Under the project ‘Better with Wine’, the tasting chat-encounter has filled the house, captivating the interest of the audience

07.05.2007 | 

This commented tasting session has taken place within the frame of Fenavin 20007 - National Trade Fair on Wine, taking place from May 7th to the 10th at the Ciudad Real Trade Fair Pavilion- during which five typical Manchego dishes have combined to perfection with four wines from the province of Ciudad Real. All of this under the umbrella of the 'Better with Wine' project. Our idea is to make this fact known to all, as this is one of the plan's three fundamental objectives, along with training, funding and equipping", explains the President of the Association of Wine-growing Industries Entrepreneurs, Alfonso Monsalve.

The event, coordinated by the Journalist Joaquín Muñoz Coronel, has counted with the participation of the President of the Provincial Corporate Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Association of Ciudad Real, Teófilo Arribas, who referring to this project has highlighted that this "is the union between the producer of the wine and the server of the wine. It is a joint program aimed at training restaurant professionals specialized in wine".

In this sense, the National President of the Association of Former Students of Hotel and Restaurant Colleges, Juan de Dios Hueso, has underlined that "the waiter represents the restaurant's showcase, therefore, training professionals in a specific terrain is of fundamental importance. The future of restaurant professionals resides in specialization".

Finally, the fifth participant in this chat-encounter has been Javier Huertas, soul and driving force behind 'Hostelería Huertas', one of the most prestigious restaurants in the area, who has prepared five succulent tapas for the occasion: 'Deer Filet in its own Juices', 'Tiny Pots of Manchego Simmered Vegetables with Lean Pork Bites', 'Tiny Pots of Roasted Delights', 'Tiny Pots of Tiznao' and 'Game Pâtés'. "My idea was to reflect the most representative produce of the area, finding inspiration in hunting themes and in the typical dishes of the Manchego culture and history", details Huertas.

These 'delicatessen' tidbits have been harmonized with four red wines with a typical Manchego nature, which are none other than 'Gran Reserva Cabernet' (Señorío de Guadianeja), 'Reserva Tempranillo' (Viña Cuerva), 'Coupage 50-50' (Pago del Vicario) and 'Baldor Tradición Syrah' (Castiblanque Wineries and Vineyards), a representative - yet inevitably limited - sampling of Castilla-La Mancha's current quality viticulture production.

The commented tasting session has turned out to be pure spontaneity, enjoying the different sensations that each one of the combinations has produced, with interspersed participation of the audience that has dynamically contributed with different points of view and, as summarized by Alfonso Monsalve, "has perceived the different and absolutely excellent harmonies between Huertas' dishes and the excellent Manchego wines". Joaquín Muñoz has also fully backed up this statement by adding to conclude, "If we have excellent dishes available, then each one will be even better with a fine wine".