tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77578202024-03-14T02:18:19.735-04:00Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and TravelInsights, information and photographs about Spanish gastronomy, wine, culture and customized tours to Spain, where award-winning writer-photographer Gerry Dawes, author of Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food and Wine Road Warrior in Spain, has been traveling for more than 50 years. Content is from articles, books-in-progress and travel notebooks of Gerry Dawes. Reproduction sprohibited without written permission and author credit.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger666125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-16788329500063738312024-03-12T13:14:00.000-04:002024-03-13T12:43:06.669-04:00The Wine Advocate's Robert M. Parker, Jr. Did He Not Begin as a Paper "Blogger," in the Days Before the Internet* * * * *
“It has been said often enough that anyone with a pen, notebook, and a few bottles of wine can become a wine critic. And that is exactly the way I started when, in late summer 1978, I sent out a complimentary issue of what was then called the Baltimore/Washington Wine Advocate.” -- From THE ROLE OF ROBERT M. PARKER, JR. and OUR WINE CRITIC ETHICS and STANDARDS on Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-81151426247567514142024-03-11T16:56:00.000-04:002024-03-13T07:04:34.044-04:00Don Quixote, Casa de Cervantes, Valladolid (Castilla y León)
* * * * *
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Author of Don Quixote*
* * * * *
Casa de Cervantes, Valladolid
Dostoevsky in The Diary of a Writer on Don Quixote*
"There is nothing in life more powerful than this piece of fiction. It is still the final and the greatest expression of human thought, the most bitter irony that a human is capable of expressing; and if the world came to an end and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-70990921673472148492024-03-10T11:03:00.001-04:002024-03-13T07:10:41.767-04:00Valladolid: Castilla y León's Capital & Historical Treasure Trove* * * * *
(Parts of this chronicle first appeared in the Penguin Guide to Spain & in the Berlitz Travellers Guide to Spain.)
In early May, 2007, I stayed in Valladolid while attending the Premios Zarcillo, an annual judging of wines ostensibly drawn from around the world by an international panel of wine experts, but primarily from the host region of Castilla y León. I had not reallyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-31182781401528058012024-03-06T12:47:00.000-05:002024-03-13T07:18:24.891-04:00Spain's Great Escapes Madrid, Seville and Barcelona are the starting points for three spectacular countryside tours By Gerry Dawes (Food & Wine Article from 2017)* * * * * Spain's Great Escapes Madrid, Seville and Barcelona are the starting points for three spectacular countryside tours By Gerry Dawes An article published several years ago in Food & Wine (Note: Some of the restaurants are now closed.) American chefs often come back from trips to
Spain sounding this refrain: "I didn't like most of the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-40769266529163542712024-03-01T07:50:00.001-05:002024-03-13T07:53:05.103-04:00Update: Background to the Robert Parker-Pancho Campo-Jay Miller-Kevin Zraly Wine Futures Rioja Scandal 2009* * * * *
by Gerry Dawes ©2009
First Published October 19, 2009On Sept. 4th, 2009:, Decanter published Arrest warrant posted for Spanish Wine Academy director co-authored by investigative reporter, Jim Budd, and Decanter editor, Adam Lechmere.
And on October 2, Decanter published Pancho Campo resigns to 'focus on clearing name', this time also signed by Adam Lechmere and Jim Budd:
"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-21785523418525460442024-02-18T14:43:00.006-05:002024-03-06T05:48:58.847-05:00A Blast From The Past-Wine Division According to Recently "Retired" Spanish wine critic Jay Miller of Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate, Great Wine Can Be Equated to Pornography
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"Whether I am in front of (great?) porno or a great wine I (can recognize) either without difficulty". -- Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate's Spanish wine critic Jay Miller in an interview with Barcelona’s La Vanguardia, January 2011.
Jay Miller in Catalunya.
(Photo: La Vanguardia.)
