Fellow travelers of the vine:

If you wondered why I didn’t write a blog last Monday, it’s because I was a little preoccupied- Last week I hit the road in northern Spain and traveled just under 2000 miles in about 6 days! I was without Internet for pretty much the entire trip and when it was up, I was either confirming an address or looking up a number quickly before hitting the road again. At the end of the trip the entire American crew, including myself, was completely wiped out…a little agripado as the Spanish say.

In total our group tasted roughly 150 different wines from some of Spain’s most popular wine regions, as well as new regions I had never even heard of before I pulled the newspaper off the bottle (utilizing our classic blind tasting method of choosing new wines).

Our whirlwind trip produced some exciting news for Spanish Vines Inc.:  Within the next two months we’ll be adding three, possibly four, new wineries to our portfolio. We’re also launching our new Pour Favor brand, out of the Campo de Borja region. Needless to say, things at Spanish Vines are both crazy and exciting. I’m pausing to write this blog as I’m in Myrtle Beach, SC before driving to Atlanta and then to Charleston with one of the ENATE winery representatives. Finally, the news I’m most excited about is our private tasting with Michael Schachner, Spanish wine rater for Wine Enthusiast Magazine, next Monday afternoon.

So back to the Spain trip for just a bit: My dad and I flew into Oviedo, Asturias last Saturday while our Mad Monkey partners drove in from Madrid. We all convened at the famously renowned restaurant and birthplace of Spanish Vines, La Cata del Milan. We spent the next couple of days blind tasting roughly 80 wines. We tasted wines from the regions of Ribera del Duero, Rioja, Carinena, Bullas, Jumilla, Campo de Borja, Toro, Ribera del Jucar, La Mancha, Riber del Guadiana, Castilla y Leon, Navarra, Vinos de Madrid, Arlanza, Bierzo, Cigales, Calatayud, Almansa, and Rias Baixas (just let me know if you would like for me to write on any one of these particular wine regions).

After our blind tastings in Oviedo, we took off for Aragon with two clear objectives: decide on the final blends for the new Pour Favor brand in Campo de Borja and taste new wines and vintages at the ENATE winery in Somontano. The dinners in these two regions with both wineries were filled with tremendous laughter and great story telling. I had the tremendous honor of meeting and dining with one of the founders of ENATE- what an experience! Following our time in Aragon, we headed back to Oviedo, but broke the trip up by stopping in Haro, the classic city within the heart of Rioja, for the night. And on Thursday and Friday of last week we were busy in Oviedo before our final drive to Madrid to catch our flights on Saturday. Stay tuned for pictures on both our facebook page and website.

Again, some of the most exciting things coming up within Spanish Vines are the new vintages and label changes that will be hitting stores over the next couple of months. We’ll soon be organizing a launch party in NYC for the summer time. Just keep on following what’s going on within Spanish Vines, and if you’re in Atlanta or Charleston over the next couple of days, please send me a tweet!

This week’s recipe is one of Spain’s most classic snacks. And I really enjoyed it while in Spain last week…Authentic Spanish Tortilla!

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• Salt, to taste
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• Green olives, for garnish

Directions

Crack the eggs into a bowl. Whisk with a fork and add a pinch of salt. Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan. Add the potato and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the onion and mash together.

When the potato starts to brown a little on the edges and is mashed up with the onion in a lumpy fashion then add the eggs. Make sure the potato and onions are fully submerged by the eggs. Poke the potato to allow some of the egg to seep into the mashed mixture.

Fry this gently on a low heat. While cooking shake the pan to loosen the tortilla from the base and tidy the edges up with a wooden spoon. Do not over cook. The middle is meant to remain runny and gooey.

The egg will start setting, as this happens place a plate over the pan, a large enough plate to cover the pan substantially, and with a quick coordinated movement of both wrists flip the tortilla over onto the plate and slide back into the pan to cook the underside.

Keep shaking the pan lightly so the tortilla does not stick to the bottom.

Once it feels firm on the edges and soft in the middle (after about 1 minute) then slide the tortilla back onto the plate. For the brave heart you can do the flip again if you wish.

Let the tortilla rest for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Cut into cake slices or cubes.

Always remember: to understand is to enjoy!

-Josh