Photos courtesy of Nacho Monclús. From left: Boa Viagem beach in Recife; Olinda; Bolo do Rolo.

THE GLOBAL PLATE : BRAZILIAN CUISINE

Backpacking with spanish Wines in Brazil's northeast

By Nacho Monclús

Asking Spaniards to separate their wines from their cuisine would be akin to separating peanut butter from jelly. Fortunately, life has given me the opportunity to travel the world and expand my palate beyond the confines of my beloved Iberian gastronomy.

In this way – and in the marvelous learning process that is travel – I set out for Brazil. I put on the gastronomic ambassador hat (familiar to all Spaniards living and traveling abroad), and filled my bags (and what’s worse, those of my Brazilian friends) with an incredible quantity of Spanish wine. Two of every kind, we joked. A virtual Noah’s Ark of Spanish wine.

The wines came from the cellars of my beloved restaurant “Di Vino” of Segovia. It was in this restaurant that I learned all that I know about the world of wine from Lucio del Campo (winner of Nariz de Oro, an annual competition to select the best sommelier in the country) and Henar Puente (first female ever to win “Best Sommelier” in Spain), both of whom inspired me.

I arrived in the northeastern Brazilian region of Pernambuco with my liquid cargo intact, borne on my shoulders – a backpacker without a clear destination. Here I experienced a delicious cuisine which was the product of mixing local indigenous, European and African cultures. This is a story envisioned as an elaborate meal, where wine and food are paired in conjunction with sensations and surroundings.

In the tradition of marking occasions worthy of celebration, we will begin with Cava. Agustí torelló Reserva Barrica is a 100% Macabeo Cava, one third of which is new wine, one third aged in stainless steel tanks, with the remaining portion aged in oak. The complexity and body of this wine pair perfectly with the seemingly unending array of appetizers that the beach vendors have to offer – oysters, crab, fried cheese and a variety of soups. The fascinating interplay of the bubbles from the Cava and foam of the waves seemingly emphasize the pairing.

We continue on to my friend Sergihno’s
house in Recife where we enjoyed Camarão
na Moranga (pumpkin with shrimp soup) paired
with Abadal Picapoll D.o. Pla de Bages.
Drinking wine produced from this indigenous
Spanish grape is not unlike walking through
the São José market in Recife where the aroma
of flowers and fruit wafting through the air
seem to come from another world.