Today a visit to a wine retail shop and more

Reservas y Catas is a series of wine shops in and around Madrid. From what I can gather they have about 7 shops all very small and smartly dressed as if to resemble old bodegas with a modern touch. Today I went to one in an upscale neighborhood near the Metro stop Alonso Martinez. When I arrived, the store was closed for what is becoming a more and more frequent annoyance. You see, here in Spain, everyone takes a break from 2 till 4 or 5pm, during which time they go home to eat, sleep or watch the Tele. While in practice (theory?) this is nice, it's a bit hard for an American to get used to. Usually this means that I at times find that I have to wait for things to open, or hurry before things close. Fortunately, I arrived only a few minutes early and after a pause in the park, I headed back to explore what it had to offer.

Unlike America, where you may find hundreds of wines haphazardly places on floors and stacked on shelves, in Spain you find the epitome of order. Small wood shelves in this case held no more than 2 offerings usually grouped according to their respective style. This allows for wines from different countries to be placed side by side, a practice I’ve always advocated. Most people when shopping want a wine to go with some specific food or event while few actually look for a specific country. Not to mention that when 2 countries create similar styles why not place them in similar quarters so that someone might be tempted to try something they haven't had before.

Another characteristic of Spanish wine shops is their labeling. Faulting only a few, every wine in the shop has a label with information such as price, origin, varietals, and anything else the owner might like to state about the wine in question. Reservas y Catas were simple to the point and immensely helpful in guiding a lost American through the wines of Spain.

Approximately 20x40 feet, the shop probably contained 200+ wines. In America this might be considered a small selection yet here it was perfect considering they also accounted for almost all the major regions. To complement this, it also contained about 30 liquors, including 2 bourbons! To round l of this out in the back there was a stylish bar where regular in store tastings are held.

In the shop with me was a middle-aged lady who was friendly enough, especially when I pointed out a sweet wine that was leaking. We didn't talk much until another gentleman arrived to make a purchase. After some discussion they proceeded to the bar to taste a wine. Listening in I realized that they were asking me to join in the tasting of a young wine from Castilla de la Mancha:

2004 Isola de Mont Reaga Vino de la tierra de Castilla
Tempranillo & syrah, de LaMancha light with tannins present Bright cherry color, Light anise with bright cherry notes and Carbonic maceration with a light hint of banana, but a very fruity flavor overall, First year of production Light fruity with a racy acidity but falls a bit flat on the finish, might be because it was opened earlier. Cherry, ripe banana (light) and a little green pepper that seems out of place in the back of the palate.

Earlier in my visit, I asked this particular employee about a selection of olive oils and vinegars I happily encountered in their store. One vinegar in particular was made from Pedro Ximenez wine. Pedro Ximenez is a sweet wine from the region of Jerez, though I have tasted a few dry versions, it is famed as a wine that is honey like in texture and has an intense flavor. In some regions, I heard that it is poured over hard ice cream and after having tried some, I seriously think it would be perfect on pancakes. As far as vinegars go, it is tart and crisp with a finish that leaves wafting aromas of caramel and toffee lingering in your mouth. Wow! I can’t wait to get a chance to try this on some nice greens and crisp vegetables.

As I mentioned, olive oil was also available and since it was one item on my shopping list I bought the least expensive. Siurana from Cataluña is made from a small single variety of olive called Arbequina. It’s light in body with a soft fruitiness and a light fresh ground pepper quality on the finish. For 5 Euros, it’s quite nice!

The lady in the shop at this point was beginning to warm up to me. After a bit of conversation she learned that I was seeking employment, while trying to learn all there was to learn about Spanish wine wordy. After a bit of stumbling through the language, we came to a point in the conversation where the proverbial light bulb went off in her head. BING! She suddenly remembered an upcoming seminar on wines that is being offered in Madrid, free with an invite. Viola, 2 invites appeared stamped with the store name, a requisite not to be charged for entrance. Life was getting good. I now had 2 passes to a tasting at a Hotel downtown in a few weeks where we would be tasting through a series of white wines and Cava’s.

Having already spent about an hour there, I decided to leave to meet Gab buying both the olive oil and vinegar on my way out. Making a note to self to return in the future, I said my goodbyes and headed out. After a beer at a local Ceveceria, I met Gab at a nearby Metro stop and we headed to the next stop on our list. Cocao Sampaka A Chocolate shop like no other!

