During my trip to Rias Baixas, Spain, our gaggle of journalists spent an evening in the dining room of Chef José González-Solla, owner of Casa Solla in Pontevedra. We were in for a delightful interpretation of Galician cuisine, many of which came with a variety of textures, flavors and colors. After dinner I sat down with the chef to talk about his food philosophy and the way he plays with his food. You can see the photos of our various courses below.

www.restaurantesolla.com

Two exciting announcements this week: Our new Knife Skills 101 course is live in our new CMN Academy, so learn the correct techniques (along with some tips) from Chef Mark. We’ve also added Brian Franklin’s DoubleShot Coffee Company coffees to our Gilded Fork Boutique, so oh my, yes, get to sipping.

And in the world of rants, I share my thoughts on the latest piece of inane legislature to be introduced: A ban on salt. You read that correctly.

Music: Beau Hall (www.beaurocks.com), Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com)

Food Philosophy is a production of the Culinary Media Network
(www.culinarymedianetwork.com)

Photos from our dinner:

“Gin & Tonic” and Olive chips with anchovy paste

Tomato confit with parmesan foam

Potato foam over a roasted onion

Navaja (razorneck clam) with lemon cream

Croqueta cream with shrimp

Caballa (mackerel) in sea salt

Mero en escabeche (grouper in escabeche)

Squab (pigeon) on cornbread crumble with spinach

“Queso de País” cow’s milk cheese

Accompaniments for the cheese course

Almonds four ways (cake, ice cream, cream, toasted/crushed)

Chocolate & strawberries

During my trip to Rias Baixas, I snuck into the kitchen with Chef José González-Solla, owner of Casa Solla in Pontevedra, to watch him prepare our main course. This chef likes to play with his food, and he treated us to an inspirational twist on traditional Galician flavors.

You can also listen to my interview with Chef Gonzalez-Solla on the next Food Philosophy audio podcast. He is a delightfully sweet human being, and we had such fun as we talked about playing with our food!

www.restaurantesolla.com

A production of the Culinary Media Network.
www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Travel & accommodations provided by Wines from Spain and the Rias Baixas wine region.

On our visit to the Condado do Tea region of Rias Baixas, we spent the afternoon with renowned winemaker Cristina Mantilla (right), who showed us around the beautiful Pazo San Mauro vineyard before taking us inside for a tasting.

Pazo San Mauro Winery:
http://www.marquesdevargas.com/
Wines from Spain:
http://www.winesfromspain.com

We also got a wonderful lesson in wine, color and flavor from wine expert Marnie Old, whom I would like to bring with me on every wine tour from now on. She explains wine in a way that is so completely accessible and intelligent, it was like having a personal tutor along with us.

You can find all of her content, including book and how-tos, at http://www.marnieold.com/.

Disclosure: This wine tour was sponsored by Wines from Spain and the Rias Baixas wine region.

My tasting tour of Rias Baixas led to a wonderful discovery: The female winemakers in this region have made an indelible impression upon the quality of the wines and the respect Albariño grapes have earned internationally.

I spent an afternoon at Pazo de Señoráns with Marisol Bueno, one of the founders of the Albariño D.O., along with her daughter Vicky and their team to learn the history behind the creation of the appellation. Like many of the smaller wine regions around the world, Marisol wanted to showcase the grapes inherent to Rias Baixas, taking advantage of the terroir of Galicia and its unique qualities to craft what has become one of my favorite wines.

Winemakers often become philosophical about the “struggle of the grapes” and how it lends character to their flavor profile. In Galicia the grapes do indeed face difficult conditions, as the climate is consistently moist, presenting the ever-present danger of mildew. Albariño grapes must be coaxed to grow in a manner that enables sunlight to penetrate the vines and keep them dry, which winery manager Javier Izurieta Romero explains in detail in the following video.

Note: This wine tour was sponsored by Wines from Spain and the Rias Baixas wine region.

This summer I was invited by Wines from Spain and the Rias Baixas wine region to explore their viniferous offerings. I came away from the trip with a lot of new thoughts on white wines, as they hadn’t held much excitement for me — until I discovered why. A big part of enjoying wine comes from finding out what you like, the reasons you like it, and building from the flavor notes that attract your senses, so much was revealed to me in the span of this tour. With 3 winery visits a day for the better part of a week, I really got to know the nuances of Albarino grapes and Rias Baixas winemaking, so I now feel more empowered and knowledgeable in my search for the flavors that awaken my palate. I hope my findings will help you to discover the sparks that awaken your own.

During my trip I toured the 4 sub-regions of Rias Baixas exploring both large and small winemakers, including Pazo de Señoráns, the winery of the D.O.’s founder, Marisol Bueno. The region is known for the fortitude of its female winemakers, which I have to admit, made me smile.

I’ll be releasing a series of videos and stories about the region, but for now here’s a little taste of my arrival in Santiago de Compostela, a site of pilgrimage for many Catholics. You might hear a sound that is quite unexpected coming from Spain. (Please pardon the video quality — been working out bugs with the conversions.)

A production of the Culinary Media Network (www.culinarymedianetwork.com).

Dear Big Brother: Since my readers can’t be trusted to evaluate whether or not my opinion means anything, and you suspect me (and those like me) to be a shill for anything someone might give or buy for me, we’re all putting ourselves in your able, caring hands. Thanks! Travel and accommodations for this trip were provided by Wines from Spain.