Viva Espagne – our trip to Rioja

Whatever business you run, it helps to have staff who actually know something about what they are selling. You’ll understand if you’ve ever been to B&Q!

So we’ve just sent managers from The Abbeville, The Avalon, The Stonhouse and The Bolingbroke to Spain. There’s no substitute to actually visiting a region like Rioja to really understand its food and wine: seeing the landscape for yourself, understanding what goes into the soil and meeting the people whose hard work results in the bottles we drink on our tables back home.

We flew to Bilbao and drove to a vineyard called Valencisco in the northern part of Rioja – it’s named after its two owners, Signore Valen and Signore Cisco. They trained in Bordeaux for years and follow its style of wine making – though of course the climate here is warmer and drier, which leads to a richer flavoured wine.

We tried red Valencisco 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2004 vintages. They were all rich, complex wines that pair perfectly with roast meats. The 2002 was my favourite, it’s a warm, easy-drinking Rioja and we’ll definitely be serving it back at all our pubs. I can imagine it becoming a particular favourite amongst the Bolingbroke regulars.

On the second day we drove to the Ribera Del Duero region, which almost entirely produces red wine from the Tempranillo grape. The soil here is richer and redder, which makes the wine fruitier and more full-bodied than most Rioja wines. They weren’t as complex as the Valencisco wines but were still delicious! We liked the Valsotillo Crianza 2005 so much, we’ll be adding it to the drinks menu too.

As well as world-class wines, we tried some amazing Riojan dishes. One that sticks in my mind was lechazo: roasted, milk-fed young lamb, served at a winery perched at the top of a hillside next to a small village. The whole experience was incredible. We were taken through 16th century vaulted tunnels underneath the village by the owner of the vineyard, which led to a basic room with wooden table and benches where our meal was served. It was tender and succulent and served with a salad of tomatoes and lettuce, and of course some great red wine. It was so simple but tasted out of this world and I’m going to talk to the executive chef to see if we can get something like this on the Avalon’s menu.

It was definitely a worthwhile trip and we’re now planning other fact-finding expeditions. Look out for the changes to the menu.

www.renaissancepubs.co.uk