By Michael Gleason, General Manager Barcelona Greenwich
Today the group really hit its stride. Our minds and bodies were now grooved into a comfortable state of bliss fueled by amazing food, minimal sleep, and of course an occasional taste of Spain’s libations. Leaving the coast was painful, but we knew that pain would be eased by our next stop. I was very excited to visit Cellar del Roure; this was home to one of my go-to by the glass red wines, Les Alcusses. I could already taste it, and after getting slightly lost, we arrived in the village of Moixent.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Still in the D.O. Valencia, Moixent is home to an archeological dig just down the road from the winery. We were invited to go down the road and visit the ruins while the paella we were having for lunch was being prepared. This was an amazing unexpected detour. The Iberian settlement of La Bastida de Les Alcusses (4th century) was abandoned very quickly with the threat of an incoming invasion. One relic that was left that stood out to me was an old version of wine storage pots. This was great because I knew that just down the road were the 17th century caves of Cellar del Roure, a later version of what we now know as Amfora.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Back at the winery we headed straight to the caves under the building to cool down. When owner, Pablo Calatayud acquired the building he discovered that he was sitting on 3 caves filled with 500 year old amforas. These are large ceramic pots used for winemaking built into the ground. While the majority of his wines are made in a traditional method, Pablo started making wine with the amfora four years ago. His first experiment was my favorite, a white wine made from Xarel-lo, Macabeo, and Chardonnay. Pablo talked about future experiments using just indigenous varietals and the amforas to recreate exactly what the area produced for wine centuries ago.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
While Steve Brand cut up some raw, under-cured Llonganisa, Morcilla, and Blancet sausage, we cooled down with this delicious unique white. We moved on to a beautiful lunch with Pablo, his wife, and his two daughters. We all thought that the paella was the best of the trip, Pablo was disappointed. He thought that the mother of the place we got it from wasn’t in the kitchen that day. If what we had was a miss, I may have to head back to Spain just to see what we were missing.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Pablo and his family exemplified the culture that we were seeing throughout Spain. The practice of bringing guests in to your home or business with open arms, drowning them in what you do, and leaving them feeling like they are now part of your extended family was just the way they are, perfect.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I was very much looking forward to pouring my first glass of Les Alcusses for a guest back in Greenwich and transferring a piece of Pablo and his family to them, just as he had for me in his winery. It was hard to leave, but next stop, Cuenca!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Jumping back in the cars and saying goodbye to Pablo and his family, I couldn’t help but think about the winemakers centuries before doing the same thing in the vineyards that the winding narrow road cut through. After having a little fun on the country roads and making some in the trail car a little queasy, we hit the highway and landed in an amazing city built into the mountains, Cuenca.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Navigating our way through tiny one lane cobblestone streets, zigzagging up the hill, I was amazed by the architecture. You could feel the history beaming at you from every angle. Cuenca was a new stop on the Spain itineraries, and it was a keeper. The Cliffside views from our hotel were amazing. My only tip for travelers is to take a cab to get around the city unless you’re prepared for a workout. We decided to hike it to the restaurant, which didn’t seem that far away.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
After 45 minutes up and down hills, and a possible fence jump, we arrived at Ars Natura Restaurant. Overall, our dinner at the modern and sterile Ars Natura was a strong reminder that what we do at Barcelona has a lot more soul. They did execute some modern takes on Spanish cuisine that were very tasty, but maybe it was the 8 strange songs played on a loop, or the fact that we were the only table in the restaurant, the experience left something to be desired.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
A gintonic nightcap at another amazing gin joint a few doors down from the hotel made me quickly forget dinner. The refreshing blue cocktail was a great way to wrap up another amazing day in Spain.
