Barcelona Catalonia, Spain
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CRUISIN’ WITH THE TIME TRAVELING GOURMET Barcelona Catalonia, Spain Temple de la Sagrada Familia (Church of the Holy Family) — Antoni Gaudí’s masterpiece of Modernism — is Barcelona’s most striking landmark. Begun in 1883, this UNESCO World Heritage site is still under construction. Cruise Globally…Sip Locally ravel through the Roman province of one could rest, shed the burdens of travel, and Hispania was always dusty, and very enjoy the freshest of seafood – especially the Toften dangerous. Nowhere was this legendary oysters – washed down with the hearty truer than the section of the Via Augusta that wines of the Laietanian hinterland. ran between Narbo (modern Narbonne) and This small settlement was Barkeno (spellings the old Phoenician seaport at Taraco (modern vary), a name possibly derived from that of the Tarragona). Here the road swung inland through Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca, Hannibal’s the lands of the Laietani clinging to the hills father, who had occupied the area briefly toward and avoiding marshy, and potentially malarial, the end of the 3rd century BC. To the Romans, stretches along the coast. But there was a bright however, it was the Colonia Faventia Julia spot: a small garrison on Monte Tabor, the low Augustus, adopted son of Julius Caesar and first Roman Emperor (27 BC-AD 14), was deified by the Senate after his Augusta Pia Barcino, fortunately shortened to extension of the waterless Montjuïc massif. Here death and worshipped as such in the forum at Barcino. Barcino by the Emperor Augustus c. AD 15. 4 w w w . TimeTravelingGourmet . c o m 1 Barcino was good to Rome, sending gold, Eventually Charlemagne’s son, Louis the Pius, silver, wine, grain and fish sauce back to the reclaimed most of the land north of the Ebro capital. And, in turn, Rome was kind to the little River, including Barcelona in AD 801, and settlement. Emperor Tiberius graced its forum turned it into a series of small counties (the with a temple dedicated to the deified Augustus, Marca Hispanica) designed to serve as a buffer resplendent with Corinthian columns over nine between Moslems and Christians. Although meters high. Life was good, but it wouldn’t last. quasi-independent, the Marca were usually As the weakness of the central administration under the control of the Count of Barcelona, radiated out to the fringes of the empire, Emperor a title that was made hereditary by William Claudius II (reigned AD 268-270) was forced the Hairy (Guifré el Pelôs) when he held the to raise Barcino’s walls to a height of over eight position from AD 878-897. meters. But this only slowed the inevitable and the Over the centuries Barcelona has suffered more local economy continued to sink into decline. than its share of pestilence and plague, especially During the late 4th and 5th centuries, a variety of the Back Death. During the first outbreak (AD After Tariq Ibn Zayid brought his army across the Straits of Germanic (Gothic) tribes, including the notorious Gibraltar he burned his ships to preclude retreat, saying he 1348-1351) it is estimated that 40% of the city’s had come to conquer or to perish (Gibraltar £5 banknote). Vandals and Visigoths, took advantage of the population died, and it may have been the impetus deadly bombing by Mussolini’s air force in support situation and slipped southward through the filter for the construction of two of the most beautiful of Gen. Francisco Franco’s “Nationalist” forces. On of the Pyrenees where they settled down, gradually churches in the city: Santa Maria del Mar and adopting both the trappings and substance of January 26th, 1939, Franco marched into Barcelona Santa Maria del Pi, both striking examples of the and declared total victory. The Generalissimo would the Hispanic-Roman culture. Surprisingly, life soaring Catalan Gothic style. in Visigothic Hispania was one of culture. Art, rule Spain as a dictator until his death in 1975 at the age of 82. He was the longest ruling dictator in architecture and literature flourished. With the marriage of Isabella I of Castile to Ferdinand II of Aragon in AD 1469, and the modern European history. subsequent discovery of the Americas, the But the phoenix would rise again. Two days economic interests of the Iberian Peninsula shifted after Franco’s death, Juan Carlos I was crowned away from the Mediterranean and to the Atlantic. King of Spain, retaining (“by grace of God”) the Barcelona’s economy began to falter again, a millennia-old title: Count of Barcelona. As has situation made worse by Catalonia’s complete loss been the case so often in the past, the relationship of autonomy after the Battle of Barcelona brought between Catalonia and the Crown remains a rocky the Wars of the Spanish Succession to an unhappy one today, but progress is being made