Bilbao & Rioja 2006

Leicester branch organised a special trip to Northern Spain.
If other branches or individual members are interested in following in their footsteps, they should contact Ron Barker.

Our Chapter last visited Spain in September 1999 when we were based in Barcelona and drank the wine of the Panadés region. This year our chairman, Peter Todd, thought that we should visit the Rioja region in Northern Spain and persuaded Christopher Pollard of Christopher Pollard Tours, specialising in Spain, to arrange a special trip for us based on Bilbao. Sixteen of us gathered at Stansted and once we had coped with the rigours of security we had a good flight to Biarritz. Ryan air flights to Bilbao leave in the early morning or late in the evening and so it was thought preferable for us to fly to Biarritz where an enthusiastic Christopher greeted us. We had a good motorway coach journey to Bilbao through mountainous countryside with occasional glimpses of the sea arriving about 7pm. We stayed in a modern hotel, Jardines de Albia, miraculously inserted into a small space between ancient buildings near to the river and the squares of the old town. We had time to unpack and change before walking to Restaurant Guetaria.

The delightful smiling staff served us with a delicious hors d’oevre. Plates of sardines, cheese and asparagus were placed in the middle of our long table. Christopher introduced us to a very fresh dry white wine -Txakoli Tomin Extaniz.
Potato croquettes incorporating spider crab came next followed by grilled baby squids on a bed of onions and then sautéed duck gesiers with Euskadi, a basque cheese. Thin slices of rare barbecued fillet steak with three mustards and slices of potato provided the main course. We drank two Riojas from the Alavesa region, Sierra Canatabria 2001 - a Crianza matured for eight months in oak barrels - and Contino Reserva 2000. We enjoyed a tiny cream horn with orange sauce for pudding with a choice of Moscatel Ochoa 2005 or a Pedro Ximenez reserva 1971.

On Friday our coach collected us at 10am and we had an interesting drive to Laguardia enjoying spectacular scenery in brilliant sunshine. We had an hour to enjoy exploring the pretty medieval town with its narrow streets before we rejoined the coach to visit the Bodegas Palacio. We were greeted by a formidable lady who gave us a conducted tour of the presses, stainless steel fermenting vats and beautiful stacks of oak barrels with a commentary on wine making. The bodega has eight vineyards and started making wine in 1894. Their wine recently won a gold medal in Brussels. They grow 10% Viura [ syn. Macabeo ] to make their white wine but 80% of their huge production is red wine using the Tempranillo grape. One of the cellars was equipped with long oak tables where we tasted a Reserva Gloriosa 2001 and a white wine - Cosme Palacio Hermanos.

The Bodegas had a restaurant where we sat at one long table in elegant surroundings to enjoy an excellent lunch. There were three starters, asparagus with mayonnaise or vinaigrette, sausages in tomato sauce and red peppers stuffed with prawns bound in a white sauce. We drank a Gloriosa Crianza 2002 and with the main course, braised lamb with salad, a 1998 Gloriosa Grande Reserva. The desert was a puff pastry slice with a vanilla cream filling.

We had a short journey to the hill town of Labastida where we visited the Bodega de Fernánandez Gomez, a family concern. We were shown round by the very handsome, dark, young owner who explained the vinification, Christopher translated. Their white wines made from 20% Malvasia and 80% Viura are matured in concrete tanks built into the hillside. We descended into their ancient cellars hollowed from rock with lovely arches dating from the 12th or 13th century. Afterwards we tasted the white wine which was cold and fresh. Next we enjoyed Tierra de Fernánandez 2002 Crianza which had spent 3 years in barrels and then Tierra Fidel 2002 made with grapes from very old vines, 50% Granacha and 50% Graciano which had a delicious blackcurrant nose.

In the evening we went to a traditional very busy bar with a highly decorated Moorish ceiling, arches and Islamic tiles decorating the walls. We were served with pintxos but I felt too tired to enjoy them.

On Saturday we had a shorter journey to Guernica a town destroyed by German bombing in 1937 during the Spanish civil war. The devastation inspired Picasso whose great painting marking the tragedy is in Madrid. We walked in the park in lovely sunshine to admire a massive bronze by Henry Moore and Chillida’s abstract monumental concrete sculpture.

Bodega Itsas Mendi is a very modern beautiful spotlessly clean winery hiding behind a Renault garage on the out skirts of the town. We were shown round by one of the owners who is very proud of the progress the company has made since it was established in 1995. The grapes from the nine vineyards are brought to Guernica, pressed and fermented separately and then blended to produce their award winning wines. We tasted a very young white wine, Istas Mendi 2005, made from the Txacoli grape which was delicious, light and fruity and retailing for only 6 and a half euros. The next wine, Crianza 2003, was very different made from 20% Reisling and ?‘Hondarrabi zuri. We finished by tasting a very good sweet wine, Mahatz Biltze Berantiarra 2001, made from the Hondarrabi Zuri grape, which had aged for 5 years in bottle. We were given some delicious canapés to accompany the wine and the whole experience was very enjoyable.

