In an effort to break all frequent flyer records, Tim and I will head back to Spain for the 2010 harvest. This time, our mission is to finalize two white wines we’ve been waiting nearly a year to bring back to you: Pour Favor, an unoaked Chardonnay, and Cinco Joses, an oaked Chardonnay (Both made in the style de Espana).

While we’re traipsing around the countryside, we’ll be thinking of another red fruit worth smashing- the tomato- as it takes center stage at one of the wildest traditions in Spain, the Tomatina Festival.

It’s an event beyond words. Check out it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpCmpJ1S-h0

La Tomatina Festival occurs on the last Wednesday of August in the town of Buñol, tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets for sport. The week-long festival features music parades, dancing and fireworks. It’s tradition for the women to wear all white and the men to wear no shirts. This festival started in a casual way in 1945, but wasn’t officially recognized until 1952. Approximately 20,000–50,000 tourists descend on Buñol every year, multiplying Buñol’s normal population of just over 9,000!!! The festival let’s fly about 150,000 tomatoes, or just about 90,000 pounds.

Good thing our new vintages drink well will red sauce…

Entender es Disfrutar!

-Josh

Spain Trip part 1

]]> http://www.spanishvines.com/travel/2010/07/30/video-spain-trip-part-one/feed/ 0 http://www.spanishvines.com/travel/2010/07/14/how-the-world-cup-victory-will-effect-spains-economy/ http://www.spanishvines.com/travel/2010/07/14/how-the-world-cup-victory-will-effect-spains-economy/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:35:51 +0000 admin http://www.spanishvines.com/travel/?p=331 Dear readers,

Here are some quick ‘did you know’ facts about Spain and the Netherlands:

There are just over 20 million bicycles in the Netherlands, and there are 16.7 million people living there
Spain dries just over 39 million hams a year, and the country is home to 40.5 million
The per capita beer consumption in the Netherlands is 20.5 gallons
The per capita beer consumption in Spain is 22.3 gallons
The per capita wine consumption in the Netherlands is 5.7 gallons
The per capita wine consumption in Spain is 8.7 gallons of wine

To put that in perspective, the per capital wine consumption in the USA is 2.6 gallons!!! We have a long way to go and tremendous growth to be realized.

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Now how about the 2010 World Cup and Spain as world champions?!  What a wonderful victory for Spain.

How much do you think Spain’s world cup victory will affect Spain’s economy? A Spanish national newspaper was quoted as saying, “Spain’s run in the World Cup will deliver only a brief surge in consumer spending.” I disagree. Winning the World Cup could be exactly what it takes to pull this country out of one of the worst economic slump in its history.

The same newspaper was quoted as saying, “The tournament has lifted spirits among fans hit by the country’s worst recession in decades, which has resulted in surging unemployment and slumping growth, pay cuts, the housing crisis, credit-rating downgrades, subway strikes and a hamstrung government. For Spain, which never before made it to a World Cup final, the match could be its biggest sporting achievement in history and its main marketing event since the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.”

“It’s more important than the economy, than potatoes, than olive oil, than (worker) strikes,” said Eduardo Lorenzo Conde, a retired Madrid worker, who adds that he prefers bullfights to soccer.

Becoming soccer’s world champion would have a very positive effect on the so-called “Spain brand,” particularly after the economy contracted close to 4% last year, said José María Romero, senior consultant at Madrid-based consultancy, Equipo Económico, before the World Cup finals.

So far this year, the IBEX-35, the key index of the battered Spanish stock market, has been the world’s worst performer, next to Greece; however, it has been on a mini-rally since July 3, when Spain beat Paraguay to advance to the semifinals. It has closed higher for the past six sessions, and above the key 10,000 point mark for the first time in nearly three weeks the day after Spain beat Germany.

Most big sporting events deliver a predictable bump in business: Pizza sales are expected to jump 40% on Sunday, according to Telepizza, a Madrid chain, which will have a staff of 14,000 on duty during the match, and other companies predict increases as well.

There’s no question this victory will have a tremendous impact on Spain’s economy. The Spain brand has really been boosted all throughout the world, which will certainly act as free advertising for all of the country’s products as well as further boost tourism. After Nadal won the 2010 Wimbledon and now world champions in soccer ,what’s next? Viva Espana!

Entender es Disfrutar!

~Josh

P.S.- We’re still taking party theme ideas for our upcoming event in NYC! Best idea wins a FREE case of wine!