"For The Wine Advocate’s (just "retired") Spanish Wine Critic Jay Miller a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-1098241031112375092024-02-18T11:00:00.001-05:002024-02-19T08:30:35.625-05:00Alta Expresión Vino: Black gold or fool's gold? Blast From The Past on Overwrought Parkerized Wines in Spain
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"It is important for wine lovers to lay their bets on wines with authenticity and personality." - - José Manuel Pérez, winemaker, Bodegas Hermanos Pérez Pascuas – Viña Pedrosa (Ribera del Duero)."New Wave cult wines are undeniably tasty and appealing in a shame-inducing way, like Slim Jims (which they resemble - smoky, meaty, spiced, oily, sweet) but they should in no way be Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-68210414689887887172024-01-28T17:54:00.004-05:002024-01-29T10:52:00.921-05:00The Importance of Being Earnest and Not Being Kurlansky: An Open Letter and Critique of Mark Kurlansky's The Importance of Not Being Ernest (Hemingway) and His Negative Opinions About People Who Regularly Attend Pamplona's Fiestas de San Fermín * * * * * <!--[if gte mso 9]>
Gerry Dawes
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-39094071430989873532024-01-06T19:01:00.007-05:002024-02-27T22:35:07.488-05:00Sevilla: The Great Gothic-Mudéjar Churches Along My Original Route Into the City. Part Five, Ominium Sanctorum, Another Gothic Church with an Islam-inspired Minaret-like Tower * * * * * Omnium Sanctorum church on calle Feria, Sevilla by Gerry Dawes©2021 The Church of
Omnium Sanctorum has a La Giralda-like
Mudéjar tower which originally may have been the minaret of a mosque that once
stood here, and a multi-archivolted Gothic doorway, both of which, despite their
seemingly diverse religious origens, make it one of the most distinguished of
the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-10956923557103093622024-01-05T15:17:00.001-05:002024-01-12T17:58:09.429-05:00Gerry Dawes's A Taste of Madrid, Western Spain (Castilla y León and Extremadura), Andalucía & La Mancha Tour With Acclaimed Spain Expert & Author Gerry Dawes and Santa Fe Star Chef James Campbell Caruso May 3 – May 14, 2023
* * * * * Note: I led this tour for sixteen people. with a five-day pre-trip to northern Spain for for seven people, five of whom were on the main trip.
Chef-owner Fernando Hermoso with langostinos de Sanlúcar at Bar Bigote in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
* * * * *
Join a Spanish Adventure Designed, Organized and Guided by Acclaimed Spanish Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-53232357863658727202024-01-05T08:01:00.001-05:002024-01-12T18:30:30.041-05:00Sevilla: The Great Gothic-Mudéjar Churches Along My Original Route Into the City. Part Four San Marcos and Its Distinctive Giralda-like Mudejar Tower * * * * * San Marcos. When I entered Sevilla for the first time in 1968 via La Puerta de la Macarena, once the main northern
entrance to city, I followed calle San Luis, which
corresponds to northern section of the ancient cardo máximo, the main north-south
street of Roman Hispalis, which would
later be the main street of Islamic Ishbiliya. Along calle San Luis, after Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-65261503684135646452024-01-04T14:21:00.001-05:002024-01-12T18:29:45.620-05:00 Sevilla, Retracing Steps Part Three: Iglesia de Santa Marina y San Juan Bautista de La Salle A Remarkable Walk From El Arco de la Macarena Featuring a Half Dozen Mudéjar-and-Gothic Churches Built on the Sites of Former Mosques in the 14th Century * * * * * Iglesia de Santa Marina, Sevilla.<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-76806472011390303452024-01-03T09:18:00.001-05:002024-01-12T18:29:07.114-05:00"An instant classic and an absolute beaut of a book." A Stupendous Review by London writer Tim Pinks of Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food and Wine Road Warrior in Spain Volume I Enhanced Photography Edition * * * * * I
have never met Tim Pinks, who was born in Tripoli (Libya), lived in Scotland, now lives in London, is a gifted writer and
