By Stephen Horaj, Assistant General Manager Barcelona New Haven
It’s difficult to distinguish and say that there are certain parts of our day that are better or worse. Being in Spain and surrounded by the environment of great food and wine makes every moment that of appreciation and awe. I was completely blown away, however, by the incredible hospitality of “Curo” and Juan at the Bernabeleva Bodega in San Martin. Upon arriving we were greeted with open arms and pure unadulterated excitement. The first thing out of their mouth was “Come in and please feel at home, what’s ours is yours.”
The sincere gesture was nothing short of a premonition of the day with them, from the passion they had when speaking of their product to the pure excitement they had when speaking about their vineyards. It was incredible to see the idea of terrior in full effect. The same grapes and pruning & watering patterns in three different soils and landscapes create three uniquely different wines that were all exciting and delicious.
The best thing we ate that day was nothing from a fine dining restaurant or anything that was delicately prepared. I think the lunch we had at the Bernabeleva Bodega was superb. Which is ironic because it was basically Spanish food “to go.” Curo and Juan admittedly said they were not good cooks, but had brought a prepared spread of phenomenal items. Curo brought bread from a local bakery that was incredible. We had “Pig Bites” that were out of this world, the packaged Jamon was probably better than anything we could get in the States. Unpasteurized meats and cheeses were pure indulgence. It was a meal I will never forget.
I find that when excitement comes it comes in batches. Once again the lunch also brought some very incredible wines and BEER! Curo had started us off with craft beer from Spain. It was non-labeled and he said he had just gotten it. Craft beer is very young in Spain and its something they are very excited about. In addition to that we started with a couple of “bottles of wine for drinking” (the tasting would come later) one of which was quite delicious and wonderful. The 2009 Navherreros, Garnacha de Bernabeleva was my favorite of the meal.
Everywhere in Spain you just are received with warmth and pure excitement. People are professionals but are also truly happy for you to be part of their experience with them. I think that’s the biggest thing I want to continue with at Barcelona. Going to the next level to show that we care and are not here for money but so that your day and experience can be made great. It is very easy to lose sight of this but I think that the values of what I saw in Spain will transfer to the restaurant and allow me to better create that experience here. It was something that I will never forget and that has allowed me to see and want to recreate the true Barcelona Experience.
