digress a bit.

My point is that at this time of year we probably eat more than we should, and treat ourselves to foods and dishes that we wouldn’t normally eat during the rest of the year. For example, the British eat traditional festive desserts that can be pretty stodgy and probably quite unhealthy, consisting of heavy, almost black, treacly, steamed fruit puddings followed by equally heavy, black fruit cakes. They can feel like lead weights even before they enter the stomach!

One of my own little treats (not especially associated with the festive period), is the British pork pie. Pork pie is a traditional meat pie consisting of roughly chopped pork sealed in a hot water crust pastry, and can be eaten cold as a snack or perhaps as part of a meal. As you might imagine such ‘specialist’ food items are impossible to find in Spain, and there is no Spanish equivalent that I can eat as an alternative. The only option therefore, is to make them myself. It’s a labour of love, but in my opinion, worth the effort…. My own personal Christmas treat!

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and so the obvious question arises, which wine should you drink with your turkey (or whilst watching the NFL)? Of course I could tell you that albariño is not bad with white meat, assuming that it is roasted in the traditional way and not served with some exotic sauce, but if I was to put my hand on my heart, I would have to admit that there could actually be better food/wine matches for turkey. Unfortunately, in our business, there are far too many producers who would swear blind that their particular wine is great with everything, including pumpkin pie, but I’m just not one of them!

It’s just a great pity (from our point of view) that today’s traditional Thanksgiving menu does not accurately reflect the menu of the very first Thanksgiving meal back in 1621. When the Pilgrims celebrated their first harvest and invited the local Native Americans to eat at their table, the foods on offer were almost certainly a little different, or so the historians would have us believe. Not only would they have consumed fowl such as duck, goose, swan or perhaps even turkey, but it is also suggested that they may have eaten deer that their Wampanoag guests offered up as an additional menu item. The very first harvest was apparently quite abundant and also provided the pilgrims with onions, beans, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots, peas and perhaps some corn, but being in New England, it is also quite likely that some seafood might have been consumed. Mussels, lobster, bass, clams and oysters could also have been part of the feast, but regrettably not with any albariño, that didn’t arrive until a few centuries later!

The months of July and August are probably ‘peak’ fiesta season here in Galicia (and around Spain) – there are fireworks and rockets exploding nearly every night around around our home. (This is perhaps the moment to mention that I am always just a bit shocked when I see the men setting off these huge, exploding rockets…. launching them from their hands! Not something that is recommended to try at home).

I have written on many previous occasions about food fiestas, not because I don’t think they’re a great idea, but mostly because of the way that they are publicised. Of course, these local fiestas need to be supported and encouraged, as I have no doubt whatsoever that a huge amount of work goes into organising them. I do feel however, that all the effort is not necessarily augmented by the advertising, and the latest example of this is for a celebration starting tomorrow in the municipio de Valga – the Eel and Aguardiente festival. Unfortunately, once again, the photo that they have chosen to publicise the event is possibly not the most attractive or mouth watering…..

Now I’m sure that the eels are actually quite delicious, but what is it they say? It’s all in the presentation, and that we also ‘eat with our eyes’, but to be brutally honest if I was undecided as to where to spend my day out, I wouldn’t necessarily be attracted by this publicity shot. I think that they look like large grey worms, or is that just me?The months of July and August are probably ‘peak’ fiesta season here in Galicia (and around Spain) – there are fireworks and rockets exploding nearly every night around around our home. (This is perhaps the moment to mention that I am always just a bit shocked when I see the men setting off these huge, exploding rockets…. launching them from their hands! Not something that is recommended to try at home).

I have written on many previous occasions about food fiestas, not because I don’t think they’re a great idea, but mostly because of the way that they are publicised. Of course, these local fiestas need to be supported and encouraged, as I have no doubt whatsoever that a huge amount of work goes into organising them. I do feel however, that all the effort is not necessarily augmented by the advertising, and the latest example of this is for a celebration starting tomorrow in the municipio de Valga – the Eel and Aguardiente festival. Unfortunately, once again, the photo that they have chosen to publicise the event is possibly not the most attractive or mouth watering…..

Now I’m sure that the eels are actually quite delicious, but what is it they say? It’s all in the presentation, and that we also ‘eat with our eyes’, but to be brutally honest if I was undecided as to where to spend my day out, I wouldn’t necessarily be attracted by this publicity shot. I think that they look like large grey worms, or is that just me?

I have been in the UK for a week, and unfortunately I have missed one of my favourite tastings of the year. The tunnel of wine tasting at this year’s albariño festival, where nearly all the wines of our denomination are lined up under one roof. For me, this is by far the best opportunity to assess the quality of the latest vintage. Of course you can read all the reviews, recommendations and ratings that you like, but the only real way to know is to taste for yourself! To be quite honest, I don’t always agree with the official ratings anyway, quite apart from the fact that they can only provide a very generalised overview, whereas a detailed tasting can reveal good and bad in every vintage.

The tunnel of wine is by far the most civilised way to taste wine during the five day festival, and offers a much more comprehensive selection than the festival area itself. As I have mentioned in previous years, the festival area can become very ‘animated’ in the evenings, and is certainly not a suitable location for serious wine tasting. So the conclusion is quite simple – serious tasters and professionals should use the tunnel – drinkers and party-goers the festival area.

By the way, this years festival could go down as the longest in history. The official website actually advertises the festival as running from 29th June to 2nd August (instead of 29th July to 2nd August)!!I have been in the UK for a week, and unfortunately I have missed one of my favourite tastings of the year. The tunnel of wine tasting at this year’s albariño festival, where nearly all the wines of our denomination are lined up under one roof. For me, this is by far the best opportunity to assess the quality of the latest vintage. Of course you can read all the reviews, recommendations and ratings that you like, but the only real way to know is to taste for yourself! To be quite honest, I don’t always agree with the official ratings anyway, quite apart from the fact that they can only provide a very generalised overview, whereas a detailed tasting can reveal good and bad in every vintage.

The tunnel of wine is by far the most civilised way to taste wine during the five day festival, and offers a much more comprehensive selection than the festival area itself. As I have mentioned in previous years, the festival area can become very ‘animated’ in the evenings, and is certainly not a suitable location for serious wine tasting. So the conclusion is quite simple – serious tasters and professionals should use the tunnel – drinkers and party-goers the festival area.

By the way, this years festival could go down as the longest in history. The official website actually advertises the festival as running from 29th June to 2nd August (instead of 29th July to 2nd August)!!