has been attending the Fiestas de San Fermín in Pamplona since 1984. * * * * * Tim Pinks running with the bulls at Pamplona. Tim Pinks wrote this stupendous review of Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food and WineUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-7368722997644926372024-01-03T00:32:00.001-05:002024-01-12T18:28:14.024-05:00Sevilla, Retracing Steps Part Two: Iglesia de San Gil A Remarkable Walk From El Arco de la Macarena to the Cathedral Featuring a Half Dozen Mudéjar-and-Gothic Churches Built on the Sites of Former Mosques in the 14th Century * * * * *
Gerry Dawes, Road Warrior, El Arco de la Macarena, Sevilla, June 2021. El Arco de la Macarena, Sevilla. Since my first entry into Sevilla through El Arco (or La Puerta) de la Macarena in 1968, I have gone back to retrace my steps partially, in April 2016 and again in June 2021 and April 2022, always beginning with breakfast in Bar Plata, one of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-65364997084753655692024-01-02T11:18:00.001-05:002024-01-12T18:27:29.925-05:00Sevilla: Breakfast at Bar Plata and Retracing My First Entry Into Sevilla, A Remarkable Walk From El Arco de la Macarena to the Cathedral Featuring a Half Dozen Mudéjar-and-Gothic Churches Built on the Sites of Former Mosques in the 13th & 14th Centuries Part One * * * * * Part One: The BeginningBar Plata and El Arco de la Macarena Photograph from Chapter Three Sevilla: Arrival in Spain from page 29 of Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food and Wine Road Warrior in Spain Volume I Enhanced Photography Edition by Gerry Dawes©2021, Photo by Gerry Dawes©1968. Among many historic, fascinating and enriching walks in the old quarters of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-36061496379481845662023-12-05T13:28:00.001-05:002023-12-05T13:28:00.162-05:00Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food and Wine Road Warrior in Spain Volume I, Chapter I Sevilla: Arrival in Spain (in 1968) Soldiers on a Train (Excerpt protected by copyright) * * * * * Gerry Dawes in 2021 standing at La Puerta (El Arco) de la Macarena, the gate through which he first entered Sevilla in 1968, quite by accident, the same entry point used by numerous Spanish Kings on their first visit to Sevilla. <!--[if !mso]>
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.shape {Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-65889819457809065202023-12-04T11:02:00.001-05:002023-12-05T12:54:11.483-05:00Spain expert Gijs van Hensbergen, author of Guernica & Gaudí on Sunset in a Glass: “Gerry Dawes has lived, analysed argued, savoured, prodded, tested, teased and loved his way through Spain's extraordinary gastronomic heritage for decades. Food as friendship is at the core of this wild, passionate road trip through Spain. This is a masterclass in storytelling - delicious and addictive." * * * * *
“Gerry Dawes has lived, analysed argued, savoured, prodded, tested, teased and loved his way through Spain's extraordinary gastronomic heritage for decades. Food as friendship is at the core of this wild, passionate road trip through Spain. This is a masterclass in storytelling - delicious and addictive. I have always loved his writings and deep, deep knowledge ofUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-2699648976002066932023-12-02T16:11:00.001-05:002023-12-05T12:56:20.325-05:00The Basque Pintxo/Tapa "Gilda," Inspired by Spanish Descent (Are you decent?) Rita Hayworh's Curves and Picante Spiciness in the 1940s film Gilda, Has Become One of Spain's Most Popular Tapas. * * * * * Gildas (pronounced 'Hildas' in Spanish), the tapas whose curving anchovy bodies (salada, salty) alternating with olives (salada, salty) and picante guindilla peppers (verde & picante, green & spicy) on a skewer were inspired by Rita Hayworth's curves in the 1946 American movie 'Gilda,' which starred Hayworth and somehow made it past Generalisimo Franco's film Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-88331056729289194582023-07-08T02:00:00.000-04:002023-07-22T12:05:13.649-04:00A Morning's Pleasure: Running the Bulls at Pamplona (An Excerpt from Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food and Wine Road Warrior in Spain by Gerry Dawes)
* * * * * Photograph by Gerry Dawes©2010.
(All material, except for black & white photographs of the author in the encierro, copyright 2020 by Gerry Dawes.)
