Tag: Mercado Little Spain

Grenache Seminar At Spain’s Great Match NYC

Published on by Bruno DonaggioLeave a comment

I’m a big fan of Grenache based red wines, their bright red fruit notes are a nice change of pace from the usual Cabernet, Merlot, etc.

In Spain it’s called Garnacha and is one of the most widely planted grape varietals in the country. The grape also has a large presence in the Rhone and Languedoc regions of southern France as well as in Sardinia where it’s called Cannonau.

On September 30th. I attended Spain’s Great Match New York City. It was both a trade and consumer event and was a “celebration of Spanish wine, spirits and gastronomy” featuring Spanish companies and importers.

The event was held at Mercado Little Spain at 10 Hudson Yards on the west side of Manhattan. Mercado Little Spain is to Spanish food what Eataly is to Italian food, they are culinary theme parks with various restaurants showcasing the cuisine of those countries.

Spain has its own rich culinary tradition and Mercado served many of those foods as hors d’oeuvres for people attending the event. Foods such as paella, suckling pig, grilled octopus and churros to name a few. They also served Spanish jamon. With apologies to my Italian brethren, Spain makes some of the best cured hams in the world. It’s like natures candy and I made my presence known at the ham tables. Since I’m a fan of Grenache, I attended the seminar.

Seminar Presented by Evan Goldstein

Campo de Borja The Empire of Garnacha

2024 Bodegas Ainzon Peñazuela Garnacha Blanca: Pale light yellow, white flowers on the nose with nice acidity.

2022 Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos: Opaque dark purple, closed nose of slate and white pepper, chewy, silky red fruit ending with crisp acidity.

2023 Bodegas Aragonesas Garnacha Centenaria: Opaque dark red, purple rim, closed nose of tar, tight and concentrated ending with silky, firm tannin.

2022 Bodegas Morca Morca: Opaque dark purple, crushed red fruit and pickle juice on the nose, chewy fruit with gun metal notes ending with firm tannin.

2021 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Veraton: Opaque black, purple rim, closed nose of white pepper and warm spice, chewy, black licorice fruit ending with lip smacking tannin.

2021 Vino dei Viento Ermita Santa Barbara: Opaque black, purple rim, perfume of sweet cigarette smoke and cooked fat with chewy black fruit and big tannin.

Spain’s Great Match NYC 2024

Published on by Bruno DonaggioLeave a comment

On October 1st, I attended the 30th Spain’s Great Match food and wine event in New York City.

The event which was hosted by the Trade Commision of Spain, showcased 300+ wines from Spain as well as culinary and wine seminars.

This was a huge event not only with the number of wines served from all the regions of the country but with the delicious foods of Spain that were served. Those foods included paella, grilled octopus, patatas bravas and Jamon to name a few. In my opinion, Spain produces some of the best cured hams in the world.

The event was held at Mercado Little Spain, a Spanish food hall located at 10 Hudson Yards in the Hudson Yards district of Manhattan.

I attended the trade event in the afternoon with the consumer tasting later in the evening.

One thing that frustrates me is the trend to use an QR code to access the listing of the wines that are being presented instead of physical book. It makes it very difficult to take notes especially at a tasting with so many wines.

Spain’s Great Match New York 2021

Published on by Bruno DonaggioLeave a comment

On November 15th I attended the 27th annual Spain’s Great Match, a food & wine event in which importers and distributors showcased the new vintages in their portfolios to members of the trade and to consumers. Over 300 wines were available to sample.

The event was held at Mercado Little Spain at 10 Hudson Yards. Mercado is essentially the Spanish version of Eataly, a food and wine theme park. It was opened by Chef José Andrés and the Adrian Brothers to showcase “the best of Spanish food, drink and culture”.

Spain is one of the world’s leading producers of wine and some of their top wine regions include Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rias Baixas, Penedes and Jerez.

There were two sessions, an afternoon session for the trade and an evening session for consumers. I attended the trade session in the afternoon. As usual there were more wines available than I could have sampled in one afternoon, so I decided to focus my attention on one region and type of wine. At this event that focus was on the Reserva and Gran Reserva wines from Rioja. Those wines are primarily made from the Tempranillo grape and the Reserva must be age for three years with at least one year in oak and the Gran Reserva for five years with at least two in oak before release. I would have liked to sample wines from the other regions but perhaps another time.

It was an afternoon of good wine and plenty of tasty tapas (especially the ham).

Some of what I sampled:

2005 Martinez Lacuesta Campeador Gran Reserva (Rioja): Dark brick in color, silky fruit with a nice balance.

2008 Bodegas Frontaura Reserva (Toro): Opaque dark brick, mint and tar on the nose, dusty and tight with firm tannins.

2009 Manzanos Reserva (Rioja): Opaque dark red, black pepper, mint and crushed red fruit on the nose with chewy, dusty and silky fruit with a good grip and some heat at the end.

2010 Felix Martinez Lacuesta Gran Reserva (Rioja): Dark red with a brick rim, bright red fruit with a bitter, chewy finish.

2010 Bodegas Añaras Gran Reserva (Rioja): Opaque dark red with a brick rim, crushed rocks on the nose, tight and silky with earth notes on the fruit followed with crisp acids.

2011 Cerro Añon Gran Reserva (Rioja): Dark brick in color, black leather on the nose with chewy bright red fruit.

2012 Marquis de Caceres Gran Reserva (Rioja): Dark brick, perfume of red flowers, crushed red fruit with tight, bright red fruit on the finish.

2014 Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva (Rioja): Black in color, slate notes on the nose with chewy dark chocolate fruit and a nice grip at the end.

2015 Lopez E Haro Reserva (Rioja): Medium brick with a spicy nose and silky red fruit.

2015 Bodegas Añaras Reserva (Rioja): Medium brick with crushed rocks on the nose, tight red fruit and nicely balanced.

2015 Vina Pomal Reserva (Rioja): Dark brick, red leather and tar on the nose, chewy, dusty fruit, nice grip with some citrusy acids on the finish.

2015 Vina Lanciano Reserva (Rioja): Dark red with a purple rim, camphor and crushed black fruit on the nose, dusty and tight with slate notes on the firm finish.

2015 Culmen Reserva (Rioja): Black with a purple rim, crushed ripe black fruit and mint on the nose, juicy, chewy and silky minerally fruit ending with a long finish.

2015 Bodegas Ugalde “Ugalde” Reserva (Rioja): Dark red with a brick rim, black pepper and crushed plum on the nose, nice silky fruit with mint notes on the firm finish.

2015 Bodegas LLeiroso Reserva (Ribero del Duero): Dark red, crushed black fruit and slate on the nose, chewy, dark chocolate fruit with bitter almonds on the finish, nice balance.

2016 Baron De Lay Reserva (Rioja): Dark red, tar and crushed black fruit on the nose, bright, silky black fruit, firm finish.

2017 Cerro Añon Reserva (Rioja): Opaque medium brick, tar and mint on the nose, chewy tarry fruit with a nice balance.

2017 Sierra Cantabria Gran Reserva (Rioja): Dark red with floral and tobacco notes on the nose, silky dark fruit with good acidity on the finish.

2017 Torres Gran Coronas Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (Penedes): Dark red with tar and leather on the nose, juicy red fruit with a mouthwatering tannic finish.