We drove on to Elantyobe, a quiet little port on the Bay of Biscay where Christopher prepared an excellent picnic on the quayside. We watched children swimming in the harbour and admired the yachts moored in a small marina alongside larger modern fishing boats. We returned to Bilboa and had time for a rest or shopping before walking out in the evening to Yandiola restaurant, a very elegant venue with a superb young chef, Borja Echvarria.

We were greeted with an aperitif - a glass of sparkling Aria Brut Nature segura viudas made with the Xarello grape. Christopher chose the long degustation menu for us. Every course was artistically presented on simple white china dishes – each one a delight to the eye and to the palate. The first course was foie gras with a red wine and apple jelly; next we enjoyed slices of smoked tuna with tartare sauce. Then a small conical glass of warm creamy cauliflower soup decorated with red trout eggs, like red Russian caviar, refreshed the palate. A plate of flakes of salt cod with black olives and smoked anchovy mousse with a tomato jus was the last of the starters,

My favourite course was two perfect scallops each sitting on a thin slice of potato and topped with chopped tomato surrounded by a parsley and olive oil sauce. Then we enjoyed another fish course, a piece of white salt cod with a perfect risotto garnished by flakes of truffles. A delicate piece of melt in the mouth confit of sucking pig came next with sweet potato, it tasted heavenly but by this time I could only manage a little of it. There were two beautiful pudding courses: a chocolate mousse with chocolate cream and chocolate sauce and then a small square of walnut sponge topped with caramel ice cream. We drank a white wine from Catalonia, Creu de Lavit, and a red Rioja – Finca Valpiedra Reserva 1999. The chef came to receive our congratulations whilst we sipped our coffee.

On Sunday we woke to grey skies and it rained a little but we did have some sunshine. Christopher led us to the Museum of Fine Arts which first opened in 1914. In 1939 a new building to house the expanding collection was designed in a neo classical style and opened in 1945. By 1962 this was too small so Alvaro Libano and Ricardo Beascoa were commissioned to design an extension influenced by the architecture of Mies van der Rohe. This opened in 1970. Recently a connection between the two buildings was completed and opened in November 2001. The result is a superb gallery with a huge interesting collection of old and modern art including a large section for Basque paintings.

From there it was a short walk to the Guggenheim designed by Frank Geary which must have transformed the image of Bilbao in the eyes of the world. It is a very strange building like a piece of modern sculpture sited between two water gardens and beside the river. It is bisected by a road bridge. Inside there is a huge glass atrium with galleries opening off. Unfortunately we could only visit the galleries on the ground floor as the galleries upstairs were being rehung and so we couldn’t see from above the great iron sculpture by Richard Serra which permanently occupies the long boat shaped gallery specially designed for it. We had about an hour to explore before we all met for lunch at 2.30 in the gallery’s curved restaurant - part of the empire of the 3 star chef, Martin Berasetegui.

We enjoyed another elegant meal with beautifully presented dishes. We started with a lightly baked egg on a rosti potato bed. Next we ate a tomato stuffed with baby squids on a black ink risotto with fresh cream. The fish course was roasted sea bass with a puree of sweet potato and a broth of mushrooms. The main dish was braised beef served with dried tomato, black olives and polenta. Again we had two very pretty puddings: first a slice of caramelised apple with ginger ice cream and prune juice garnished with a brandy snap biscuit, secondly a tiny bowl of “natural kefir covered with tea cream” [? a kind of junket] garnished with one strawberry and a tiny spoon shaped biscuit, a fitting end to our gastronomic experience. We drank a white wine - Cantosán 2005 D.O. Rueda and a Rioja – Apzpilicueta Crianza 2003 D.O.Ca.

Some of us returned to the hotel on a very modern streamlined tram but some of us walked back beside the river on the broad promenade admiring the new pedestrian bridge and watching the world go by. We visited the church of St Vincente and admired its magnificent interior.

In the evening we gathered in the hotel bar and Christopher gave us a 45 minute lecture on Spanish wines with a comprehensive view of the main wine producing regions in the large country. Then we had a tasting to reinforce our knowledge. By now we were familiar with the Txakoli white wine of the area. I enjoyed the Albarino white from Galicia. Moving to the reds we tasted wine from Aragon, a Crianza made with Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon Then we enjoyed a 1997 Catalan wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Toro Gran Colecio Crianza 99 made from Tempranillo was very fruity but still had marked tannin. The highlight of the tasting was a 1996 CVLA Imperial Gran Reserva presented to us by Peter Todd. We enjoyed rolls with Serrano ham and basque cheese at the end of the evening.

Peter thanked Christopher for arranging for us to dine in such superb restaurants. His invaluable local knowledge made our visit so memorable. We are indebted to Peter for arranging the trip, visiting Bilbao in the spring and discussing the programme and hotel with Christopher. I have never before had such amazing food and wine on an all inclusive package holiday.

On Monday we had a pleasant journey to Biarritz arriving in time for us to have a leisurely lunch in the town. The French airport was relaxed and friendly compared with overcrowded Stansted.