Our wine tasting group is having a Tapas dinner and we just had a Spanish theme so I'm a little limited on Spanish wines this time though I am likely to start with an Olaroso Sherry to begin. Thinking about a Pinot with the duck but still having trouble with the rest especially the gazpacho. Any help would be appreciated.

The Menu

Fried eggplant with salmorejo and sheep feta

Mushroom truffle empanaditas

1st course
White grape and almond gazpacho with warm idiazabal toast


2 Grilled halibut with garlic orange sauce and grilled spring onions

3 roasted duck breast with strawberry -Garnacha mojo

4 braised beef cheeks with gold potato pure and
Cabrales tempura

I'll play.
Seems intuitive to go Spanish, but as you say you are short Spanish wines, I'll offer alternatices

Fried eggplant with salmorejo and sheep feta*
Cava! or maybe Txacoli

Mushroom truffle empanaditas*
Rose cava, or any like fragrant rose (still or sparkling) or lighter red

White grape and almond gazpacho with warm idiazabal toast*
I think you want to go white here
Godello, or a bigger Rueda
Soave (I'm thinking Italian wines, if you were really lucky the nutty notes I often find in the wines might play well with the almonds)

Grilled halibut with garlic orange sauce and grilled spring onions*
Good Rioja bianco
White Burgundy

roasted duck breast with strawberry -Garnacha mojo*
Rioja GR tinto - esp. LdH Bosconia (or Tondonia)
Red fruited PN

braised beef cheeks with gold potato pure and*
Cabrales tempura*
Priorat
Assuming the Cabrales isn't dominant (as blue cheese can be), any big red.

On Thursday, March 7, 2013 12:25:25 PM UTC-7, DaleW wrote:
> I'll play.
>
> Seems intuitive to go Spanish, but as you say you are short Spanish wines, I'll offer alternatices
>
>
>
> Fried eggplant with salmorejo and sheep feta*
>
> Cava! or maybe Txacoli
>
>
>
> Mushroom truffle empanaditas*
>
> Rose cava, or any like fragrant rose (still or sparkling) or lighter red
>
>
>
> White grape and almond gazpacho with warm idiazabal toast*
>
> I think you want to go white here
>
> Godello, or a bigger Rueda
>
> Soave (I'm thinking Italian wines, if you were really lucky the nutty notes I often find in the wines might play well with the almonds)
>
>
>
> Grilled halibut with garlic orange sauce and grilled spring onions*
>
> Good Rioja bianco
>
> White Burgundy
>
>
>
> roasted duck breast with strawberry -Garnacha mojo*
>
> Rioja GR tinto - esp. LdH Bosconia (or Tondonia)
>
> Red fruited PN
>
>
>
> braised beef cheeks with gold potato pure and*
>
> Cabrales tempura*
>
> Priorat
>
> Assuming the Cabrales isn't dominant (as blue cheese can be), any big red..

Thanks Dale. This looks like a good lineup. Definitely starting with a sherry but considering Tio Pepe instead of Oloroso.

On 07/03/2013 16:16, lleichtman wrote:

> still having trouble with the rest especially the gazpacho. Any help would be appreciated.

Without a doubt I would recommend a Sherry at the fino end of the
spectrum for white gazpacho. I usually go for a manzanilla, but I can
easily imagine fino, manzanilla pasada or amontillado would work equally
well.

If anyone reading this has not tried white gazpacho, do!

(Sorry Larry - did not mean to email you - still not used to Thunderbird
as a newsreader!)

--
www.winenous.co.uk

On Thu, 07 Mar 2013 23:28:41 +0000, Steve Slatcher
> wrote:

> On 07/03/2013 16:16, lleichtman wrote:
>
> > still having trouble with the rest especially the gazpacho. Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Without a doubt I would recommend a Sherry at the fino end of the
> spectrum for white gazpacho. I usually go for a manzanilla, but I can


You remind me of the time, about 35 years ago, when at a bar in my
hotel in Madrid, I ordered manzanilla, and got a cup of chamomile tea.
My Spanish was so poor and I was embarrassed enough that I just drank
what I was given and didn't complain.


--
Ken Blake

On Thursday, March 7, 2013 4:28:41 PM UTC-7, Steve Slatcher wrote:
> On 07/03/2013 16:16, lleichtman wrote:
>
>
>
> > still having trouble with the rest especially the gazpacho. Any help would be appreciated.
>
>
>
> Without a doubt I would recommend a Sherry at the fino end of the
>
> spectrum for white gazpacho. I usually go for a manzanilla, but I can
>
> easily imagine fino, manzanilla pasada or amontillado would work equally
>
> well.
>
>
>
> If anyone reading this has not tried white gazpacho, do!
>
>
>
> (Sorry Larry - did not mean to email you - still not used to Thunderbird
>
> as a newsreader!)
>
>
>
> --
>
> www.winenous.co.uk

No problem, appreciate the advice.