Two blog entries ago I offered everyone a chance to win a free case of Spanish Vines wine. Unfortunately, thus far we haven’t heard from any of you requesting Spanish Vines in your local wine store or restaurant! Well, because we’re really craving for your tender love and attention we’re now going to offer another opportunity for a second case of wine! That means that any of you could earn two free cases of Spanish Vines wine!

Here’s the deal. We’re launching our all-new Spanish Vines Rioja proprietary blend this fall. We’re having an exclusive launch party in Manhattan in October, but we still need ideas for the party. The theme must be strongly influenced by Spain while also being true to the mission and feel of Spanish Vines. Please send us your ideas as to the theme of this party! The idea we choose for the event will be the winner of the second case of Spanish Vines wine. There are no restrictions as to who can apply and suggest ideas! We look forward to receiving your ideas!

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This week I would like to offer you a lesson on one of the most influential artists of our time: Pablo Picasso.

What artist has the most stolen pieces recorded to date? The answer: Picasso. According to the Art Loss Register there are just over 550 pieces of Picasso’s work missing to date, and several paintings by Picasso rank among the most expensive in the world. Garçon à la pipe sold for US $104 million at Sotheby’s on May 4th, 2004, establishing a new price record. Just last month, on May 4th, 2010, Nude, Green Leaves and Bust was sold at Christie’s for $106.5 million!

Picasso’s Life Wrapped Up:

Picasso is arguably one of the best painters in the world- and that is a pretty big statement to make when there were others such as Renoir, Monet, Manet, Da Vinci, Van Gogh etc. But the most distinctive aspect of Picasso was that he refused to be compartmentalized in a particular style. He managed to master various different styles, the most famous amongst them was of course Cubism. Other than Cubism he spent considerable time mastering; realism, modern art, caricature, the Blue Period, and the Rose Period. He was very prolific in each of these styles.

Pablo Picasso was born in 1881 in Spain and it was obvious to everyone that he had an extraordinary talent with the paintbrush. His father was an art teacher and he guided him in every way possible. As a teenager he would hang out at the cafes in Barcelona and avidly listened to the intellectuals there. He then went to Paris to further his education as art and dissected the works of Henri Rousseau, Renoir, and Toulouse-Lautrec. By 1901, he had a reputation as a good painter.

Between 1901 and 1904 was the Blue Period for Picasso, when he came out with a number of masterpieces. His painting La Vie (1903), which was created in memory of his childhood friend, the Spanish poet Casagemas, is considered to be priceless should it ever, be put out for sale (I’ve never experienced anything like what I did what I saw this painting…almost brings you to tears). The paintings from this period have predominantly blue tones and very effectively capture the underbelly of society. He also began sculpting during this period.

As soon as the Blue Period ended he embarked on the Rose Period. These paintings used colors and character, which were more pleasing to the eye, but they themselves seemed depressed and sad. The characters used were clowns and pantomimes. Picasso’s paintings then took on a new look when he began to dabble in classical themes. He began to worship Henri Matisse for his shocking colors and Henri Rousseau for his caricaturist style. Picasso began to use full frontal images of large male and female figures.

It was only in the 1920s that Picasso began his journey in Cubism. By this time he was recognized as the most famous painter in the world if not the best. He teamed up with Georges Braque and produced distortions of the human body that were beyond the imagination of even acclaimed painters. He also produced outstanding work that related to various Roman mythological figures. His post-cubism paintings reflected his obsession with sex and the nude female form.

There have been accusations that there were others who were better than Picasso but less prolific. But being prolific is not a vice and the quality of his work never dipped. There have been movements in the 20th century that were inspired by his work. There is no painter who can claim to be anywhere close to Picasso as far as versatility is concerned. He was one painter who broke the rule that it is only after a painter dies that he becomes famous.

(A number of quotes were taken directly from an article entitled, The Deconstruction of Pablo Picasso on Buzzle.com)

Entender es Disfrutar,

Josh

This week kick starts an all-new component of Spanish Vines: webisodes. We think it’s so important for you all to know what’s happening in Spain as well as the United States, and these webisodes will be your window!

This first video we’re launching today is a lot of fun. It characterizes the feeling of what happens in Spain: the fast-pace environment, the excitement, laughter, concern, and most importantly, the dedication to bringing you all the best wine possible for the money. So enjoy and pass it along to as many friends and family as possible!

Saludos y Entender es Disfrutar!

