newyorčanka: the blog

Najteži dio mog posla sasvim sigurno su društveni događaji na koje sam redovno pozvana i na koje se odazovem kad god imam priliku. Jučerašnje kušanje španjolskih vina i sireva u organizaciji agencije za odnose s javnošću i fantastičnog mladog fromagera bilo je definitivno jako teško za odraditi.
Vibrant Rioja (da se malo pohvalim, web site je moj projekt, ali je Work in Progress) je organizacija vinara iz španjolske regije Rioja koja u suranji s organizacijama Wines From Spain i Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade predstavlja vina američkim potrošačima.

Adrian Murcia je fromager i pomoćni sommelier u najboljem (i vjerojatno najskupljem) njujorškom restoranu, Chanterelle, a i autor bloga Blame It On Rioja. Njegov jučerašnji odabir parova vina i sirova bio je čista fantazija.

Bodegas Breton Lorinon Blanco 2005 & Queso de Murcia al Vino
“Produced from 100% Viura of which 50% undergoes barrel fermentation. This light gold-colored wine offers an attractive toasty nose with fresh herbs and melons as counterpoint. There is plenty of texture, fine balance, and good length in this tasty effort. - 87 points” — Jay Miller, Wine Advocate, February 2007
“Queso de Murcia al Vino, often referred to as Drunken Goat, is a gentle goat’s-milk cheese created in the mid-1980s to jump-start a sagging local economy and preserve an endangered way of life for local farmers. Dunked into vats of local red wine, the cheese has a fruity exuberance and an attractive purple-smudge rind.” — Adrian Murcia

Bodegas Riojanas Canchales Joven Rosado 2006 & Nevat
“Nevat is a delicate soft cheese made with pasteurized goat milk and aged for 2-3 months. Produced in the province of Barcelona, Nevat, which means ’snowy’ in Catalan, owes its name to the white velvet mould of the rind fostered with penicillium candidum. Large pieces are squarish with round corners, imprints of cloth used for moulding cheese. Full in flavour, with a slightly sweet tang. Moist and creamy texture, getting creamier over time. Pleasantly soft on the palate, with a lactic flavour and balanced acidity.” — Adrian Murcia

Campo Viejo Crianza 2004 & Queso Manchego
“Queso Manchego (Raw or pasteurized sheep’s milk; Castilla-La Mancha) The best known cheese of Spain, a workhorse, and a national treasure, Manchego is the archetypal Spanish sheep’s milk cheese. Made from Mancehga sheep and aged for anywhere from two months to two years, Manchego is high in butterfat (which is why it “sweats” if you leave it out of for too long), with an approachable and highly satisfying buttery and slightly nutty flavor profile.” — Adrian Murcia

Montecillo Reserva 2001 & Torta del Casar and Queso de la Serena
“Traditional, long-barrel-aged rioja with a bouquet of leather, chocolate, dried fig and cherry. Mid-weight, very smooth, almost silky texture, with soft tannin and excellent length. A mature red for slow-cooked beef and lamb. - 89 points” — Toronto Life
“Torta del Casar and Queso de la Serena are two closely related raw sheep’s milk cheeses from Extremadura. Both have big personalities and begin with the unpasteurized milk of Merino ewes, both undergo coagulation with thistle rennet (a wild cardoon derivative that not only separates curd from whey but also imparts a slightly floral, slightly sour flavor), and both taste best when allowed to ripen into a runny, spoonable pool. Barnyardy and buttermilky.” — Adrian Murcia

Bodegas Aldeanueva Cortijo III 2005 & Mahon
“Mahon — If there is a single Spanish cheese capable of conjuring up the aromatics of an entire country, it would have to be Mahon, a firm slab of cow’s-milk cheese made on the island of Menorca. After six months of aging, it becomes brittle and develops aromas of pork and smoke, as well as Gouda-like butterscotch notes. Salty and decidedly rustic.” — Adrian Murcia

Castillo de Cuzcurrita, Senorio de Cuzcurrita 2001 & La Peral
“La Peral From the village Illas in Northern Spain, this lightly blued mixed milk cheese is rare and delicious. Also know as Queso Azul Asturiano, it is made from pasteurized milk that is aged for sixty days in Asturian caves. It resembles an Italian-style Gorgonzola and has a strong olive flavor and pungent aroma. The slightly crumbly texture becomes is significantly more creamy in the finish.” — Adrian Murcia

Meni najbolja kombinacija bila je Crianza i Manchego, jednostavno jer to vino i taj sir mi od prije zauzimaju vrh liste omiljenih okusa. Nikad ih još nisam probala zajedno i to je svakako bilo krasno otkriće.

(BTW, radim na pronalaženju opisa ostalih vina, ponestalo mi vremena…)

Uglavnom skupilo se 70-ak ljudi, večer je protekla u ugodnom ćaskanju i mljackanju. Ja sam veći dio iste provela pričajući s jako zanimljivim advokatom koji radi u Rimu za neku međunarodnu organizaciju. U gradu je samo nekoliko dana, u posjeti kod Adriana. Pretresli smo sve teme od prava do magisterija, od Rima do Firenze, od Gladwella do Golemana, od vina do votke, od Hrvatske do Italije. Dva sata prošla su kao tren. Na kraju večeri, kad sam se ja već polako spremala doma, pita on mene, “A, kako je tebi ime?” Predstavim se ja. A, veli on meni, “Drago mi je. Ja sam Tom.” *rolleyes*

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