Vino 101

I have been faking my way through drinking wine for the last 10 years. Until now, I can’t tell the difference between a Shiraz or a Cabernet, and I wouldn’t know the difference between a label that comes from France or New Zealand. I use my being vegetarian to avoid red wine, relying on the knowledge that most tinted vino complements thick, grilled meats. And when offered whites, I only have one standard: if it’s sweet enough.

Sommelier, I am not.

I fare better with champagne. There’s not much to understand about bubbly. (Only that when it gets to my head, I alternate between giddy bravado and lethargic contentment.)

The French may produce the most wines but I realize that, if the sheer number of varieties won’t numb your mind, the tongue twisting required will. To sharpen my wine knowledge, I opted to ask their neighbors to the South, the Spanish by way of restaurant and bar Barcino.

As one of the largest wine-producing countries in the world, third after France and Italy, with over 600 grape varieties native to the country, it’s safe to say that Spain knows its wines. The men behind Barcino’s, Sergi Rostoll and Uri Singla, along with the restaurant’s new chef Jaume Vinyallonga, give a basic rundown of Spanish wine and suggest a dish that would pair well with each variety. Most of the prepared plates are from the new menu beefed up by Jaume.

“We realized that, in the Philippines, you can’t have just wine with tapas. Filipinos like eating full meals with their drink,” Sergi explains. So aside from paella and spicy tapas, Barcino’s now offers a spread that includes steak, more seafood dishes, more paella choices and even pasta.

All meant to be enjoyed with a good glass of vino. Maybe even two.

Cava

Old age knowledge: cava is the Spanish version of champagne, a pink or white sparkling wine usually made in Catalonia’s Penedés region using production techniques developed during the 1870s. Said to be a more affordable version of the French bubbly, bottles are usually aged for about 18 to 24 months before release.

Bottled expectations: Less acidic than champagne, effectively making it more pleasant to the taste, cava is a light, fruity, perfumed wine that varies in sweetness. Vilarnau Cava is pink rosé bubbly with a sweet New World aftertaste; read: it thrills the palate before it does your common sense.

Cava, or any drink with bubbles, doesn’t sit well after opening and is not meant to be kept. One the cork is popped, there’s no turning back.

Gastro pairing: Take your cava with Barcino’s Tapas Gourmet, a typical Catalan platter with cold cuts (jamon, fuet, Spanish longganisa, chorizo Iberico and chorizo Bilbao), manchego cheese and Russian salad. While cava is great with appetizers, it is versatile enough to be paired with dessert and meals, as long as no strong meat dish is involved.

Hangover potential: 12 percent alcohol. “Bubbles are dangerous,” says Sergi.

Vino value: About P800 a bottle. Barcino’s stores about 50 percent of the cava sold in the Philippines.

Dry Sherry

Old age knowledge: Often “unappreciated” by wine critics, sherry is made in the south of Spain from white grapes and then fortified with brandy and other spirits after fermentation. The Tio Pepe brand, which has been mixing spirits for the last 175 years, is the top-selling sherry in Spain and is usually the market leader in sherry-drinking countries.

Bottled expectations: Dry sherry is an acquired taste, especially in a country that doesn’t deny a very blatant sweet tooth. It’s best served very chilled in a white wine glass and taken in moderate sips.

Gastro pairing: Sherry, if not used in cooking them, is best paired with seafood dishes: oysters, sashimi, gambas or a fish dish. Chef Jaume uses Tio Pepe to cook the Maya Maya ala Vasca, a Filipinized version of a famous Catalan seafood dishes that puts together a fleshy fish with asparagus, hard-boiled eggs, garlic and parsley. “Tio Pepe balances out the taste of the garlic and the chili,” says Jaume.

Hangover potential: 15 percent alcohol

Vino value: P715 per bottle

Sweet Sherry or Nectar

Old age knowledge: Thick, almost syrupy, sweet sherry or nectar is made from harvested grapes that were left in the soil under the sun for some time, during which the sugar in the fruit become concentrated. Most good sweet sherry is a blend of different wines from different barrels over several years.

Bottled expectations: Sweet sherry has a distinctively nutty taste. Think hazelnut or almond syrup but thicker and more concentrated. One sip already gives a heady sugar rush. Think the arnibal syrup that sweetens taho, but with an alcohol kick.

Gastro pairing: Nectar goes well with or on desserts. It’s a great topping for chocolate cakes or vanilla ice cream, which is why Chef Jaume recommends it with Tarte Tatin, a pastry with caramelized apples and ice cream on the side.

Hangover potential: 15.5 percent alcohol. The sweet stuff really kills.

Vino value: P900-plus for a bottle

Rioja Red Wine

Old age knowledge: This traditional red is the most well-known produce of Rioja in the north of Spain. Made of the tempranillo grape, these bold wines are not produced every year and are circumspect to rain and frost. (The term “a good year” applies to this red.) The Rioja Reserva variety, which the label Beronia produces, is usually aged for up to two years in oak barrels and then another year in the bottle before it’s sold in the market.

Bottled expectations: Traditional reds are usually rich and dry; the Reserva, however, is more balanced and tastes more elegant. You may need more experience to appreciate a bottle of good Reserva. Beginners are advised to take small sips; let it swill in the mouth before swallowing. Not sure what exactly it does but it does prevent the buzz just a little bit longer.

Gastro pairing: “You can’t waste an excellent wine with anything but a good piece of meat.” Sergi is adamant about this. Traditional reds are reserved for more heavy dishes like the Solomillo al Oporto, an elegantly-prepared tenderloin surrounded with mashed potatoes, asparagus and cherry tomatoes, and drizzled with an Oporto wine sauce.

Hangover potential: 13.5 percent alcohol

Vino value: A little over a thousand for a bottle, still quite a steal for a classic, aged red

Fruity Red Wine

Old age knowledge: Aged only for a few months rather than years, this wine is a blend of six grape varieties. “It’s a complex wine but not really as difficult as the traditional red wine,” explains Sergi. “A New World wine from an Old World country.”

Bottled expectations: Finca Constancia, a wine from central Spain, is a light fruity blend that plays around in your mouth, does a little dance before giving off flavor.

Gastro pairing: Best served with fried tapas such as croquettes, calamari or Barcino’s Potato Bomb, huge deep fried balls of potato with a spicy ground meat center.

Hangover potential: 14.5 percent alcohol

Vino value: Almost P800 for a bottle

White Wine

Old age knowledge: Spain is known more for its red fermentations rather than its white wines, although you also have good whites coming from the northwest part of France. All whites have a life span of only one year. “White wine doesn’t age,” which is why Barcino’s only brings in white bottles in small quantities.

Bottled expectations: Most whites are fresh, fruity and crisp, the ultimate throat ticklers. Claudio Vallformosa, a best-seller in Barcino’s, is a very young white wine that has gone through a blind-tasting challenge conducted by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, earning a certification as the “best Spanish white wine” in the Philippines.

Gastro pairing: Light pairs with light. This young white goes well with a salad. Catalan’s mixed green version has lettuce, egg, carrot and fuet (cured meat), and comes with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Hangover potential: 11.5 percent alcohol

Vino value: P595 for a bottle

* * *

Barcino’s is located at Greenbelt 5.