OK, I know that I sometimes poke fun at the local fiestas, under the banner of “any excuse to celebrate”, but even I was a bit puzzled by the latest – the Ribadeo Festival of India. Perhaps all the ideas for fiestas have finally been used up – chicken, sardine, cocido and even the odd Oktoberfest, but India? As far as I’m aware many Spanish people don’t even like very spicy food! For example, there have been several Indian restaurants popping up locally in recent years, but then they have all disappeared, almost as quickly as they arrived.

I’m actually quite a big curry fan, and regularly make them for myself during the winter months. I say for myself, because although Angela loves the smell, she finds even my very ‘mild’ versions too hot to digest. I’m afraid I’m just the opposite, I make Madras and Vindaloo in my kitchen, albeit that neither of these two styles originate from India! Madras style is actually a restaurant invention (like the infamous tikka masala), and is really just a hotter version of a standard curry. Vindaloo is a dish of Portuguese origin, which over time was spiced up by the people of the ex-Portuguese colony of Goa. It’s name originates from the two main ingredients which were “vinho”, wine/wine vinegar, and “alhos”, garlic.

I doubt very much if the Spanish will be inventing curry dishes any time soon, although this latest Indian Festival could be a step in the right direction.OK, I know that I sometimes poke fun at the local fiestas, under the banner of “any excuse to celebrate”, but even I was a bit puzzled by the latest – the Ribadeo Festival of India. Perhaps all the ideas for fiestas have finally been used up – chicken, sardine, cocido and even the odd Oktoberfest, but India? As far as I’m aware many Spanish people don’t even like very spicy food! For example, there have been several Indian restaurants popping up locally in recent years, but then they have all disappeared, almost as quickly as they arrived.

I’m actually quite a big curry fan, and regularly make them for myself during the winter months. I say for myself, because although Angela loves the smell, she finds even my very ‘mild’ versions too hot to digest. I’m afraid I’m just the opposite, I make Madras and Vindaloo in my kitchen, albeit that neither of these two styles originate from India! Madras style is actually a restaurant invention (like the infamous tikka masala), and is really just a hotter version of a standard curry. Vindaloo is a dish of Portuguese origin, which over time was spiced up by the people of the ex-Portuguese colony of Goa. It’s name originates from the two main ingredients which were “vinho”, wine/wine vinegar, and “alhos”, garlic.

I doubt very much if the Spanish will be inventing curry dishes any time soon, although this latest Indian Festival could be a step in the right direction.

The hot, dry weather continues here in Galicia, albeit that there is a nice fresh wind blowing today keeping the temperature down. Having said that it appears that the sun might have seriously impaired the thinking of some, leaving them to either wrestle wild horses, or perhaps run along the streets whilst being chased by bulls.

Spain is ,of course, the country of fiestas, but the annual calendar has now arrived at ‘silly season’ where man and beast come together by way of some rather odd celebrations. Here in Galicia we have the annual Rapa das Bestas – a ritual that dates back to the 15th Century. This entails wild horses being rounded up from the hillsides and guided into an enclosure in the centre of Sabucedo, simply to have their manes and tails trimmed. On face value quite an easy job, except that the only permitted way to control or subdue the horses is by using brute strength, meaning that the whole festival more or less resembles what can only be described as organised horse wrestling.

Meanwhile, over in Pamplona they have the annual Festival of San Fermin, which includes the daily ‘encierro’ – the simple matter of running through very crowded streets whilst being chased by a herd of bulls. Since 1925, some 15 people have been killed in the process, being either gored or trampled under the hooves of these heavy beasts – the most recent fatality was in 2009. Up to 300 people are injured every year.

I think I’ll stick to the albariño festival, which takes place at the beginning of next month. It gets pretty wild, but I don’t think the risk of injury is quite as high!The hot, dry weather continues here in Galicia, albeit that there is a nice fresh wind blowing today keeping the temperature down. Having said that it appears that the sun might have seriously impaired the thinking of some, leaving them to either wrestle wild horses, or perhaps run along the streets whilst being chased by bulls.

