The Wine Ladies in Spain for a wine, culinary and cultural tour!

We invite you to join us. Espagne here we come! The Wine Ladies TV!

We are thrilled to announce that we are going to Spain in June 2010 leading a wine, culinary and cultural tour to the fabulous Rioja as well as stops in Madrid, Barcelona and more. With only a small group with us (just 30) we will visit wineries, tapas bars, museums and maybe a little Flamenco dancing too. This is an incredible chance to discover the monumental heritage, dazzling environment and to become acquainted with the customs and lives of the Spanish people. Taking this trip to Spain means to live an experience that you will never forget.

For a complete details http://www.ECO-MOZAIC.COM or call 416 585 2258 and 1 800 267 9339.

To view the complete itinerary and prices please Spain Tour. Joining us on the TV show was Brenda Hanson Operations Manager for ECO-MOZAIC www.eco-mozaic.com who highlighted the what, where and when of this 10 day excursion. From the endless attractions and architectural heritage of the Royal Palace in Madrid, to the fertile landscapes forests, mountains, beaches and steep coasts of Bilbao and the splendour of the City of Wine “Marques de Riscal” Winery designed by the famous Canadian architect Frank Gehry we know that this trip will be a celebration of diversity and immense pleasure for the mind, spirit and body. To help bring the fabulous Spanish cuisine to life we were delighted to have Executive Chef and proprietor Chris McDonald of the award winning CAVA Restaurant www.cavarestaurant.ca located in mid-town Toronto wow us with his culinary magic. CAVA in Spanish means, cellars for aging wines as well as sparkling wine where it is made just outside of Barcelona. Chris’s restaurant offers a wide range of wines by the glass and specializes in “small plates made for sharing otherwise known as tapas”, he explained. Tapas are a cultural phenomena in Spain whereby friends and family get together, share a small bite and a drink and are meant as a precursor to the main meal. Chris prepared some classic tapas dishes for us to share including a delicious Octopus dish (Pinchos) with two kinds of peppers and olives from Spain served at room temperature as well as the classic Clams with Chorizo with fresh parsley, garlic and butter. Simply divine. We were surprised to learn that Spanish cuisine is typically not too spicy and more on the mild side, one of the exceptions being the spicy Chorizo sausage that accented the Clam dish we enjoyed. All of this was paired with a white wine from the Rioja, made by the famous Spain producer, the R. LÓPEZ DE HEREDIA VIÑA TONDONIA RESERVA WHITE 1989. This wine was impressive, made with the Viura grape variety and already over 10 years old its golden colour still vivid was layered with notes of hazelnut, orange peel and apple. Luscious, almost Sherry like, distinctive and delicious. Toni Batet Collado Export Manager, Miguel Torres, Canadian Market and sommelier explained that Spain is the 3rd largest producer of wine in the world but in fact has the most vines planted throughout the entire world. The Rioja region is located in the north of Spain and is divided into 3 sub areas and was the 1st wine region officially created in the 1920’s. The Tempranillo is the local red grape variety often with cherry notes and spice with aging potential. Next on our tasting truly was spectacular. adventure was to move into the red category whereby we tasted the Torres Ibericos Crianza Tempranillo 2006 http://www.torres.es/eng/asp/nv_ficha.asp?Ficha=producto&Cod=71 . A Crianza is a category of wine is one in which the wine needs to be aged in the barrel for at least 12 months and 6 months in the bottle. Deep coloured with a lovely balance this modern-styled Rioja combines sweet, creamy blackberry fruit with spicy oak. Good acidity keeps things fresh. Chef Chris brought in something quite special, an Ibérico ham also called Pata Negra or “black hoof” to pair with the Torres Ibericos Crianza Tempranillo 2006 . “This is the best of the best, the caviar if you will, made from an ancient race of pigs in the north-west region of Spain’, explained Chris. Carefully looked after and attended to these pigs in the later part of their lives live in the Oak forest feeding on acorns, which gives this special ham a nutty Oak flavour and aged for over 30 months. Only 3 spots in Toronto have this and Cava Restaurant is one. It

For a complete podcast of the show go to www.thatchannel.com/thewineladies Wines we tasted on the show. 1. R. LÓPEZ DE HEREDIA VIÑA TONDONIA RESERVA WHITE 1989 LCBO # 0356352 Price: $59.00 2. Torres Ibericos Crianza Tempranillo 2006 Rioja, Spain Agent: www.familywinemerchants.com Price: $17.00 3. R. LÓPEZ DE HEREDIA VIÑA CUBILLO CRIANZA 2002 VINTAGES 692780 Price:$26.95 Price: $ 26.95 Wine, Red Wine, 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.