A Morning's Pleasure Hemingway wrote about Pamplona’s running of the bulls, the encierro, in the Toronto Star Weekly in 1923: “Then they came in sight. Eight bulls galloping along, full tilt, heavy set, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-72531835215627757332023-06-01T12:44:00.014-04:002023-06-02T18:15:53.872-04:00Gerry Dawes's Taste of Northern Spain Trip April 26 - May 2, 2023 with Santa Fe Chefs James Campbell Caruso and Mark Miller, Washington D.C. Restaurant Figure Janet Cam, Chef Robert Quintana and Gourmet Garage Founder John Gottfried * * * * * <!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-86290283691699556352023-05-24T13:45:00.002-04:002023-05-24T13:46:00.050-04:00Report on Day 00, May 3 of Gerry Dawes's A Taste of Madrid, Western Spain (Castilla y León and Extremadura), Andalucía & La Mancha Tour With Spain Expert & Author Gerry Dawes May 3 – May 14, 2023* * * * *
A Spanish Adventure Designed, Organized and Guided by Acclaimed Spanish Gastronomy, Wine & Culture Expert Gerry Dawes,
Premio Nacional de Gastronómía (Spanish National Gastronomy Prize) & James Beard Journalism Awards Finalist Food and Wine Road Warrior Gerry Dawes in Burgos, Spain. James Campbell Caruso with Sunset in a Glass at La Boca. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-2460101892069667172023-04-14T11:22:00.001-04:002023-05-24T13:48:12.984-04:00Bar La Catapa, One of Best Tapas Bars in Madrid * * * * *
Bar La Catapa, Calle Menorca, 14, Madrid (Zona Retiro). Phone: 686 14 38 23.
"Today we have tripe with garbanzos" on the blackboard and "Beer is
proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" - - Benjamin Franklin,
inscribed on a post at Bar La Catapa, Calle Menorca, 14, Madrid (Zona
Retiro). Phone: 686 14 38 23. La Catapa is rated as one ofUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-58712405426504695502023-04-10T23:55:00.001-04:002023-05-24T13:47:04.144-04:009/11/2001 and Four Chefs: Quique Dacosta (El Poblet, Denia, Alicante), Mark Miller (Coyote Cafe, Santa Fe), Michael Lomonaco (Windows on the World & Wild Blue, World Trade Center) and Teresa Barrenechea (Marichu, NYC). Excerpted from Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food and Wine Road Warrior in Spain by Gerry Dawes©2021 * * * * * Chef Michael Lomonaco and Gerry Dawes at the James Beard House, New York City.During the tragic events of
September, 2001, I was traveling in Spain with Santa Fe Chef Mark Miller. Our itinerary included Madrid, La
Mancha, Córdoba, Mijas, Granada, Murcia, Alicante, Valencia, Tarragona,
Priorato, Barcelona, Conca de Barbera, Navarra, The Basque Country, Ribera del
Duero, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-60546128641943800612023-04-02T07:34:00.001-04:002023-05-24T13:47:42.248-04:00Another Incredible Review by London writer Tim Pinks of Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food and Wine Road Warrior in Spain Volume I Enhanced Photography Edition, Foreword by José Andrés. * * * * * Now in the Second Editions with added photos and vignettes. I do not know Tim Pinks, who lives in London, is a gifted writer, a lover of things Spanish and
has been attending the Fiestas de San Fermín in Pamplona since 1984. Suffice to say, he was impressed with my book. Tim
Pinks was given the "Guiri of the Year" Award by Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757820.post-86317611632693275832023-03-19T12:21:00.001-04:002023-05-24T13:52:49.151-04:007 Days, 7 Nights: Beyond Paella, A Video Culinary, Wine & Travel Adventure in Valencia & Alicante with Gerry Dawes & Special Guests Including New York Chef Terrance Brennan
* * * * * Las Fallas, Valencia, March 19 Día de San José, fireworks and the burning of the giant fallas statues in the streets. Las Fallas, Valencia, March 19 Día de San José, fireworks and the burning of the giant fallas statues in the streets.
Arroz con conejo y caracoles (paella with rabbit and snails, cooked over grape vine cuttings), Casa Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1