Our long-awaited pallet of Ybarra brand stuffed olives has arrived! We’ve now got piquillo pepper-stuffed, anchovy-stuffed, and Spanish Table brand lemon-stuffed olives to take a cold martini up a notch. Ybarra EVOO is back on the shelf, in one liter PET and 3-liter tins. We also now have Ferrer Piquillo Peppers, Black Olive Tapenade and Romesco Sauce. Many other products arrived as well including new fruit preserves that are excellent with cheese boards. Mild Ajvar pepper-eggplant sauce is now in stock; this terrific sauce is excellent with roasted eggplant or other vegetables. Stop in and check out the new items!
In order to stay safe during our excessive heat wave, follow the Department of Health’s recommendations: Stay hydrated with cold beverages: Our refrigerator cases are full of mineral waters, soft drinks and a fantastic assortment of refreshing rosé wines. We also have stocked extra cases of Estrella Galicia and 1906 beer. Frequent air conditioned spaces when possible: Paris Madrid Grocery is air conditioned – stop in to cool off and be comfortable while shopping. Avoid cooking indoors to keep the house cool. Make a paella on an outdoor burner, barbeque sausages or other protein in the backyard or park, have a charcuterie board for dinner, or eat tinned fish right out of the can with some bread. We can help with all of this. Stay cool and safe!
Last call for padron plants! The hot weather will jump-start flowering and pepper ripening. If you aren’t familiar with these peppers, harvest them when they are 3-4 inches long. Sauté them in olive oil, turning until all sides are blistered, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt and serve. Generally, these are mild, but an occasional pepper can be spicy which is part of the fun of eating them. CLOSE OUT PRICE – $5.99, quart-size plants
HOT WEATHER WINES
Raventós I Blanc Blanc de Blancs 2018, Conca del Riu Anoia ($21.99) We finally have one of the top sparkling wines of Spain on our shelf! Winegrowers since 1497, Catalan sparkling wine makers since 1872, Raventós I Blanc has the longest, documented viticulture tradition owned by the same family in Europe. Pepe Raventós is the 21st generation to farm the property which is now worked biodynamically; in 2012 the winery left D.O. Cava. In recognition of their singular terrunyo, they created a new designation of Conca del Riu Anoia. An ancient seabed in this area left enormous quantities of fossils, giving the soils and wines a distinctive quality. 2018 Blanc de Blancs is produced from a 40 year-old vineyard with soils of bedrock and pebbles. A blend of Macabeo, Xarello, Parellada and 5% Malvasia de Sitges, aged on the lees for 18 months. Aromas of rich brioche on the nose are exceptionally inviting. The palate offers up white apple notes which are fresh and bright. Toasty, elegant and mineral-laden with subtle tiny bubbles, this is a sparkling wine of refined elegance and deliciousness. It’s a superb value at $21.99.
Branco Vulcânico 2018, Açores Islands $33.00 50% Arinto dos Açores, 50% Verdelho. Grown in volcanic basalt 50 meters from the Atlantic Ocean, on the island of Pico in the Azores Islands. Made with minimal intervention, aged on the lees for 8 months in stainless steel tanks. This lovely summer wine offers up hints of tropical fruit aromas with a maritime note. On the palate, citrus flavors are vibrant, fresh and lively with sea spray and wet stone notes. Finishes dry with a lengthy mineral-laden finish and a salty mineral note. Fantastic with grilled fish.
Finca Viñoa Treixadura, 2019 Ribeiro, ($22.99) Named Best Spanish White by the International Wine Challenge, this is a stupendous white wine. Grown on a 12 hectacre plot of spectacularly terraced vineyards (called the Socalcos) with granite walls that descend from 380 meters to 180 meters altitude. Soils of granitic sand, slate schist and magnificent solar exposure all contribute to the complexity of this wine.. 90% Treixadura, 5% Albariño, 5% Godello and Loureio, aged on its lees for 6 months in stainless steel. Great intensity of white pear and apple fruit aromas. Creamy citrus notes with delicate hints of fennel and smoke are vibrant and fresh. Structured, mineral-laden with a saline edge, it is rich and complex. This wine cries out for shellfish! 93 points Decanter
Morgadio do Quintao Clarete 2019, Algarve ($34.00) A supple and light to medium-bodied red wine with 13% alcohol that won’t be overpowering on a hot day. Made from 40 year-old 100% Tinta Negra Mole, a red grape indigenous to Portugal. The wine is vinified with minimal intervention and slow fermentation, then aged for 10 months in stainless steel tanks. In the French tradition of French claret, this wine is not over-extracted; rather, it offers up silky elegance. Bright and spicy with notes of mace and allspice, it offers delicate red fruit notes with silky tannins. Lively and fresh, it is medium-bodied with dried black cherry notes that lend weight without heft. This is really good.