After spending a full day last week tasting nothing but Viura and Viura blends of Spanish wine from the Rioja region I thought I should give the Albariño grape it’s fifteen minutes of fame so I headed over to Discovery Bay last Friday for a drop of Albariño and some seafood tapas to see how and if the wine lives up to its characterisation of pairing well with these tapas style dishes.
Disembarking the ferry I made my way to the islands newest and largest
restaurant, Solera, to sample some of the fine tapas they serve there and to
sit on the balcony, soak up some pre-sevens sun and give a certain Albariño
from Martin Codax a taste.
The Albariño grape grows predominantly in Galicia, in the northwest
region of Spain and is also found across the border in Portugal under the name
Alvarinho. It is thought that the grape
was transported to the region around 800 years ago by monks (no surprise there
then) and the literal translation of the word means ‘white (grape) from the
Rhine’.
Spain’s main Albariño region is Rias Baixas and this is where the Martin
Codax winery is. The wine itself is easy drinking and very refreshing and was
ideal whilst sitting in the sun staring out across the bay thinking about all
the beers I’d be consuming over the weekend at the rugby.
After a quick chat with the chef who told me that the food in Solera is
prepared in the traditional way as it has been by his family for over three
hundred years and that the menu reflects the typical seasonality and
availability of locally prepared produce we came to a decision on what to
order.
Firstly, we thought that the ‘Montadito
de anchos del cantabrico con pimientos escalibados y su caramelo’ (Cantabrian
anchovy fillets with caramel roasted bell pepper) would be a good pairing for
the Albariño. The fillets had been aged for a year and the fishy aftertaste (but
far from an overbearing one) worked wonders with the crisp, citrus nature of
the wine.
Second dish up and half way through the wine we had placed before us a
dish called ‘Ceviche de vieiras Japonesas
con panacoto de aguacate, cebolla soubise y aire du lima’ (Japanese scallop
ceviche with avocado pannacotta, red onion soubise and lime foam). The scallops
were incredibly fresh and the lime foam and citrus dressing worked incredibly
with the wine. This dish is delightful and definitely needs a light crisp wine
like the Albariño to highlight the fresh sea flavours of the shell fish.
Time to order another bottle – more of the same Martin Codax Albariño –
and on to another dish, this time shellfish again but of the prawn variety. We
ordered the ‘Gambas Canandiense a la sal’
(Salt Grilled Canadian cold water Prawns). The presentation is spectacular and
the prawns were fresh, sweet and soft to eat. The ‘head juice’ that ran out of
it as we decapitated the prawn looked like lobster bisque (it is also the
favourite part of the prawn in these parts of Asia). The flavours of the ocean
were unmistakable and the prawns were so good I almost forgot to taste the
wine; but as with the other super-fresh seafood items, it was again a lovely
pairing – especially with the ‘head juice’.
Finally, and looking at my watch in angst as the starting whistle for the
Sevens was currently blowing, we ordered a white meat dish to see how it worked
with the wine. Chicken we thought would be too boring (but the rotisserie
chicken in Solera is to die for) so we opted for the ‘Panceta de cerdo a baja temperature (72h) con purade patata y
membrillo’ (72 hour slow cooked pork belly with quince and potato cream).
What a choice! The pork was soft and tender and after 3 days in the cooker it
was still juicy and a real delight to eat. Paired with the wine it worked
really well and the touch of quince in the potato cream offered some fruity
notes to the dish which complimented the wine too.
So the point of all this? Well, I really wanted to taste some Albariño
and what better way to drink it than with the food it was designed to go with.
Again, we must remember that Spain is not all red wine and Cava and that their
white wines are ideal pairings for the food produced in the country or in
restaurants overseas. Just because you may not know where Rias Baixas is, does
not mean that you cannot understand the grapes. So next time, when in need of
your ‘fiesta-fix’ head over to Solera and taste some amazing food and pair it
with a wine you would not have drunk otherwise – it can only make for a great
overall experience.
Solera Spanish Restaurant is located on the first floor of D-Deck in
Discovery Bay Plaza (right above Pacific Coffee). For bookings and enquiries call
(+852) 2555 0772
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