Eating the mysteries of Valencia - Traditional Wine & Fabulous Dining

Meet Santa Companya, I would call this restaurant the Saint of the Palate. 800 wines from around the world, all served by the glass!!!!! This lovely rouge picture is the best garnacha I've ever tasted. Alto Moncayo 2006 is smooth as a baby bottom, great red fruit and vanilla to entice you further.

The owner of Santa Companya won top sommelier of Spain, so he knows how to treat a wine lover right.
Truly great, crisp albarino from Pazo Pineiro de Lusco.








The highlights of the menu were a satisfying pumpkin soup with bacon and olive oil.


A desert tomato with tuna and, of course, olive oil.


A savory dish of seafood laden paella.

Tempura battered scallops with basil oil.


Santa Companya
Roteros, 21
El Carme Region of Valencia, Spain
Tel 96 392 22 59

5/5 Valencia, mouth watering

Rolling with the Punches in Burgundy - Wine country

I could spend a month in Burgundy, driving up and down the dusty line of vines from Chablis to Beaujolais with the Cote d´Or in between. I only had a day, and of course the wineries outside of Beaune were all preparing for a great wine festival on the weekend so most of the tasting rooms were closed. When travelling, you have to go with the flow. Roll with the punches and often you will find if you roll and don´t resist that you end up in a better place anyway. And here it is....


The town of Beaune is tiny and really pretty. Wandering about we found a bounty of cellars which stock many of the standout wines of Bourgogne(Burgandy) for you to taste.

For 10 Euro at Marche aux Vins, we tasted a fabulous Pouilley-Fuisse, Merasault, Pommard, George St.Nuit... the list goes on. You pour your own tasting in their cellars which was fabulous. You get to wander around on your own, but there is a sommelier about if you have any questions. November was a perfect time to visit, we were the only people there. Great place to really start to understand Burgundy if you are new to their wines. Pinot noir dominates and refined chardonnay for their whites; the range that these simple two grapes stretch will blow your mind.
Merasault; rich and buttery with great acidity and pear notes.
Pouilley-Fuisse; clean and crisp fruit with an astonishing mineral bite.

In the quiet of the Cote du Rhone, you will find peace in a bottle.

Wine runs thick as blood through the Cote du Rhone. Melodramatic much? Yes, but it´s true. Patch upon patch of vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see with the distinctive white stones, Galets, radiating heat and our hopes for great wine even in the fall sun.

We were told by our lovely French hosts in Lyon to visit Domaine du Monteillet in Chavanay. Driving up a lonely country road, we barely found the house, a tall stone walled farmhouse. We rang the bell and waited 10 minutes, worrying that no one was home. Luck was ours, dogs barked and we were in. Once inside the small wood tasting room, the magic began.

This is the land of Roussanne, Marsanne, Viogner for whites; twinkling minerality, great balanced acidity, pear, apricot notes. All of their whites were godly in stature, I nearly knelt. And their reds, as is characteristic of the region, leaned to Syrah with Mouvedre and Grennache to balance. This is my favourite blend, the seriousness of earth and spice all with a solid fruit base, I was stoked.

After the tasting, I cried inside while thinking of my 2 bottle take home maximum at the Canadian border. I hate Canada! Then, we drove off to Chateauneuf du Pape to cheer me up. Advice for travellers to this region: Park the car, get a room in a hotel in town, get out and walk to one of the billion tasting houses, try spitting when you taste so you will remember which wines you actually liked. The tasting is mostly free, so you can get into some real trouble, or fun depending on your nature. Grennache takes the lead here for reds, and the lean is towards fruit, but in that special old world way that makes it good.

4 /5 for Cote du Rhone. Simple, quiet, rustic, fabulous wine. The mark off is for the food.. saucisse avec frites. Sausage and fries, pretty boring, I'm sure it's my fault for not finding better grub.

The Recipe for a perfect day in Paris

The argument with my Parisophile boyfriend went like this...

Me: They're not very friendly here.
Him: What do you mean? Parisians are really nice!
Me: No, they aren't, they never smile. Jamais!
Our stalemate went back and forth like a vigorous, verbal washing machine.

The day before my perfect day...
It pissed rain; all the galleries we walked to were closed; my supposedly waterproof shoes sprung leaks.
Struggling through with my crappy French was an embarrasing and tiring experience like two smacks in the face with a pretty glove.

The next day...
The Recipe
1. Like a cool breeze through my stuffy anglo heart, Reubens loomed up and stole my soul away to an exceedingly less rainy place. The Louvre... Brueghel, Goya, Van Goyen, Rembrant... Stop and have a tea break or your head will start spinning... Delacroix, Delaroche, regardez le Venus de Milo, oh my. 5 hours later. Tired? I was.

2. Off to Androuet Fromager to sample the Brie, the Chevre, the roquefort. Get old french cheesie guy to recommend a wedge or two for lunch or a French style dessert for later. Pick up some pastries and lovely baguettes from any Paul Boulangerie.

3. Stop for un verre du vin as much as possible; and soak up the view of the city and its people strolling by. 3 times a day minimum for this recipe to work!

4. Take metro. Squash happily into multicultural human sandwich of Parisians (all of whom are way cooler and prettier than I; even when squashed).

5. Enter the dark and cozy interior of L'Ecluse wine bar in Place de la Madeline. A top tier wine list with an exclusively Bordeaux bent awaits. Sample une petite verre du Saint Julien (vin rouge) & Saint Emillion both Grand Cru for around 7 Euro each! The wine is served with free nibblies; a delicate anise kissed salami.

6. Have a lovely Parisian waiter suggest places in Paris to 'Rock out'.

7. Get happily drunk on two glasses of wine for a change.

8. Agree with boyfriend. Paris is the food & wine lovers cats meow.




4/5 for Paris, it´s kicking Londons ass, but London still beats it with fabulous cheese shops surprisingly.