~Josh

You know how to tell when the founder’s blog is actually written by the founder? When it’s not published at the same time on the same day week after week. This past week has been absolutely crazy. I’ve just arrived back home to NYC after spending a few days in the Carolinas. Then I’m head back down south this Saturday in order to travel around the Carolinas, GA and VA. In addition to all this hopping around we’re looking to hire for some new positions right now so needless to say, things are hectic at the Vines.

I write this blog every week without knowing how many people are actually reading. Of course I want the readership to really increase and grow, but I write because I love talking to you all, especially if it’s face to face. But because it’s impossible to personally talk to everyone at once, this is my platform to write about the wine industry, Spain, wines, my travels, and really whatever is on my mind that I want to share.

This week I want to ask you all for a favor. We’re trying to expand distribution in Florida, and next month we have a huge meeting with the largest alcohol distributor in FL- in fact, they’re one of the largest in the country. We have to convince them that they should bring on Spanish Vines. WE are ultimately the ones that will make a difference in introducing Spanish Vines wines to new areas of the country. And when I say ‘we’ I’m referring to You- to the Spanish Vines family, the members of our Facebook group, the readers of this blog, the followers of our Twitter page and so on. It’s us against the big boys, as they say

So please, let’s interact as a family. Post fan pictures up on our facebook page, spread the word to your friends that we have Twitter & Facebook, and simply request Spanish Vines when you go to restaurants, grocery stores, or wine shops. This makes such a huge difference, and with one request and interaction at a time, we’ll grow Spanish Vines together to be one of the most unique phenomenons in the wine industry.

The incentive: if you have a picture of you enjoying or requesting a bottle of Spanish Vines or any of our brands, please post it to our facebook page or email it to info@spanishvines.com, and we’ll post it. The most interesting picture (voted by our Facebook family) will receive a free case of mixed Spanish Vines wines

Let’s keep up the fight and grow this together.

Entender es Disfrutar!

~Josh

In continuation of my last blog, I’d like to explain another reason why I went to Spain a few weeks ago and how Spanish Vines spent more time looking for a particular wine (as well as the Tempranillo I talked about last week) than any other wine search we’ve done thus far.

Early next year Spanish Vines plans to launch a bottle of wine that will have a very low price but still have top-notch quality. We’re trying to do something with this brand that could be revolutionary, not only  for the Spanish wine world but for the wine world overall; we want introduce people to ‘real’ wine, at a truly affordable price while highlighting how incredible Spanish wines are for the money. This new wine will be the first wine in what we’re calling the Spanish Vines evolution map, where you start slowly with this brand and then move onto the next, one by one until you get up to ENATE Varietales. It’s an incredible introduction into the quality driven, value oriented wines from Spain, and we have fought hard for it.

The fighting for this new wine came because of what we decided to do as opposed to what we could have done. Many brands in the $6.99-$7.99 price segment taste a certain way because of one common factor: added sugar to the wine. In general, these wines have no real sense of place or any character to one varietal over the other; sugar takes that defect and makes it attractive.

Imagine, for example, eating a raw un-ripe peach. The sensation is completely bitter and not very tasty. Now, take another piece of that same un-ripe peach and cover it with sugar. The taste is better, only you have this sticky sensation on the roof of your mouth and maybe even a bad aftertaste. That’s exactly the experience of a lot of the high-production, low-cost wine brands in the market today.

What’s the alternative to adding sugar then? Well, this is where our new wine will be different. We did not want to hide anything in the wine, so we’re going to let the grapes sit on the vine longer and wait until 2011 to launch. We want to fully express the Chardonnay variety with which we chose to work.

The European style or preference to white wines is generally more acidic, citrus-y, and possibly bitter to the American pallet. To mask this, sugar could be added to the wine to make it more “fruity,” but where’s the honor and authenticity in that? The solution? To continue with the peach example, leave that peach on the tree just a little longer, and it will take on totally new characteristics, all while maintaining the integrity and quality of that peach.

It is the same exact idea with the chardonnay grapes for our new wine. After realizing what we wanted to accomplish with the style of this white, it had to come from mother nature, not a laboratory. The winery agreed to designate a certain acreage of Chardonnay grapes solely for the white. We’re going to leave those grapes on the vine just a little longer in order to get that full bodied, round ripe fruit in perfect harmony with great acidity, a wine we can ultimately be proud to promote. Had we chosen to launch right away, we would have compromised a lot, and that’s just not what we’re about.

Entender es Disfrutar,

Josh

I knew Tempranillo was a finicky grape, but I had no idea it was so dramatic.