I did the same thing some 30-odd years ago. However, someone at this forum,
maybe Santiago, told me that he, a Spaniard, had had the same experience!
:-)
Anders

"Ken Blake" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 07 Mar 2013 23:28:41 +0000, Steve Slatcher
> wrote:

> On 07/03/2013 16:16, lleichtman wrote:
>
> > still having trouble with the rest especially the gazpacho. Any help
> > would be appreciated.
>
> Without a doubt I would recommend a Sherry at the fino end of the
> spectrum for white gazpacho. I usually go for a manzanilla, but I can


You remind me of the time, about 35 years ago, when at a bar in my
hotel in Madrid, I ordered manzanilla, and got a cup of chamomile tea.
My Spanish was so poor and I was embarrassed enough that I just drank
what I was given and didn't complain.


--
Ken Blake

"Anders.Torneskog" > wrote in
:

> I did the same thing some 30-odd years ago. However, someone at this
> forum, maybe Santiago, told me that he, a Spaniard, had had the same
> experience!
>:-)
> Anders

Yes, that's true... Sherry went through an off-phase in Spain for the last
30 years or so. We are now through a rennaissance, but in most Spain, if
you ask for a "manzanilla" you end up with a cup of camomile.

In fact, if you go to Sanlucar (where Manzanilla comes from), you do not
ask for a glass of Manzanilla. You just ask for a glass of wine (un vaso de
vino), and you will get Manzanilla de Sanlucar.

s.

My brand new laptop had to go to service so I could not read the group for
a few days. Perhaps I am too late with my suggestions. Sorry for that.

>
> Fried eggplant with salmorejo and sheep feta

Fried eggplant is very typical from Córdoba, where they top it with cane
honey. There, you would have a glass of Fino de Montilla with it. Such as
Alvear C.B.
Feta cheese is of Greek origin.


>
> Mushroom truffle empanaditas

Not very Spanish, I am afraid. A light red could go fine. Tondonia Reserva
2001, for example.

>
> 1st course
> White grape and almond gazpacho with warm idiazabal toast

Difficult match. Very difficult. Perhaps with a sweet Moscatel from
L'Axarquia such as MR by Molino Real?

>
>
> 2 Grilled halibut with garlic orange sauce and grilled spring onions

Not very spanish, I am afraid.

>
> 3 roasted duck breast with strawberry -Garnacha mojo

We do not eat duck in Spain. Very french. A Garnacha wine will go fine I
think.
>
> 4 braised beef cheeks with gold potato pure and
> Cabrales tempura

Save for the Cabrales tempura (Cabrales is tough to pair), I would say that
a wine from D.O. Toro would go fine. Termes from Numanthia Termes would be
good. Or Pintia from Vega Sicilia. Maurodos "Prima", the second wine of San
Roman could also be good and perhaps a tad cheaper.

Enjoy your tasting-dinner!

s.

On Thursday, March 7, 2013 9:16:41 AM UTC-7, lleichtman wrote:
> Our wine tasting group is having a Tapas dinner and we just had a Spanish theme so I'm a little limited on Spanish wines this time though I am likely to start with an Olaroso Sherry to begin. Thinking about a Pinot with the duck but still having trouble with the rest especially the gazpacho. Any help would be appreciated.
>
>
>
> The Menu
>
>
>
> Fried eggplant with salmorejo and sheep feta
>
>
>
> Mushroom truffle empanaditas
>
>
>
> 1st course
>
> White grape and almond gazpacho with warm idiazabal toast
>
>
>
>
>
> 2 Grilled halibut with garlic orange sauce and grilled spring onions
>
>
>
> 3 roasted duck breast with strawberry -Garnacha mojo
>
>
>
> 4 braised beef cheeks with gold potato pure and
>
> Cabrales tempura

Thanks Santiago. Good suggestions.

On 12/03/2013 22:59, santiago wrote:

>> 1st course
>> White grape and almond gazpacho with warm idiazabal toast
>
> Difficult match. Very difficult. Perhaps with a sweet Moscatel from
> L'Axarquia such as MR by Molino Real?

Ah, now when I recommended a fino-style sherry, I was thinking of a
white gazpacho (white bread, almonds, garlic, with a couple of grapes).
But I now see "white grape and almond gazpacho" is a different beast.

--
www.winenous.co.uk

Steve Slatcher > wrote in news:aqc9aeFm2e9U1
@mid.individual.net:
>
> Ah, now when I recommended a fino-style sherry, I was thinking of a
> white gazpacho (white bread, almonds, garlic, with a couple of grapes).
> But I now see "white grape and almond gazpacho" is a different beast.

Hi Steve,

I think this is the case. But the white gazpacho is made with almond-milk
and some white grapes are added. A difficult match and I thought that the
dry Fino would not match the lactic almond notes and the sweet grapes.
That's why I suggested the sweet wine. But I am not sure either.

s.

On Wednesday, March 13, 2013 5:37:22 PM UTC-6, santiago wrote:
> Steve Slatcher > wrote in news:aqc9aeFm2e9U1
>
> @mid.individual.net:
>
> >
>
> > Ah, now when I recommended a fino-style sherry, I was thinking of a
>
> > white gazpacho (white bread, almonds, garlic, with a couple of grapes).
>
> > But I now see "white grape and almond gazpacho" is a different beast.
>
>
>
> Hi Steve,
>
>
>
> I think this is the case. But the white gazpacho is made with almond-milk
>
> and some white grapes are added. A difficult match and I thought that the
>
> dry Fino would not match the lactic almond notes and the sweet grapes.
>
> That's why I suggested the sweet wine. But I am not sure either.
>
>
>
> s.

Thinking about an Amontillado.