Spain is ,of course, the country of fiestas, but the annual calendar has now arrived at ‘silly season’ where man and beast come together by way of some rather odd celebrations. Here in Galicia we have the annual Rapa das Bestas – a ritual that dates back to the 15th Century. This entails wild horses being rounded up from the hillsides and guided into an enclosure in the centre of Sabucedo, simply to have their manes and tails trimmed. On face value quite an easy job, except that the only permitted way to control or subdue the horses is by using brute strength, meaning that the whole festival more or less resembles what can only be described as organised horse wrestling.

Meanwhile, over in Pamplona they have the annual Festival of San Fermin, which includes the daily ‘encierro’ – the simple matter of running through very crowded streets whilst being chased by a herd of bulls. Since 1925, some 15 people have been killed in the process, being either gored or trampled under the hooves of these heavy beasts – the most recent fatality was in 2009. Up to 300 people are injured every year.

I think I’ll stick to the albariño festival, which takes place at the beginning of next month. It gets pretty wild, but I don’t think the risk of injury is quite as high!

Here in Galicia (and Spain) we have more than our fair share of food festivals – any excuse for celebrating food is embraced with great enthusiasm, from the more basic products, such as tomato, cheese, sausage, or chicken, through to some slightly more elaborate dishes such as our local cocido. Of course in Galicia many of the festivals are centered around fish and seafood, but generally speaking, if it can be cooked or eaten, then it will be celebrated!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, they also have festivals for the appreciation of food. For example, this month is National Burger Month, and the good news is that I will be in the States next week to sample one or two. Now, I know that this might make me sound like a heathen, so I have to qualify this by saying that I’m not talking about Burger King or McDonalds – I’m talking about real, honest to goodness, quality beef! I have to admit that I have a craving, and please allow me to explain why….. The ‘red’ meat that is most commonly found here is called ternera, and it is not beef as I know it, but actually a cross between beef and veal. When cooked it always looks slightly anemic, and not entirely appetising. Real red meat here is known as buey, but this is not always available, it is only carried by certain shops and restaurants, and believe me I have found every one of them!

Suffice to say that next week I might be on a high protein diet.Here in Galicia (and Spain) we have more than our fair share of food festivals – any excuse for celebrating food is embraced with great enthusiasm, from the more basic products, such as tomato, cheese, sausage, or chicken, through to some slightly more elaborate dishes such as our local cocido. Of course in Galicia many of the festivals are centered around fish and seafood, but generally speaking, if it can be cooked or eaten, then it will be celebrated!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, they also have festivals for the appreciation of food. For example, this month is National Burger Month, and the good news is that I will be in the States next week to sample one or two. Now, I know that this might make me sound like a heathen, so I have to qualify this by saying that I’m not talking about Burger King or McDonalds – I’m talking about real, honest to goodness, quality beef! I have to admit that I have a craving, and please allow me to explain why….. The ‘red’ meat that is most commonly found here is called ternera, and it is not beef as I know it, but actually a cross between beef and veal. When cooked it always looks slightly anemic, and not entirely appetising. Real red meat here is known as buey, but this is not always available, it is only carried by certain shops and restaurants, and believe me I have found every one of them!

Suffice to say that next week I might be on a high protein diet.

Groundhog day was actually two days ago, when Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and predicted six weeks more of winter, but that’s another story. Most of us remember Groundhog Day because of the well-known Bill Murray film, finding himself trapped, living the same day over and over again. Today’s subject is not exactly a daily recurrence, but actually an annual event that I have written about at least once before….. the Cocido Festival!

Cocido is a type of local stew or casserole made by cooking various types of meat and vegetables in stock – in many ways similar to the French ‘Pot au Feu’ (except using different meats). Usually a traditional Galician cocido would be made from a selection of salt pork cuts, including the head, ears or tail, together with pieces of cock or chicken. Chorizo and pork belly or bacon, are also added. The selection of vegetables includes potato (a food staple of the Galician diet), grelos, which are actually the leaves of turnips (although cabbage can be used as an alternative to this), and finally garbanzos, or chickpeas to you and me.

OK, so it’s not for me to judge whether Cocido is good or bad, as with everything, it’s all a matter of personal taste. As always, my only problem is with the publicity shot that they have used to advertise the Festival (todays’ photo). For the undecided, or uninitiated I don’t believe that you would be particularly attracted to Cocido by the picture that they have chosen….. but then that’s just my own point of view.