I have a rather long but important story to tell you regarding the most recent Spanish Vines events. I had to make a spur-of-the-moment trip to Spain last week, and it was a hectic and frustrating trip to be sure, but in the end it was all worth it. Let me explain:

On the homepage of our website it reads: “Spanish Vines is unique among importers because our long-term commitment is to you, the consumer, not the individual winemaker. Instead of signing long-term contracts with a winery, we blind taste an assortment of wines each year to fulfill our house style. As a result, you bring home the same bottle of juice we would bring home — at a price that’s truly affordable.”

We have had to work extra hard these past few months to preserve and sustain our mantra. Two months ago at our Oviedo blind tasting we tasted tempranillos specifically for our Spanish Vines tempranillo seleccion. At this tasting, an attempt to choose the ’09 tempranillo, the winery we used for the ’08 tempranillo absolutely soared. We all left the tasting 100% confident that our new tempranillo would be from the same winery two years in a row! Logistically this is great, but at the end of the day it’s always about you the customer, so we have to be sure, absolutely sure.

As we do after every successful tasting, we have the chosen wines sent to the USA for a final stateside evaluation before placing the final order. But when we got together to taste the wine in its traveled condition, the wine was different. It wasn’t even close to the wine we tasted in Oviedo at the blind tasting!

We explained this to the winery immediately following the tasting, and they sent further samples back over with some minor changes. When these samples arrived, we were hoping to be convinced that this would be the final look and final test. But we were far from the solution to the tempranillo search. The samples they sent were not the kind of wine on which we would put the Spanish Vines name. So what did we do? Tim and I took off to Spain to fix this in person.

After being up for about 20 hours straight (an overnight flight) we began the tasting in the winery’s laboratory. After about 3 hours of tasting different styles of tempranillo we realized that this wasn’t our spot. The bottom line was that the quality wasn’t to our expectations. So where did we go next? Well, our Crianza from Spanish Vines is one of the best value tempranillos we’ve ever found, so we decided to go take a look at that winemaker’s wines. Conveniently, that winery is right around the corner from the winery we just left. You can imagine in a region that consists of 9 wineries the drama involved with switching from one winery to its neighbor- even though it’s business, it can get personal. We began tasting his younger, joven-style tempranillos and there was no comparison – it was a much higher level of quality.

At this point our exhaustion was really starting to set in, so we left the winery for the day and returned the next morning. This tasting was probably one of the most amazing wine experiences of my life. The winemaker tells Tim, Javier, and I, “well, here’s the tempranillo that is about to go into new French & American oak barrels that will eventually make the Spanish Vines Crianza.” This particular tempranillo is hand-harvested, comes from vines that are 40 – 50 years old and has a gorgeous color. The wine was explosive, ripe, and delicious. It was an amazing wine, with tremendous flavor. On the spot Tim and both said, this is the one. This is the one for our new Spanish Vines Tempranillo.

The winemaker, Javier, and the president of the winery all interjected and said, “but it’s not filtered, clarified, nothing. It’s straight from the vine. It’s too much of a monster.” Tim and I looked at each other and smiled, saying “well, that’s exactly what our customer wants.” They were completely shocked, and it was at that point we really were able to connect the two cultures. The wine maker said, “well great, less work for me. This style of tempranillo hasn’t been touched or worked. The way you want it is as pure tempranillo as it comes – straight from the vines, into the tanks and later right into the bottle.

How beautiful is that? Completely raw tempranillo, never manipulated or touched. I love it. The point of the story is that we’re here for you all on our branded wines, be it Spanish Vines or Cinco Joses. And when we decide to represent a winery, know that we’ve done our absolute best to search the best producer within that region. So I can’t wait for you all to taste the new Spanish Vines tempranillo ’09, hopefully hitting the States this fall! And please write us at info@spanishvines.com to let us know your thoughts!

Entender es Disfrutar!

~Josh

A dedication to perfection is why we’re headed to Spain. Tim Gardner and I are headed back on a last minute whim to make sure our new white blend and Spanish Vines ‘09 Tempranillo are 100% perfect. Because the trip was so last minute, my champion father was not able make it but he’ll be back in July with Mom- more on the July trip later.

The bottom line of why we’re headed to Spain is what we call the ‘gut check.’ “Is the wine perfect?,” we ask ourselves every time we make a decision and if we don’t have that 100% confidence of our goal of perfection, we go back to Spain to make sure we get there.

