October
17, 2009
Lessons in Spanish
Wine and Gastronomy
As Taught to Me by Manuela Calzado Korthof
Text and
Photos by Karl Wells
Special to The Telegram
One of the advantages of being in my line
of work is that occasionally I get to meet very interesting people from “away”
who teach me all sorts of interesting things. Such was the case with Manuela
Calzado Korthof, the knowledgeable Export Manager of Spain’s GrupoYllera wine
company. Jennifer Murray Segovia of Pesantez & Segovia introduced me to Manuela.
The Yllera family, who have been making wine in
Castilla y Leon (a region in Northern Spain) for six generations, owns
GrupoYllera. They own bodegas (wineries) and vineyards along the famous River
Duero in Rueda, Ribera del Duero and Toro. Judging from the way Manuela
described the climate and growing conditions in Castilla y Leon I’m not
surprised that the wines produced by GrupoYllera have lots of character (they
really do). Manuela picked a strong word to describe what the grapes grown in
her region endure. She said, “They suffer a lot.”
This is what she meant. The Yllera vineyards are
located inland in an area called the Spanish High Plateau. Some of the
vineyards are situated 800 metres above sea level, while others are at 900
metres, which, according to Manuela is the “maximum for vineyards to be able to
grow grapes.” They are far inland and subjected to an extreme continental
climate where at this time of year, for example, temperatures can go from 25
degrees in the day to 4 degrees at night. The result is grapes with really
thick skins and thick skins equal deep concentration of flavour.
Tradition
So, what are these long suffering and tough little
grapes called? Manuela told me GrupoYllera believes in sticking with
traditional Spanish grapes. Their red wines are made from tempranillo. Tempranillo
is the grape in Rioja, the most
famous Spanish wine and it is the main grape of the Rioja and Ribera del
Duero areas of Spain. As for their white wines it was obvious
that Manuela was completely smitten with the little green orb.
“We have a white grape variety
in Rueda where we have the main GrupoYllera winery and I am completely in love
with that grape. It’s called Verdejo.
It’s really a grape of
our region, not to be confused with the verdicchio or the Portuguese verdello. They are only similar in name because verdant
means green in the three languages and so they just refer to the colour of the
grape. The plants and the grapes are completely different and the wines are
completely different.”
Manuela went on to do
a bit of flag waving on behalf of GrupoYllera. “For us it’s very important to
stick to the traditional grapes. In Spain there are a lot of experiments with
international grape varieties but we prefer to keep it 100 per cent
tempranillo. We think one of our main assets is to be able to present
authenticity, to be a real Spanish winery and not to compete with international
merlots or cabernet sauvignons.”
Well then, there you
go. God bless tempranillo I say.
The “most important”
wines for GrupoYllera are the ones that carry the Yllera family name. That
said, I’ll tell you about some of my personal favourites which may or may not
carry the name Yllera on the label. First there’s Bracamonte. It takes its name
from the home village of the granddaddy of the Yllera family. It’s made from
tempranillo grapes, and nothing but tempranillo grapes, grown in Ribera del
Duero. It’s a great wine to pair with any dish of lamb.
Crianza
The Yllera Black Label
(actually it’s white with a black stripe at the bottom) is aged on French and
American oak for 12 months and in Spain that’s called “crianza”. It’s also made from 100 per cent tempranillo grapes. This wine has a little more character,
more heft and complex aroma. That’s because it’s “crianza”. Here’s the deal. A roble wine (roble means oak) has about 6 months of barrel aging; crianza has 12 months and reserva, 2 years. The key is that you have to begin
with great grapes of exceptional quality and, yes, thick skins.
That reminds me.
Manuela gave me a great line from one of their seasoned wine growers who tends
the vineyard where they grow the grapes for their ultra premium wine called
Yllera Dominus. The vines are 80 years old with a low yield of highly
concentrated grapes and he said,
“I don’t grow grapes.
I grow marmalade.”
A couple of fun
coiffing wines from GrupoYllera are the Cuvi roble and the Cuvi white. The
roble is made from 100 per cent tempranillo. It’s a great wine to enjoy on its
own but also goes well with food. The Cuvi white is made mostly from the
Spanish
verdejo grape but also has
just a touch of sauvignon blanc for extra fruitiness. (Whatever works I guess.)
I had a party last year and served these wines, in addition to some others.
Everybody loved them.
Spanish food
Manuela Calzado Korthof (she has Spanish and Dutch parents)
worked for the regional government in Castilla y Leon for 5 years helping promote the food
and wine of the region on the international stage. Being a foodie, as well as a
wine lover, I asked her to give me her definition of Spanish cuisine.
“Well,
from speaking with some of the chefs here in St. John’s I think there may be a
bit of a mistaken idea about Spanish cuisine and what it is. Spanish food is
absolutely NOT based on any sauces or condiments. I think the most important
thing to remember about Spanish gastronomy is that all the basic ingredients we
use in our cooking are what give the flavour to the dishes. So, for instance,
our region is very famous for roasted baby lamb. It’s put in the oven with just
a little bit of water and just a little bit of salt and that’s it. The meat
itself gives the flavour to the dish and that’s very important. Also, the
vegetables add a lot of flavour.
A lot of Spanish people travel with me outside of
Spain and often they will have a salad and they complain that the salad doesn’t
taste like anything. The tomatoes have no taste; they’re just watery. In Spain
everything has a taste. The big mistake when trying to copy a Spanish recipe is
putting in any sauces or spices. A Spanish kitchen uses salt and pepper and not
much of anything else. We use saffron only in one dish mainly, and that’s
paella, everything else is white rice. Another important ingredient in the
Spanish kitchen is the Spanish olive oil. We don’t cook anything in butter. All
is done with olive oil and the whole of Spain only use olive oils. In our house
we have different levels of concentration, depending on what we are using it
for. We use one for salad, one for frying - French fries and things like that.”
I’m not sure if Manuela had a chance to try any
Newfoundland dishes but I have a feeling she would have loved fish and brewis.
Meanwhile she did mention a dish they make at the Yllera winery in Rueda. It’s called Patatas con Costillas. It’s a gem that features potatoes, pork and
sausage, a great fall dish. I whipped it up in no time and everyone here now
dreams of one day visiting Castilla
y Leon and the great vineyards and bodegas of Spain!
Patatas con Costillas
Ingredients:
1 and half lbs potatoes
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
Few cloves garlic
1 sprig thyme (optional)
6 strands saffron (optional)
1 lb pork rib
1 lb chorizo or mild spiced sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
Half cup white wine (Cuvi white)
4 tbsp olive oil
1-cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Peel potatoes if desired. Rinse and
chop into chunks. Wash, drain and dry ribs with a paper towel. Mash garlic and
saffron together using a mortar and pestle. Heat oil in a pan and fry the ribs
and sausage until brown. Incorporate the chopped onion and fry until
translucent. Add wine, water, herbs, green pepper and garlic mash. Add salt and
pepper and stir everything. Cover and cook over low to moderate heat for 30
minutes. Incorporate the potatoes and cover again until the potatoes are
tender, about 30 to 35 minutes. Enjoy with Yllera Black Label crianza (aged 12
months on oak).