Groundhog day was actually two days ago, when Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and predicted six weeks more of winter, but that’s another story. Most of us remember Groundhog Day because of the well-known Bill Murray film, finding himself trapped, living the same day over and over again. Today’s subject is not exactly a daily recurrence, but actually an annual event that I have written about at least once before….. the Cocido Festival!

Cocido is a type of local stew or casserole made by cooking various types of meat and vegetables in stock – in many ways similar to the French ‘Pot au Feu’ (except using different meats). Usually a traditional Galician cocido would be made from a selection of salt pork cuts, including the head, ears or tail, together with pieces of cock or chicken. Chorizo and pork belly or bacon, are also added. The selection of vegetables includes potato (a food staple of the Galician diet), grelos, which are actually the leaves of turnips (although cabbage can be used as an alternative to this), and finally garbanzos, or chickpeas to you and me.

OK, so it’s not for me to judge whether Cocido is good or bad, as with everything, it’s all a matter of personal taste. As always, my only problem is with the publicity shot that they have used to advertise the Festival (todays’ photo). For the undecided, or uninitiated I don’t believe that you would be particularly attracted to Cocido by the picture that they have chosen….. but then that’s just my own point of view.

We have an expression called ‘tempting fate’, when we make a passing remark, which either comes true when we don’t necessarily want it to, or otherwise completely contradicts the original comment. In this case it was a comment that I made just before the end of December, when I said we don’t normally have a lot of frost during the winter. Here we are, just over a week later, and we have had frost every night since I made the comment! Of course this is not really a problem at all at this time of year, indeed it is quite a positive thing – the clear skies at night have extended throughout the day, and we have enjoyed long hours of sunshine.

We have just re-opened the Bodega today, after some extended holidays – three celebrations over a two week period. Christmas, New Year and Los Reyes Magos (the three kings), celebrated here on January 6th. Clearly this causes quite a lot of disruption to business, and it takes a little while to settle back into our normal daily routine……

We have an expression called ‘tempting fate’, when we make a passing remark, which either comes true when we don’t necessarily want it to, or otherwise completely contradicts the original comment. In this case it was a comment that I made just before the end of December, when I said we don’t normally have a lot of frost during the winter. Here we are, just over a week later, and we have had frost every night since I made the comment! Of course this is not really a problem at all at this time of year, indeed it is quite a positive thing – the clear skies at night have extended throughout the day, and we have enjoyed long hours of sunshine.

We have just re-opened the Bodega today, after some extended holidays – three celebrations over a two week period. Christmas, New Year and Los Reyes Magos (the three kings), celebrated here on January 6th. Clearly this causes quite a lot of disruption to business, and it takes a little while to settle back into our normal daily routine……

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There used to be a moment when I could simply wish everyone a “Happy Christmas” at this time of year, but I guess that in this day and age it is not always considered politically correct to do so. It has become so complicated in recent years that many junior schools in the UK are now slowly dispensing with their traditional Christmas Nativity plays (thereby depriving small children the opportunity of dressing up with their mother’s best kitchen tea towel on their head!). We now embrace a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society to the extent that many of the original, older traditions are now either dying out, or are simply being replaced with new non-partisan events. Sad, but true….

It leaves me with a bit of a dilemma therefore, when it comes to writing my holiday message – what do I say? Happy holidays? Seasons Greetings? Yuletide Greetings?….. Call me old-fashioned, but whichever I chose to write it never sounds quite right, I always want to revert, by default, back to the phrase that I always used, unerringly as an innocent young child – Happy Christmas!

Whatever your faith, I am sure you will completely understand the sentiment of my message. We simply wish to thank all our loyal customers, friends and importers around the world for their continued support, and whatever toast you chose to make at this time of year, just make sure that it is done with a refreshing glass of Castro Martin albariño in hand!

