Albarino & Flavors of the World
It’s been a busy year for Albariño wines in the United States, wrapping up at the 2009 Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavor conference at their Greystone campus in Napa Valley. From November 12th to15th, industry pros from across the globe converged to eat, learn and most importantly-drink during three-action packed days.
This year’s conference theme, “Frontiers of Flavor: World Street Food, World Comfort Food” brought together an intriguing mix of speakers and chefs, including Roy Choi of the Kogi BBQ truck in L.A., Ruth Reichl, former editor of Gourmet and conference chair Chef Rick Bayless (of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo & Xoco in Chicago), a true testament to the changing landscape of food in America.
A staple of the conference was the World Marketplace, a walk-around tasting for a variety of vendors from around the globe taking place during lunch and/or dinner throughout the event.
Over the next three days, the Rías Baixas Albariño table attracted a variety of attendees: whether tasters were devoted fans of the varietal, or just looking for something white and crisp, everyone came away with a newfound appreciation for Albariño wines. Some of the notable chefs that stopped by the table included Chef Paul Bartolotta (of Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare in Las Vegas), Chef Seamus Mullen (of Boqueria and Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef), and Chef Maricel Presilla (of Zafra and Cucharamama in Hoboken, New Jersey). Even Iron Chef Morimoto came by to get a glass!
The good fortune of our table location gave us the chance to pair Albariño with flavorful street foods of the world such as shredded pork tacos from Mexico City, Poutine from Quebec, and Vietnamese báhn mì sandwiches.
In addition to the Marketplace, Albariño wines also sponsored two seminar sessions: Pairing Asian Bites with Rías Baixas Albariño wines. These seminars were led by wine expert Karen MacNeil, and author of The Wine Bible. Each class featured Asian tapas prepared by Chef Scott Whitman of Sushi Ran (www.sushiran.com) in Sausalito and San Francisco Chef Robert Lam of Butterfly (www.butterflysf.com) and EastSide West (www.eastsidewestsf.com).
As MacNeil described the evolution of the Albariño grape, she explained that seafood & bold Asian flavors are the perfect match for Albariño’s heavier texture-which she describes as ‘gravitas’. The groups were encouraged to experiment with pairing each of the wines as Chef Whitman presented freshly smoked Himachi filets in a zesty Yuzu and black pepper sauce, alongside bamboo cradles of squid salad with chilies. Chef Lam prepared shrimp and tofu shu mai dumplings, and a tofu smoked Salmon roll with strawberries and herbs. The crisp minerality of the Albariños accentuated both the smoked fish and the fattiness of the salmon. This year’s conference only touched on the relationship between Albariño and Asian flavors, but 2010’s conference theme, “Japan: Flavors of Culture,” will provide Rías Baixas Albariño with a wealth of innovative pairing possibilities.
