Barcelona, Day 1

Barcelona, Spain

April 13th 2011

Day 1

After hours and hours in flight we were happy to stretch our legs by walking the la Romblas downtown area of Barcelona. Some of our favorite vistas included the layers of texture in the architecture over time. Wood, stone, cement, and iron where juxtaposed beautifully along the streets.

Now this is the real way to market your restaurant! Here a chef actively bastes and roasts chicken on the street corner to create alluring aromas and visuals for passers-by.  Could we get away with this on the Jasoh corner of 25^th Street?  All in favor, say “I!”

Our culinary adventures begin with a traditional tapas bar.  Grab tongs and dig in!  Our lunch included THE best sausage we have ever had, HANDS DOWN!  This was local Arceniaga sausage cooked in Cider Sauce.  Every bite we took included a vocal “mmmmmmmmmmmmm.”  We couldn’t believe we kept mmmmmm-ing with every bite, but we just couldn’t help it!   Our inability to eat silently was actually quite comical.  It was just too delicious.

This was our favorite store of the day, a quirky art store with endless color, texture, and ingenuity in the form of jewelry, table-ware, lighting, and wall art.  This store was sensory overload and we loved it!

Okay.  So I forgot to break it to you all that I’m actually in Barcelona to promote my Namesake store, SHANA. You didn’t know I have my own line of clothing and accessories?  Get with the program!

We enjoyed dinner on the Barcelona Dock with a table full of Tapas, tapas and more tapas… and an excellent dry Cabernet Rose which couldn’t have complimented our Mediterranean treasures better.  Our Tapas included some of our favorite ingredients, sweet plump heirloom tomatoes, Mangchego cheese, crab, tuna, bold Iberian Ham, veal and a Spanish Potato Omelet.  This Rose wine was wonderfully dry with great acidity, pepper, and bright fruit of raspberries, strawberries and tart currant.  Please link here to read more about this local Spanish Rose:

CABERNET SAUVIGNON ROSÉ 2009

VARIETIES

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

ELABORATION

We carry on using this variety in order to obtain a rosé with

personality but also purkey and easy drinking.

It was harvested the second week of September with an excellent

maturation and sanity.

After 17 hours macerating at 8ºC, it fermented slowly during 20 days at

16ºC

BOTTLING DATE

It was bottled on 30 November 2009

TOTAL PRODUCTION

26.690 bottles of 75 cl. were bottled

ANALYTICAL DATA

13º15 alcohol by vol.

0,20 gr/l. Volatile acidity in Acet.

6,0 gr/l. Total acidity in Tart

94 mg/l. SO2 Total.

4,3 gr/l. Residual sugar

3,29 of pH

SERVING TEMPERATURE

It is recommended to be served between 6-8ºC

BRIEF REMARKS ON WINE TASTING

Beautiful and powerful ruby colour. Small red fruits nuances, like raspberry, currant,

cherry… together with other aromas very characteristic from the Cabernet

Sauvignon variety such as pepper and green coffee beans.

In mouth it is powerful, dense, sweet tooth and very tasty, as well as a very elegant

etructure which makes it easy drinking and pleasant.

It is a very versatile wine, gastronomically speaking, being very appropriate for cold

cured meats, white meats, paellas, pasta, grilled fish and all those dishes that

represent the Mediterranean gastronomy.

http://www.avgvstvs.es/angles.html

 

Though tomorrow is mostly travel we will be anticipating a great Venetian dinner and don’t forget the Prosecco wine tour!