Two words: Jamon Galleria.
That’s just one of the culinary delights that you can experience at the upcoming Rioja Week Tapas Fest and Grand Tasting taking place at Weylin B. Seymour’s in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, May 3, 2014 at 1PM ET. The event will also feature a Casa de Tapas, a Paella and Vino Garden, a Cheese Cave, and something like 200 Rioja wines.
And three of you are going to get to go for free. Who loves ya, baby?!?
I’m excited to tell you that this month I’ve got a (paying) gig with Rioja Wines in which I will be taking part in Tapas Fest in NYC (mostly as a panel moderator for both geekified and introduction-style panel sessions about Rioja wine) as well as hosting a #RiojaBuzz Tweet Chat on April 24th at 8:30pm EST/5:30pm PST (during which we’ll start tasting through some Rioja goodness in lip-smacking anticipation of the NYC event).
I’ll naturally not be formally reviewing any Rioja juice here on 1WD until after that gig has ended. And at this point I’m not sure if I’m in it more for the excitement of how awesome this NYC event is going to be (I’ve seen the insider details on the culinary coolness that will be on hand, and my keyboard is wet from the Pavlovian salivation responses), the fact that I am getting paid, or just the chance to taste Rioja jamon again. Anyway, check out the crazy lineup for this event and you’ll see what I mean.
Now, me being me, I kind of forced my hand with the amiable Rioja Wine folks in order to get some of you at this event (you know, for moral support and all that)! So three lucky 1WD readers will get two tickets each to the Tapas Fest on May 3 at 1PM ET, along with a groovy gift bag of food-related goodies (see inset pic, total value about $150).
Wanna shot at winning? Here’s the skinny…
To be eligible to win, you need to a) be a human, b) be 21 years or older, c) accept that if you win, you get the goodie bag and tix (that shouldn’t be too hard, right?), but not travel or lodging to NYC (sorry, there are limits to my influence, peeps!), and d) leave a comment on this post (see below).
For a chance to win, leave a comment here telling us about your favorite tapas and wine pairing (I don’t care if it’s a Rioja wine or not, but Tapas + Spanish wine is kind of a natural).
At 8PM ET on Tuesday, April 22, I will randomly select three lucky commenter-folk from the list of commenters, and announce the winners here (as well as contact them via email with details on how to collect).
Here’s the official skinny on the event from Wines of Rioja:
Wines from Rioja humbly invites you to a new culinary experience – the Rioja Wine and Tapas Festival on May 3, 2014. This will be the finale celebration of Rioja Week, a week-long, nationwide celebration. This one day food and wine festival will showcase over 30 top Rioja winemakers and representatives, plus 25 notable U.S. chefs. After tastings and mini-events throughout the week in New York City, Rioja invites you to experience the best of wine, food and culture from Spain’s most prominent wine region. With proceeds benefitting culinary scholarships at the James Beard Foundation, tickets to the Rioja Wine and Tapas Festival are $55, and are expected to sell out. We look forward to sharing a unique culinary experience with you – Salud!
Good luck, and hope to see you at Tapas Fest 2014 in NYC!
Cheers!
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Comments
Stelvin06
Best tapas experience for me isn't Rioja related but certainly authentic Spanish. While honeymooning in southern Spain we spent a day walking through Sevilla. Several days prior my wife and I suffered food poisoning from a Michelin starred restaurant in southern Portugal so needless to say we hadn't been eating much. We finally started to feel better. After checking walking several miles checking out the Alcazar, the cathedral, Metropole Parasol and just Spanish culture on the whole we stumbled upon this tiny back street (actually found it while trying to determine what type of car was parked on the side street – it looked like a Mercedes version of a Honda del sol) The restaurant across the alley was a place called La Brunhilda. Place was clean and modern and rather unlike so many of the old school tapas places we'd been walking by with iberico hanging in the front window. Much more modern tapas as well- we shared several plates. All seemed to be better than the last – perhaps because neither of us had eaten much solid food or had an appetite in days.The Pulpo was the best octopus I've had in my life. We drank Barbadillo Manzanilla en Rama. The wine was salty and savory and worked wonderfully with the sweetness of the octopus. it was an experience i will never forget.
1WineDude
Stelvin06 – thanks. Love me some octopus!
Francine Lubera
There's a great tapas place in Fells Point, MD, on the water near Baltimore. It's called Adela. I had a wonderful Spanish Grenacha (can't recall name). Paired it with a cheese plate and some other beef tapas. Love Rioja, and I started with a glass. But the Grenacha was the perfect pairing with the Monchego.
1WineDude
Thanks, Francine. I've not been to Fells in a long time!
