A nice dinner with friends last night brought to the table a surprising 14 year old ecological #Ancestral made with 100% #Xarel·lo by Vega de Ribes. Xarel·lo is usually around the high crispy spectrum but this just goes to show that, coupled with slow fermentation, it can age to beautiful complexity. The other remarkable bottle of the evening was the Chatons de Garde by Andréa Calek from the region of Ardèche, a young 100% Syrah made with carbonic maceration and minimal intervention (#naturalwine). All polished offwith a board of local turrón from Sirvernt.

And that's how you make Rossejat! Forget Paella, #Rossejat is a simple rice dish that originates from the local #Catalan and #Valencian fishing communities.
It's a quick, no frills #dish that one could cook at sea while waiting for the nets to fill. Rossejat is made by roasting #garlic in #olive #oil in a large flat dish, to which a thin layer of Bomba #rice is added and fried until golden; the rice is then covered in fish stock and the dish is ready when the liquid has been completely absorbed and the rice is almost dry. There are variations including adding seafood on top but the basic is the same, with the initial rice frying conferring the rice the characteristic crispiness.
One to fill the stomach on the cheap and wash down with a local bottle of chilled #Xarel·lo.

#Catalunya #FoodWorld #food

Picking #Xarel·lo grapes last at the La Nou de Gaià la September under a scorching 40 degrees heat. Xarel·lo is one of the three classic grapes varieties used for the production of Cava together with Parellada and Macabeo.

Xarel·lo has come to a life of its own in recent times and is used to produce unpretentious white wines great acidity and structure and structure.

#Wine #GrapePicking #Catalunya