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"By Four Hands" Gastronomic Evenings Fourteen Michelin Stars Dani García ** and Ángel León *
"In the end,... what we want to achieve is that
the wine become an additional ingredient of the dish,
and that it assist in creating a complete experience
for the person dining at the table".
I am... destined to work with Sherry Wines
not only at an emotional level because they are wines that motivate me,
but because we create a cuisine that is focused on the sea,
the world where I live,
the Sherry production zone,
Sanlúcar, Jerez... we are in the middle of it all...
My sommelier is in love with Sherry Wines.
In fact,...
practically 60% of the pairings that we presently offer
are based on Sherry Wines,
not only because we believe that they are the best wines in the world
and we do need to learn how to appreciate them and give them the proper credit,
but also because we believe that they pair very well with our cuisine.
In the United States, at our restaurant,
when you open the menu the first thing that you see is our list of Sherry Wines
along with some small graphics of how Sherry Wines are made.
It may be a question of it being our "destiny" for being Andalusian,
but it is also true that what comes forth in a spontaneous way is almost innate in us,
because in the end it is, logically speaking,
what we have grown up with and what we have experienced.
When they ask me what significance I will give it,
for me it will be what is normal... the standard from a logical point of view;
really... the minimal significance, even though we are Andalusians!
Simply, while traveling throughout the world,
and the same has also happened to Dani,
is going to restaurants in other places
and finding these lost Gonzá*** Byass gems which they have and we don´t
...and then becoming upset and saying: "Why don´t I have this...?"
...Tres Palmas, for example, which they served here at Dani´s dinner
... a series of lost gems which, for those of us who were there do not have,
and we ask ...."how is it that we do not have them?"
We are on the right path to reclaiming these rare treasures,
with a limited number of bottles,
They exist as a result of the very important work done
by the Gonzá*** Byass sommelier, who for us is an institution.
...so that we can offer something different to our clients.
We really do not realize how much the people,
throughout the world of wine and the world of fine cuisine,
...love Sherry wines.
When you go abroad you do realize how easy it is to explain
especially by the people who are in the world of wine,
that we are in the south of Spain, ...and, immediately,
we are identified with the Sherry production area and its wines,
That´s probably for a very simple reason: because our wines are unique in the world.
As with any other wine, they may or may not be liked, but they are unique.
I believe that the wine´s personality is highly valued,
that it is something that is completely different, that it is understood,
and that the people at an international level appreciate.
All of the Gonzá*** Byass wines and other Sherry Wines,
in spite of the fact that they were very popular wines in their time,
were not as well known in the world of fine cuisine.
We have worked very hard to have them recognized.
We have invited the greatest chefs of the world.
For them, the wines have been quite a discovery
and they have been the perfect pairing for many of their dishes.
Generally, it has been a great pleasure to work
with this wide palette of wines which Gonzá*** Byass offers,
given that they are from various regions in Spain.
But, above all, when we began to confirm the perfection
of the pairings we believed that,
in addition to the wines having to pair well with this avante garde cuisine,
they had to be Spanish Wines, and specifically Andalusian Wines.
Tonight, we have found that perfection to exist with many of the wines.
We start with Tio Pepe,
which is the only wine that has been present at the inception of all of our dinners
because to me it was a sure bet.
Curiously,...
a wine with so much history has worked well
with the most modern cuisine.
Afterwards, our next wine matures.
From the same Tío Pepe... which has been aged for 4 years,
...we continue to Amontillado "Viña AB," which has been aged for 8 years.
...The dry character that Viña AB has,
with that touch that is a little more than complex,
...will make the paired dish be that much more enjoyable on the palate.
In order to refresh the palate of our dining guests
we will transport ourselves, with another Gonzá*** Byass wine,
...to the Penedes region.
...From there we bring you a 2010 vintage, Vilarnau Brut Nature Grand Reserve.
For dessert,... yet another Gonzalez Byass wine appears.
And here we have a true gem...
...We all know that Matusalem is a 30-year, minimum average age VORS.
Not being 100% Pedro Ximénez,
but rather a Sweet Oloroso,
...80% Dry Oloroso with 20% Old Pedro Ximénez,
it possesses an equilibrium and some wonderful touches.
Accordingly, ...our dessert will be not overly sweet
and will be very enjoyable.
The dessert, created by Dani García,
has many hints of tangerine and will work very well with this wine.
Everyone who participates in this dinner tonight will surely enjoy it.
That has been the experience throughout all the previous evenings of this event.