despite the ending in AD 1714. fact that calls for self-determination always seem During the 19th century, fueled by prosperity to be simmering — just below the surface. generated by the Industrial Revolution, Barcelona enjoyed an economic and cultural renaissance The Grapes of Cava (La Renaixença) whose symbol was appropriately A mosaic of the Three Graces decorated the floor of a 3rd-4th Cava (KA-va) is the wine of Barcelona, and century AD Roman villa in Barcelona. Museu d’Anquelogia the Phoenix rising from the flames. In 1856 the refers specifically to a sparkling wine made by de Catalunya (Bridgeman: AIS 290115). medieval city walls were torn down and the city the methode traditionelle in which secondary To the south, however, storm clouds were was allowed to expand, ultimately leading to the fermentation (the one that produces the bubbles) gathering. In AD 711 Tariq Ibn Ziyad and his architectural explosion known as Modernisme takes place in the bottle. Often referred to simply as army crossed the Straits of Gibraltar and drove made famous by Antoni Gaudí, Joseph Puig i "Spanish Champagne" (champan, champaña, northward, taking what would become known as Cadafalsch and others. Xampany, etc.), the word Cava ("cave" or "cellar") Barchinona just six years later. For the next 80 Barcelona’s suffering during the Spanish Civil was adopted in 1970 at the insistence of the EU in years it would be directly under the thumb of the War (1936-1939) was observed first hand by order to distinguish it from similarly crafted wines Caliph of Cordoba, a part of al-Andalus (“The George Orwell and vividly presented in Homage from the French Champagne region. But there Paradise”) as the invaders referred to the portions to Catalonia. Less than a year after Hitler rained is more than a nominal difference. Whereas the of the Iberian Peninsula under their control. havoc on tiny Guernica, Barcelona suffered days of three major grape varieties used in Champagne w w w . TimeTravelingGourmet . c o m 2 are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier, Cava acid (think Granny Smith apple). Although it RED GRAPES utilizes three Spanish (actually Catalonian) provides the framework upon which the other Cava can also come in color: the pale, salmon- varieties: Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo. And, two Cava grapes are hung, it also makes an pink color of a Cava Rosado. Several grape while Spanish DO (Denominación de Origen) interesting wine on its own. Creu de Lavit by varieties are allowed in its production: Garnacha regulations allow Cava to be produced in several Segura Viudas is a still wine made completely (AKA Grenache or Vernaccia), Monastrell (AKA areas, Catalonian Penedes makes about 95% of all from the juice of hand harvested Xarello grapes Mourvèdre), or Pinot Noir being used by most of the Cava produced today. that are fermented in oak to add a subtle of the major houses. But the mysterious Trepat smokiness to the base flavors of apricot and Cava was born in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, a few ripe pear. Recaredo makes an excellent 100% miles west of Barcelona, where the famous Xarello Cava from a vineyard planted in 1940. Codorníu, Freixenet, and Gramona houses are Hands-on attention to every detail combined located. Here in the 1870’s, José Raventós of with long aging sur lees, limits production to Codorníu began experimenting with sparkling fewer than 3000 – individually numbered - wines after a trip to Rheims/Epernay. Later, bottles a year. when phylloxera swept through France, he was Macabeo (mah-kah-BAY-oh) is another thick- ready – with the help of the new and rapidly skinned, heat-resistant grape that has been expanding rail industry - to meet the demands of planted widely across northern Spain for centuries. the international market. And, when the disease Although possibly related genetically to Xarello, eventually struck the vineyards of Spain, they were it may ultimately be shown to possess a Middle replanted with the canonical Cava grapes, grafted Eastern pedigree. Slightly floral and fruity, with onto more disease-resistant North American low-medium acidity, it is usually the dominant rootstock, resulting in the popular beverage that grape in Cava. we enjoy today. The individual characteristics of Macabeo are The Trepat grape adds color and fruitiness to Cava Rosado. WHITE GRAPES most easily encountered in the white wines Three white grapes are considered to be the Holy of the Rioja DO where the grape is known grape can also be used. Grown mostly in the Trinity of Cava, the blending of which, and the as Viura. However, keep an eye out for wines Conca de Barberá, just inland from Penedes, percentages of each, will dictate the individual from L’Olivera, a Catalonian cooperative it adds vibrant color and hints of red-berried characteristics of a specific wine.