Click to enlarge message

There used to be a moment when I could simply wish everyone a “Happy Christmas” at this time of year, but I guess that in this day and age it is not always considered politically correct to do so. It has become so complicated in recent years that many junior schools in the UK are now slowly dispensing with their traditional Christmas Nativity plays (thereby depriving small children the opportunity of dressing up with their mother’s best kitchen tea towel on their head!). We now embrace a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society to the extent that many of the original, older traditions are now either dying out, or are simply being replaced with new non-partisan events. Sad, but true….

It leaves me with a bit of a dilemma therefore, when it comes to writing my holiday message – what do I say? Happy holidays? Seasons Greetings? Yuletide Greetings?….. Call me old-fashioned, but whichever I chose to write it never sounds quite right, I always want to revert, by default, back to the phrase that I always used, unerringly as an innocent young child – Happy Christmas!

Whatever your faith, I am sure you will completely understand the sentiment of my message. We simply wish to thank all our loyal customers, friends and importers around the world for their continued support, and whatever toast you chose to make at this time of year, just make sure that it is done with a refreshing glass of Castro Martin albariño in hand!

It occurred to me that there is not too much happening in the bodega at this time of year – the final countdown to the holidays. Overseas orders have long since been collected, and by now, most of the Christmas gift packs have been completed too. It’s like the lull before the storm (if you choose to describe vast over indulgence in food and drink as a storm)!

Last weekend, by contrast, was quite eventful. Stranded at home without telephone or internet connection, thanks to Telefonica (it is difficult to appreciate how much we rely on modern communication until it’s not available)! But this problem was incidental compared to what happened next…..Angela stumbled whilst clearing the dining table, her hands laden with glassware, crockery and a cheese knife. I looked on helplessly as she fell, in what appeared to be slow motion, hitting the floor with a loud crash. I don’t exactly know what caused it, but she had sustained a very nasty cut to her forehead! After the initial panic I drove her straight to the emergency room to have several stitches put in the wound, but thankfully there were no symptoms of a concussion. Now that she’s feeling a lot better, we can joke about her Harry Potter scar (although it really wasn’t funny when it happened).

It occurred to me that there is not too much happening in the bodega at this time of year – the final countdown to the holidays. Overseas orders have long since been collected, and by now, most of the Christmas gift packs have been completed too. It’s like the lull before the storm (if you choose to describe vast over indulgence in food and drink as a storm)!

Last weekend, by contrast, was quite eventful. Stranded at home without telephone or internet connection, thanks to Telefonica (it is difficult to appreciate how much we rely on modern communication until it’s not available)! But this problem was incidental compared to what happened next…..Angela stumbled whilst clearing the dining table, her hands laden with glassware, crockery and a cheese knife. I looked on helplessly as she fell, in what appeared to be slow motion, hitting the floor with a loud crash. I don’t exactly know what caused it, but she had sustained a very nasty cut to her forehead! After the initial panic I drove her straight to the emergency room to have several stitches put in the wound, but thankfully there were no symptoms of a concussion. Now that she’s feeling a lot better, we can joke about her Harry Potter scar (although it really wasn’t funny when it happened).

I was reading an ‘official’ webpage the other day which suggested that albariño might be suitable as a dessert wine. Well, of course it depends on the type of dessert, but with my hand on my heart I have to say that this is not a selection that I would automatically think of myself. Our wines, by their nature, have very little residual sugar and can even be a little tart on occasions. Under normal circumstances they cannot really be described as being ripe or full-bodied, which is really the style that’s required to support a sweet, sugary pudding. To suggest that an albariño would go with a wide selection of desserts might just be stretching the issue a little.

On the other hand, with Thanksgiving almost upon us, I can really recommend our albariño with roast turkey. From my own point of view, when a ‘gravy’ is required to accompany poultry, I often add a  touch of lemon and tarragon, giving the resulting sauce just a bit of a kick. This hint of sharpness makes a perfect match to the fresh acidity in our wine. I’m afraid to say that I’ve never had the chance to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner in the U.S. and so I have no idea how a traditional turkey gravy would be made, but in any event I can still say that our wine will make the perfect accompaniment to your moist, freshly roasted bird.

