Madrid madness

At the recently concluded Madrid Fusion, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a gastronomy event was held together not just by chefs, but also by sommeliers and mixologists.

The idea was pretty complete: to deliver a compact comprehensive impact of all that influences the palate. The food bit was awesome, but for now, here are my wine findings.

Spain wines are undervalued: No matter which bodega (Spanish for wine-house) you visit, chances are that you will pay a lot less for wine here than in any part of the world. When I say less I don’t mean in amount, but in the value for money ratio. The reason is that Spain started off as a lesser wine-producing cousin of the neighbouring France and Italy and somehow that image stuck. Today, that has changed, and how! But since market perceptions are hard to change overnight, Spain tries to keep the pricing modest in order to attract more first-time imbibers, all in an effort to get them hooked.

They produce the best aperitif in the world: I am tempted to claim that they also make the best after-meal drink too, but that would be too much pressure for one drink to handle. I am talking about Sherries, as well as the wines of nearby Montilla-Moriles. Nothing can compete with the salty crispness of a Fino and equally enrapturing are the layers of a Pedro Ximenez, Px for short. It makes for a great start and provides a memorable end to a meal. Always fun, and never too scarily pricey, or unaffordable.

Spain has variety: So there was a time you could impress all your guests with chardonnay. Then that became passé and you resorted to other lesser-known grapes from Italy and Germany, maybe even Austria. Spain then should be next on your list for with grapes like Alvariño and Tempranillo they too have quite the surprise kitty. My favourite is the wine from the Basque region called Txacoli! If you can pronounce that, you can definitely enjoy it. But really, it is a fantastic white wine.

Spain has Tapas: I think there is no better way to drink wine than with small nibbles. Rather than gorge on platters of food, it is always more intriguing to have small portions to get the taste minus the fill factor. Tapas is a great way to try wines alongside and given how deep-rooted this culture is in Spain, we stand to learn a lot by adapting this into ours.

Spain mixes tradition with the Nouveau: Think of old style home food and images of a Spanish casa will emerge in the eye of your mind. At the same time, think of new age molecular gastronomy and once again it is Spain that leads the panorama that follows.

In short, this is one country that straddles both with ease. Needless to say, the wine culture is equally evolved and compatible. Although I enjoyed tasting of wines from Ribera Del Duero and Rioja, lesser known regions like Navarra, Aragon, and Asturia were the highlight of my trip this time. If exploration brings joy to sommelier, then think of these places as the Middle Earth.

All put together, Madrid Fusion was one of the best culinary showcases I have attended in a long time. I will definitely be back for it next year and the only thing I resolve to change is to try and eat the same and yet put on less weight!
 themag@dnaindia.net