With a glass of wine in Spain

The MiMove-blog met with wine connoisseur Bengt G Kronstam to speak about Spanish wines, wine in Spain, and what to think about when choosing wine for dinner. His book ‘The Magic of Wines’ won the best book on wines-award in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2007.  As a journalist and a writer, he has written about wine and organised wine trips.

Among other awards, Mr Kronstam also received the Ordre du Mérite Agricole from the French government in 1997, and in 2007 he was appointed ‘Cavaliere dell Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana’ by the President of Italy.  In 2014 he received the diploma ‘Pour le Mérite Gastronoma­que’ from the Sandahl foundation.

How did you become a wine expert?

The simple answer is that you taste a lot of wines.  Once I tried 4000 different wines during a four-week period.  After that, I wasn’t so interested in wine for a bit.  On a more serious note; to taste, travel, be curious, try new flavours are excellent ingredients on the road to getting good at wine.   It’s like with everything, practice makes perfect.

Is there good wine in Spain?

To begin with, it is good to remember that Spain is a big, diverse country with lots of distinctly different parts.  It is almost like there are many countries in one, they are that different.  People drink less wine nowadays, hence Spain produces lower volumes than before.  However, the consumers want better wines and that pushes the development forward.

Previously, people drank a lot of local, cheap, water down wine in Spain.  Often, they drank it in regular water glasses.  What was in the glass mattered not a great deal.  It does today.  Today’s consumer is knowledgeable, and they also know that you get what you pay for.  Both Costa del Sol and Mallorca produce fantastic wines today.   The traditional wine producing areas like Rioja and Catalonia still produce great wine.

Even the La Mancha area is a much better producer of wine today.  If you also add Galicia, Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Navarra, and some other wine districts, you can safely conclude that most of Spain make quality wine today.

How do you select a bottle of wine?

Why not visit a specialist wine shop?  Even if you don’t speak Spanish, communication is rarely a problem.  The staff is knowledgeable and helpful, and you may get some real gems as suggestions.  A good piece of advice is to stay away from interesting looking and designer bottles.  There is always the risk that the attention has been given to the outside and not to the inside of the bottle.

When selecting wine in Spain for a dinner party there are some rules of thumb (valid in any country): white before red, young before old, light before heavy, cheaper before dearer.  Only takes a few minutes before your taste buds have recovered after eating or drinking so it is a bad piece of advice to serve the good wine first.  It is the more mature, the better wine you will remember when the night is gone.

It is also a nice touch to serve different wines to the same dish. You don’t have to drink a lot and to add a new flavour in the middle of the dish may enhance the experience.  Also, the new wine often becomes an interesting topic of conversation.

How to store wine in Spain?

Not everyone can have their own wine chiller cabinet or wine cellar and of course, it can get very hot in Spain.  Here are some simple tips on storing wine.  The most negative for the wine is a large fluctuation of temperature over the course of a day.  That is worse than slower fluctuations over a year.

Store the wine in conditions as cool and as dark as possible. If you put the bottle in a box with Styrofoam on the inside, you can then store the box at the bottom of a wardrobe for example.  You can keep it there for a long time, and the darkness and Styrofoam will make the wine less influenced by the outer conditions.

We are so used to drinking young wines nowadays that we think a bottle has gone bad when it has, in fact, just matured. If you don’t like the flavour when you have just opened a bottle, leave it for a bit, that can make wonders to a bottle of wine.  Both red and white wine benefit from this.  If you want, you can pour the wine into a decanter and leave it there for a bit.  So, a good piece of advice is to be patient when it comes to wine.

Your best piece of advice

My best piece of advice, regarding wine in Spain, is actually Sherry.  Many think Sherry is an old lady’s drink, that you pour a little from the bottle standing in the front room, but it is completely not how Sherry should be drunk.

Sherry goes great with food. It should be served chilled and fresh.  You should always finish the bottle the same day you open it, so it is good that you can buy them in half bottles as well.  I love drinking Sherry from a Champagne glass, that is the ultimate experience.

If you are looking for a weekend trip in Spain may I recommend you go to visit the Sherry triangle in the province of Cadiz. Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa Marí­a are Sherry making towns, located at the tips of the triangle.  Inside the triangle, you can find vineyards and bodegas.  Spanish Sherry is only to be made from local grapes.

To drink a glass of Sherry and have a couple of tapas is a wonderful experience.  My favourite tapas are pata negra, almonds, cheese, shrimp in olive oil and garlic.  And not to forget the Spanish blood sausage that is simply the best.

The first Saturday in September every year, the Jerez harvest festival starts. It is a three-week festival also focusing on Sherry, and in May there is a flamenco festival, both are a delight to visit.  It is an unforgettable experience and you will become a sherry aficionado for the rest of your life!  That is my promise to you!

Most wonderful Spain memory?

I have many fond memories from Spain, the Sherry festival is one of them.  But another one that stands out is an evening in San Sebastian where we ended up down at the harbour where the fishermen after sunset brought out plastic chairs and cooked the catch of the day in a simple yet delightful way.

To the very tasty food, a local wine was served.  It is called Txakoli and carbonated low alcohol wine.  To decrease the number of bubbles, you pour the wine from a high position. It is great entertainment when the wine is poured by someone who knows how to do it correctly.  That was a magical evening, in every way; food, wine, and ambiance.

Last words

I usually say that I was born hungry and thirsty. With my interest in food, an interest in wine was awaken.  When I worked for a Systembolaget’s Marketing division (the Swedish wine and spirits monopoly) I discovered a whole new world.  Apart from the fact, that I genuinely like wine and that the wine together with food makes sensations, wine also creates memories.  Therefore, always buy some bottles when you visit a vineyard and like the wine.  When you open the bottles later, you will remember the trip.

To me, wine is taste, memories, history, and culture.  Wine is so much more than just a drink, and I love that.

Travel, visit vineyards, visit new areas, taste new wines, buy a more expensive bottle of wine than you had planned, drink Cava on a Thursday, learn and be forever curious!