"Garnacha & Gastronomy from Aragon” is the message the San Valero Winery (Groupo BSV) wants to share with the world. Groupo BSV is a cooperative of 700 winegrowers who grow mostly garnacha vines, and collectively pool their grapes and resources in order to provide many different styles of wines to many different clients around the world. It is thrilling to visit this mega-winery in the very tiny yet important Denominazion de Origeon (DO) town of Carinena for a few key reasons. The first is that it is one of the oldest DO's, at 75 years, and second, because the producers are so passionate about their grapes, their care of them, and their city. You will find 15,925 hectares under vine (according to the 2010 Penin guide).
Now you know garnacha? Of course you do. It is the second-most popular grape in Spain after tempranillo, and is famous for being so wind-resistant and hearty. It grows in a traditional “bush” shape (the official name of its training method is En Vaso) and can often be recognized by the strawberry flavor in a blind tasting.
“Gastronomy” is the other message they want to share with the world, because if you did not know this before, the Spanish people love to eat. And even though Carinena is a small town, much of their high-end cuisine rivals that of the best chefs in the world. You will experience the same foams and modernistic presentation, save that the portions for multi-course meals are much larger than you'd find in cities like New York or Paris.
To get to Carinena, one flies to Madrid, and then takes the high-speed train to Zaragoza, one of the biggest cities in Spain after Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. The train itself is fast, modern, and clean, and the glitzy new Zaragoza train station a gorgeous and expensive expression of the city’s pride.
This being my first day, the main focus was of course dinner, which was held in Le Rebotica Restaurant located in the old city of Carinena, known for its gastronomic cuisine and also the building, for it is the site of a 100-year-old pharmacy.
When Americans think “pharmacy” they think of stores like CVS or Duane Reade, but in days gone by the pharmacists needed many rooms to actually make the compounds used in medicine. A family bought the building 20 years ago and turned it into a restaurant. You will find tables in many private rooms, decorations including antique plates and old wine bottles, and lots of charm.
Joining us for dinner was winemaker Javiar Domecque from the cooperative San Valero Winery, its President Felix Baguena Isiegas, and Luis Gutirrez Andrews, its Director.
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