El Bulli 2004

[Bux]

I've described Adrià's food as seeming not so much creative, but as the evolved food of another culture. A culture other than western civilization, or perhaps another planet. It's sophisticated but seeminly based on a different standard. Above all else, it just doesn't always (usually?) remind me of Spain because it doen't always support wine and it's not supportive of wine. I've sometimes felt we ordered wine out of habit and might have drunk juice, tea or some as yet undiscovered liquids. The wine was something I drank between courses rather than with the food. A switch from white to red during the meal seemed more a matter of form than of an attempt to match the next courses. I was reminded by this the other evening when some hearty flavorful meat dishes made an inexpensive and not particularly interesting red wine so enjoyable.

Here in the US, diners don't drink that much wine from Jerez and Sanlucar and when they do, it is rarely with a meal, but as an aperitif. In Spain we mostly drank finos and manzanillas the same way, as a cocktail or aperitif, but we have also had manzanilla with simple seafood, raw, steamed or boiled and it's terrific. From the description of the manzanilla pasada, I can see it going well with some of your menu.

[Rogelio]

Here in the US, diners don't drink that much wine from Jerez and Sanlucar and when they do, it is rarely with a meal, but as an aperitif. In Spain we mostly drank finos and manzanillas the same way, as a cocktail or aperitif, but we have also had manzanilla with simple seafood, raw, steamed or boiled and it's terrific. From the description of the manzanilla pasada, I can see it going well with some of your menu.

You're right, Jerez (fino) and manzanilla are both quite enjoyable with food, mainly with boiled seafood, fried fish and with jabugo where they really enhance each others flavour. And I find them very suitable pairing modern tasting menus.

The main problem, even in Spain, is to find fresh bottles because they loose easyly their enchant and most of the times they become remontadas ie they get oxidized. Some of them like Osborne's Fino Quinta have an expiry date at their back.

The other problem is that having 15º of alcohol and as they are very easy to drink, you can have a problem by the end of the meal

[docsconz]

Rogelio, Thanks for the information. It would seem that when I get to El Bulli (whenever that will be!), I'll be better off not spending a lot of money on wine, but maybe sticking with sherries, cavas or Spanish whites such as albarinos.

[Bux]

Here in the US, diners don't drink that much wine from Jerez and Sanlucar and when they do, it is rarely with a meal, but as an aperitif. In Spain we mostly drank finos and manzanillas the same way, as a cocktail or aperitif, but we have also had manzanilla with simple seafood, raw, steamed or boiled and it's terrific. From the description of the manzanilla pasada, I can see it going well with some of your menu.

You're right, Jerez (fino) and manzanilla are both quite enjoyable with food, mainly with boiled seafood, fried fish and with jabugo where they really enhance each others flavour. And I find them very suitable pairing modern tasting menus.

The main problem, even in Spain, is to find fresh bottles because they loose easyly their enchant and most of the times they become remontadas ie they get oxidized. Some of them like Osborne's Fino Quinta have an expiry date at their back.

The other problem is that having 15º of alcohol and as they are very easy to drink, you can have a problem by the end of the meal

The alcohol is not such a problem for me. Nowadays I see so many wines that run 13 or 14 percent anyway and finos and manzanillas seem to induce smaller sips than most other wines. I don't know that I'd want to drink them all though dinner though.

The main problem is as you say, finding them fresh. I've seen a few bottles with dates or some code, but the code is not always easy to read. I think the reason I don't drink them here is that they're most often not fresh. Most people think they taste better in Sanlucar, Jerez or Sevilla because of the ambience. I suspect it's just that they are fresher and better.