I was reading an ‘official’ webpage the other day which suggested that albariño might be suitable as a dessert wine. Well, of course it depends on the type of dessert, but with my hand on my heart I have to say that this is not a selection that I would automatically think of myself. Our wines, by their nature, have very little residual sugar and can even be a little tart on occasions. Under normal circumstances they cannot really be described as being ripe or full-bodied, which is really the style that’s required to support a sweet, sugary pudding. To suggest that an albariño would go with a wide selection of desserts might just be stretching the issue a little.

On the other hand, with Thanksgiving almost upon us, I can really recommend our albariño with roast turkey. From my own point of view, when a ‘gravy’ is required to accompany poultry, I often add a  touch of lemon and tarragon, giving the resulting sauce just a bit of a kick. This hint of sharpness makes a perfect match to the fresh acidity in our wine. I’m afraid to say that I’ve never had the chance to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner in the U.S. and so I have no idea how a traditional turkey gravy would be made, but in any event I can still say that our wine will make the perfect accompaniment to your moist, freshly roasted bird.

I tasted some of our new 2014 albariño the other day, and it seems that Angela has now tasted them too. One of her impressions was that the new wine revealed hints of apple fruit, and by way of illustrating the point, she kindly posed for today’s photo!

I tasted some of our new 2014 albariño the other day, and it seems that Angela has now tasted them too. One of her impressions was that the new wine revealed hints of apple fruit, and by way of illustrating the point, she kindly posed for today’s photo!

This week is All Hallows’ Eve (the eve of All Saints Day), more commonly known as Halloween. It is a festival that been widely celebrated in the United States for many years, but is now gaining in popularity around Europe, although I rather suspect that many of those who join in have little or no idea as to its true pagan origins – it’s merely become more of an excuse to party, eat candies and play the occasional trick on people. And so, if you intend to indulge in a few Halloween treats, then what wine should you be drinking?! Well, perhaps if you’re still eating candy then you might be too young to be drinking wine anyway, but if you do, then the likelihood is that you will need something rather sweet to support all the sugar. For the adults amongst us, who perhaps prefer a more salty, savoury snack, then I would certainly recommend a crisp, refreshing albariño, which as we all know makes a great aperitif wine at any party…..

Meanwhile, back in the land of the living (a bit of Halloween humour there), we are reaching the very end of the alcoholic fermentation in our cellars. Indeed some tanks have already been sulphured, the action of which is to inhibit or kill off any unwanted yeasts in order to protect against secondary fermentations, that we don’t want or need this year. (In some vintages a secondary, malolactic fermentation can be used as a means of reducing the more aggressive malic acidity, converting it to much softer lactic acid). I have already tasted a few of the tanks, which are obviously full of sulphur, but attempting to taste through this, I think I can detect a wine that has good fruit, character and also good weight and body. As always, the acidity is very raw and green at this stage, but this will only soften given time, and after the wine has spent some time resting on its lees. We now just need to be patient.

This week is All Hallows’ Eve (the eve of All Saints Day), more commonly known as Halloween. It is a festival that been widely celebrated in the United States for many years, but is now gaining in popularity around Europe, although I rather suspect that many of those who join in have little or no idea as to its true pagan origins – it’s merely become more of an excuse to party, eat candies and play the occasional trick on people. And so, if you intend to indulge in a few Halloween treats, then what wine should you be drinking?! Well, perhaps if you’re still eating candy then you might be too young to be drinking wine anyway, but if you do, then the likelihood is that you will need something rather sweet to support all the sugar. For the adults amongst us, who perhaps prefer a more salty, savoury snack, then I would certainly recommend a crisp, refreshing albariño, which as we all know makes a great aperitif wine at any party…..

Meanwhile, back in the land of the living (a bit of Halloween humour there), we are reaching the very end of the alcoholic fermentation in our cellars. Indeed some tanks have already been sulphured, the action of which is to inhibit or kill off any unwanted yeasts in order to protect against secondary fermentations, that we don’t want or need this year. (In some vintages a secondary, malolactic fermentation can be used as a means of reducing the more aggressive malic acidity, converting it to much softer lactic acid). I have already tasted a few of the tanks, which are obviously full of sulphur, but attempting to taste through this, I think I can detect a wine that has good fruit, character and also good weight and body. As always, the acidity is very raw and green at this stage, but this will only soften given time, and after the wine has spent some time resting on its lees. We now just need to be patient.