Labor Day weekend, the traditional end of summer, is upon us. School is back in session, Cal football starts up again this Saturday and Berkeley is shifting into busy season as the academic year gets under way. Of course, for those of us ‘townies’ that live here all year long (nobody really calls us ‘townies’, that’s just my east coast heritage showing) it feels like summer just got started now that several months of ever present coastal fog (the source of much envy from my sweltering friends back east) have abated and hot, sunny days have finally arrived. Now is our opportunity to go out and catch up on the warm weather pursuits that have eluded us all summer long.
At The Spanish Table we will be open every day to satisfy your need for unique and delicious refreshment in all its guises. We have Spanish and Portuguese beers, several versions of hard apple cider, fun and fruity pink rosado wines, numerous spritzy Txakoli wines from Basque Country and a boat load of Vinho Verde from Portugal (in both white and pink versions). We have light red wines to serve cool and bone dry Sherries to serve ice cold. Appropriate snacks (olives, chorizos, cheeses) are also available so come stock up on your favorite flavors from the Iberian peninsula.
We just got a stack of seasonally appropriate wines from one of our favorite bodegas in Rioja. Cune (the initials C.V.N.E. are short for Compania Vinicola del Norte de Espana, but in common practice everyone says “coo-nay”) is a well known winery in the Rioja region that works in a very traditional style. Founded in 1879 in the town of Haro, C.V.N.E was a major force in creating the style of Rioja that has since been emulated by many other bodegas in the region. Over a century later the winery is still in the same location and and continues to make a range of traditionally styled wines.
2008 Cune Monopole
Cune Monopole is a dry, crisp white wine made from the local Viura grape. It is pale green/gold in color with aromas and flavors of grapefruit and wild herbs. This unoaked white Rioja is lean and lightly mineral in character. It is very refreshing and pairs well with marinated vegetables and fresh seafood. $12.99
2009 Cune Rosado
Cune Rosado, made of 100% Tempranillo, was macerated on the skins for a few brief hours to produce a bright, dry, lightly fruity wine with beautiful light watermelon color. This is an unusual rosado from a region that mostly uses the Garnacha grapes for pink wines. The use of Tempranillo creates a lighter balance, relying on fresh berry aroma rather than sweet fruit character to create a food friendly wine that awakens and refreshes the palate on a hot day. $10.99
2006 Cune Crianza
Cune Crianza is well loved in the Rioja region. Ask for a glass of red wine in a little bar in Logrono, Haro, Laguardia or any number of Rioja towns and this is most likely what you will be served. Made from 90% Tempranillo with small additions of Mazuelo and Garnacha, the wine spent 12 months in oak before bottling with additional cellar time in the bottle prior to release. Well balanced barrel tannins give a cedary aroma to the wine while bright cherry-like fruit supports earthy foundational structure. Serve Cune Crianza with hot tapas such as sauteed mushrooms or slices of crispy fried morcilla sausage. $13.99
Spanish Vermouth
Walk around Barcelona’s Barri Gotic neighborhood and you will notice numerous bars serving Vermouth. Unlike dry French Vermouth these herb infused wines are gently sweet and spicy. Visitors to Spain have returned with the desire to replicate the drinks they tried over there but we have been unable to satisfy the demand until now. We just received not one but two different versions of Spanish vermouth from the venerable Montana-Perucchi winery, founded in 1886 and located on the outskirts of Barcelona. We have both the young white Vermouth and the aged red Gran Reserva Vermouth. Both are perfect for pouring over ice as they do in Spain but they are also well suited to cocktail usage in Martinis or Manhattans. These fabulous new drinks come in full sized 750 ml bottles and are both $19.99
(for a great review of Perucchi Vermouth and the most awesomest Dog & Vermouth Bottle photo ever, check out the Umamimart blog )
The Spanish Table in Berkeley 