Walking by this place earlier I knew I couldn’t in good conscience enter without Gab by my side. When I say chocolate shop, I don’t mean a place with fancy candy and fun treats, but rather a Mausoleum to the Cocoa bean. A fortress set within Madrid for chocolate lovers to pay alms to the God of all things chocolate. Decorated in dark wood and with dim lighting it’s not only a feast for the palate but one for the eyes but feels as sacred at a shrine. Piles of fresh powdered chocolate, bars of single plantation origin, bon bons and truffles of all sizes and flavors, along with a small library with books on all aspects of chocolate and you start to understand what I mean. They even had a Spanish translation of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”! These people are serious!

After picking our jaws up off the floor and wiping the drool from our chins we were able to with weak knees wander about trying to decide what our limited budget would allow us to procure. Thankfully, these people had thought of everything and our situation was not foreign. On two tables they had assembled 8 tasting kits of various styles each holding 8 different flavors of chocolate in the form of two one-inch square bites. Each set had a theme from nuts to fruits to cocoa beans of particular origins and our choice #8 Invocaionnes Gastronomicas. This was a package that both Gab and I could not resist pushing the limits of what you could do with chocolate. Ever wonder what olive oil infused chocolates taste like? We did! How about the odd idea of Anchovy and Hazelnut? Let’s just say they pushed the limits further than I thought possible. The balsamic vinegar infused contained a light sweetness biting back at the rich earthiness of the dusty dark chocolate, balanced to perfection. While the olive oil was a subtle fruity texture that slowly coated the tongue only after you swallowed the last bit of rich truffle. I do say these people know what their doing.

Only after convincing ourselves that it would still be there when we wanted to come back did we finally make our purchase leaving with an excited anticipation in our stomachs. Who knew heaven would be in the heart of Madrid?

At this point we thought life couldn’t get any better and with a spring in our step we headed out to have a bit of wine and Tapas. Unfortunately, this did not work as planned, and we found ourselves wandering not sure of what to do. Both tired after a long day, and rapidly getting hungry, we wandered about before heading home to cook some dinner. Walking up a busy street to a Metro Stop a small shop down a side street caught our eye. Turning, we saw a cheese shop and from the outside an impressive one at that. Quickly heading inside, my mind started to spin and my body started to tremble. Had just entered the Pearly Gates of heaven or maybe just an annex to the previous shop? Lining the walls through a mist of continually humidified air, like one discovering a temple in the middle of the rain forest, was a dream world of cheeses like I had never seen before. I think only the USA was not represented. Though as we moved about we noticed that each countries cheeses were being held in perfect conditions for its unique style or ripeness. I won’t even try to list the length to which the selection went, but suffice as to say, they must have over 150+ cheeses of every style produced in Europe. To accompany all of this were books, wines, beers, pates and a selection of meats all selected for their ability to enhance the primary subject: Cheese. My body reacted with a small spasm of excitement at the possibilities presented to me. I never thought I would find a true Affinage until I made my way to France; but fortunately, this was not to be the case.

Finally grounding ourselves back on earth, we spoke with a young lady who was more than willing to help us so as to find a few samples to take home and try. I don’t think she quite believed us at first when she asked what we liked and our response was “Anything and everything” so with each choice she first presented us with a sample! Our goal was to taste some of Spain’s myriad cheeses. Her choices were superb and I only hope that the next time we return she is there to help us move further into the panorama of cheeses here in Spain. All the tasting notes are placed before this article on “Wino”.

At this point, we were excited to get home and dig into the treats in our backpack that we quickly headed back to Reserva y Cata to grab a wine that we might pair with them. It was close by and Gab would then have a chance to see it. The same lady was there and very happy to see us. Eventually we ended up with a wine that is bottled exclusively to Reserva y Cata and comes from Castilla De La Mancha for around 6 euros. It was a tempranillo with a few months in French oak. Nice Fruit with a vanilla cream quality supported by a good amount of wood though not in an overpowering way. Good table wine and we enjoyed it as such with our dinner. Oh and the cheese never met the wine, we tasted and sampled as I cooked, taking what I hope is not our last set of “cheese tasting notes”. Our eventual goal to taste our way through the cheeses of Europe during our adventure here.

All in all another fun day exploring Madrid, Till soon, Ryan