DaveAC
One of my all-time favorite spots is ZuZu in Napa, CA. Wide selection of fresh tapas, but the ceviche is always a winner. They change it up all the time. You can't go wrong with selecting one (or two) of their by-the-glass selections of Albarino. The citrus of the wine plays so well with the ceviche. For me, it doesn't get much better…
1WineDude
Thanks, Dave!
Ann Latner
There's a great tapas place in Baltimore, on the water near the aquarium. I've been there several times and my favorite pairing is a red sangria with patatas bravas or chorizo. Yum! Feel free to take a look at my (sadly not recently updated) wine blog — http://www.grapegal.com
1WineDude
Thanks, Ann!
edward
A striking and impressive jamon from Iberia, and of course, a full bodied and balanced temparnillo.
1WineDude
Thanks, edward. I like how you think…
Jonathan
Seafood tapas with Txakoli. Next best thing to a visit…
1WineDude
Jonathan – thanks. Actually, the next best thing to a visit is going to be this event in NYC in a couple of weeks, I think…
clifford fisch
I'm lovin' me some Vina tondonia and tapas from tapas restaurant on Staten island.
1WineDude
Clifford – well, I am well-known as a Tondonia nut, so Cheers to that match-up as far as I'm concerned.
Aaliyah Pinkerton
A cheese board featuring jamon , Mahon and manchego paired with a lovely Tempranillo
1WineDude
Aaliyah – nice. Ran into plenty of that when I was in Rioja a couple of years ago (watching EU cup football, of course!).
Henry Castro
I backpacked throughout Spain two years back. My friend and I were on a tight, tight budget. We could hardly afford a place to sleep every night! But one thing we had daily was tapas and wine. Plates of jamon, cheese, little pickles and olives compliment with every meal…. while in the Rioja region one of my favorite tapas were croquetas de jamon with a glass of the house wine. We obviously had our priorities straight! No regrets!
1WineDude
Henry, yeah, I’d say you played that one very well. :-)
DeAnne Biglin
Hi Wine Dude, I'm a sparkling wine/champagne kind of gal. My favorite tapas is curried grilled shrimp and a ice cold glass of Cava. So good, gonna try it again today. My favorite spot to eat tapas? My kitchen.
1WineDude
DeAnne – :) Yeah, Mrs. Dudette and I kind of prefer our kitchen for tapas and wine, too (can't beat the commute).
Leah
I won't pretend that $10 price tag wasn't the motivating factor behind my Rioja pick, but now it's love: I took four bottles of the 2007 Vina Eguia Rioja Reserva with me to hide from NYC at my family's mountain cabin in Virginia and drank it down with toasted marshmallow smores (using lindt dark chocolate squares and eliminating the traditional graham cracker completely being the keys to this 'tapas' dish). I had friends along, so no, I didn't finish all four bottles by myself. I thought about it though. This Rioja festival event sounds DELIGHTFUL.
1WineDude
Leah, you know, I get that a lot; people feeling somehow conflicted about finding a value wine that is good, over-delivers, and is a steal. And I’m always responding in the same way, which is wow, that’s actually awesome that you found a bargain, and as far as I am concerned, you are lucky! I will have to give the Eguia a try… oh, and just checking out your tunes right now (I am a part-time musician, so I am digging it). cheers!
Ethan Murphy
Patatas Bravas and some with some crisp Cava
1WineDude
Thanks, Ethan.
Amy van den Dijssel
I love a crisp Albariño paired with pulpo (octopus)!
1WineDude
Thanks, Amy. One of my fave pairings, too.
jimvanbergen
Mind-blowing pairing with Viña Tondonia Reserva Blanca 1996 pairing with both puntillitas and shrimp allioli. Stunning to have delicate, subtle, and perfect flavors before the spiciness of traditional tapas, and an amazing Rioja Blanca!
1WineDude
Thanks, Jim. More love for Tondonia, baby!
The Drunken Cyclist
Aceitunas with some Cava. Or really anything (or nothing) with Cava. Yeah, bubbles rule.
1WineDude
DC – good to see some Cava love here. That stuff gets a bad rap sometimes, but there are fantastic bargains to be found.
Angela
Since I love spicy, my preference is Cavas and anything spicy. It's always fantastic!
1WineDude
Thanks, Angela!
susie
Recently I went to Europe for the very first time with my daughter. We went to Paris the first two days then Barcelona. Prior to leaving we did a lot of research to learn about the culture of Barcelona. We read about tapas, wines, Gaudi, and the architect. We spent the first few days getting lost. I was recommended to try Beronia Rioja Crianza 2010 ( $4 euros). I had it with grilled pork and sauted potatoes. It was slightly fruity and it went well with the pork. I’m still learning about wines.
1WineDude
Thanks, Susie!
patrice
Fried spicy jamon & cheese croquettes with Rondel Rose Semi Cava.
1WineDude
Thanks, Patrice. Good luck.