You see, on the last trip to Spain we were finalizing the ’09 Tempranillo from Spanish Vines and the white blend for our new brand, both through our blind tasting method. Once we were back in the US we were sent samples from the chosen wineries. We re-tasted and knew we were close, but the samples were not ideal. Given the sensitivity of time in launching the new brand, and releasing the latest vintage of our Spanish Vines Tempranillo, we had to get back to Spain immediately to make sure the wines get bottled.

As I write, we just arrived to Madrid and are awaiting Javier to pick us up at the Atocha train station in Madrid’s city center to drive to Ribera del Jucar to work with the winery we’ve selected to source the ’09 Tempranillo. Tonight we’re having dinner with Bernardo, the wine maker of our Crianza ’06 from Spanish Vines, and tomorrow we’re headed to a new winery we may start working with in the DO of Toro. On Thursday we’ll be headed to Campo de Borja to finalize the new white before its launch in July (wondering what new product we’re launching? Stay tuned!). Finishing the trip we’ll be spending some time with a new winery in Priorat that we’re about to begin working with shortly. A lot to accomplish in just 4 days, no?

I’ll keep you guys updated via twitter on how the tastings and winery visits go over the next few days. In the meantime, make sure you’re checking our Facebook page frequently to not only see what’s happening on this trip in Spain but also to see the pictures from our last trip to Spain…almost two months ago, wow.

Finally, I leave you with a nice and easy comfort dessert, popular all over Spain as well as other European countries: Rice Pudding (from www.tienda.com):

Rice Pudding (Pudin de Arroz)

Ingredients:

3 – 3/4 cups cooked white rice

2 – 1/2 cups fine sugar

6 tbsp butter

6 cups milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

5 eggs, beaten

3 tbsp Spanish brandy

Dash of salt

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, heat the milk, rice and butter over medium heat for 5 minutes, taking care not to over boil.

In a small bowl, mix the eggs, sugar and salt until smooth. Add the brandy and the egg mixture to rice and mix well until thickened. Transfer the mixture to a baking pan and place pan inside a larger pan containing about 1 inch of water. Bake at 350 F for about 1 hour or until done.

Remove pan from the water and allow to cool. Chill at least one hour before serving. Serve in individual dessert bowls. Raisins or other dried fruit can be added for flavor.

Entender es Disfrutar,

Josh

Looking for something new to to try this weekend? Head over to your local Harris Teeter to take advantage of the Spanish Vines/ Corazon de Ronda promotion! Pair Spanish Vines Tempranillo and Corazon de Rona Manchego cheese together, or Spanish Vines Sauvignon Blanc and Corazon de Ronda Mahón cheese together, and receive a dollar off your bottle of Spanish Vines wine! Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend with a bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers, right on your porch or patio. Find the nearest Harris Teeter store to you.

Also, for North Carolina residents: support the North Carolina USO by purchasing a bottle of Spanish Vines, for a portion of your purchase will go towards the USO club of North Carolina. Find out more about the USO at http://www.uso.org/.

And for a recipe to accompany your Spanish Vines wine and Corazon de Ronda cheese! A tapas recipe from http://spain-recipes.com:

Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

-8 small tomatoes, or 3 large ones

-4 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and peeled

-6 tablespoons allioli or mayonnaise

-Salt and pepper

-1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

-1 tablespoon white breadcrumbs, if using large tomatoes

Directions:

Skin the tomatoes, first by cutting out the core with a sharp knife and making a ‘+’ incision on the other end of the tomato. Then place in a pan of boiling water for 10 seconds, remove and plunge into a bowl of iced or very cold water (this latter step is to stop the tomatoes from cooking and going mushy).

Slice the tops off the tomatoes, and just enough of their bases to remove the rounded ends so that they will sit squarely on the plate. Keep the tops if using small tomatoes, but discard those large tomatoes. Remove the seeds and insides, either with a teaspoon or small, sharp knife.

Mash the eggs with the allioli -or the mayonnaise, if using- salt, pepper and parsley. Stuff the tomatoes, firmly pressing the filling down. With small tomatoes, replace the lids at a jaunty angle. If keeping to serve later, brush them with olive oil and black pepper ot prevent them from drying out. Cover with clingfilm and keep.

For large tomatoes, the filling must be firm enough to be sliced. If you make your own mayonnaise, thicken it by using more egg yolks. If you use shop-bought mayonnaise or allioli, add white breadcrumbs until the mixture reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Season. Fill the tomatoes, pressing down firmly until level. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then slice with a sharp carving knife into rings. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

Entender es Disfrutar,

Josh