Hello Spanish Table wine friends! Did you know next Wednesday is Valentine's Day? Well I'm here to remind you since my husband, after being married a whole year & a half, apparently forgot to look at his calendar (but then again I can't seen to remember our wedding anniversary, so we're square.) I don't need a dozen roses, & I tend to avoid the restaurant scene altogether but a good bottle of wine and some candle light is my idea of a perfect Valentine's. If you need some romantic gift ideas so you don't come home empty handed, here's what's hot in the store: Chocolove Bars: Orange Peel in Dark Chocolate or Toffee & Almonds in Milk Chocolate $3.99 Chocolove really wants to simply your life... Not only do they make fantastic Belgian chocolate from African cocoa beans, they include a love poem inside! Available in dark chocolate & milk chocolate for every cocoa lover. Blanxart Mikerinos Hand-Crafter Bonbons $13.99 I do so love the exquisite chocolate shops in Barcelona, especially Cacao Sampaka in Barcelona which is owned by Ferran Adria's brother, inventor of the craziest chocolate flavor combinations I've ever tasted. Blanxart is an artisanal chocolatier who makes over 100 varieties of cocoa confections, but my current favorite is their bonbons collection--25 little domes of luscious flavor such as dark chocolate filled with cava vinegar, mandarin truffle covered in white chocolate, and dark chocolate filled with licorice praline... Get your dessert wine ready! Bajofondo Tango Club $11.99 Want to turn your kitchen into a tango floor? I fell for Bajofondo Tango Club after hearing snippets on KEXP's Wo' Pop show & begged Sharon to get their cd's for our store. Sensual chillout music that reminds me of the Gotan Project, Bajofondo is new direction tango wrapped up in fishnet stockings. Kiss & Tango: Diary of a Dancehall Seductress by Marina Palmer $13.95 Take one bored advertising ad exec from Manhattan facing her thirtieth birthday, throw in a plane ticket to Argentina & an all-nighter on the tango floor and you've got the beginnings of a scandalous South American holiday. This new edition (original hardback also available for $8.99) includes a list of tango FAQ's answered, a glossary of tango vocab, & a salacious index of her real-life partners in dance & otherwise... Better for your love life than watching the Danielle Steel retrospective on the We network! "Books about love come in many guises, not the least of which are those in the so-called travel genre that have a personal slant embracing all kinds of strong emotion: passion, friendship, romance, sentiment and just plain longing. Kiss & Tango manages to include all five on the list...Suffice it to say, her account is a roller coaster track...a sizzler in diary form." -The Washington Times Don't forget that our own Spanish Table Cookbook has the recipe for a romantic evening all spelled out with prix fixe menu options for you to choose from... Who says you can't get a little crazy on a Wednesday night? Salud! Catherine ORANGE POLENTA ALMOND CAKE from El Farol by James Campbell Caruso I will always remember my first meal at the Mandalay Cafe when my husband was the chef... I never normally order dessert, but as my friend & I were lingering a bit and this handsome cook in a curry-smeared apron sat at our table recommending his experimental polenta cake, well who could resist? So it is with fond memories of first romantic encounters that I chose this week's recipe, with a Spanish twist, of course! This dessert would pair wonderfully with each & every of the dessert wines in this week's newsletter, while chocolate can be a bit more finicky... The accompanying Port-Fig Syrup can also be served over roasted pork, ice cream, or fresh fruit. Makes 2 (8-inch cakes) 1 1/2 quarts water 2 whole oranges, with peel 1 cup flour 2 Tbs cornstarch 1 cup polenta 1 1/2 cups Marcona almonds, roasted 1 1/2 cups butter 2 cups sugar 6 eggs 1 tsp Mexican vanilla extract Boil water & simmer the whole oranges for about 30 minutes. Remove & let cool. In a mixing bowl, place all dry ingredients except almonds. Grind almonds until smooth. Add to dry ingredients & mix well. Set aside. Process the oranges in a food processor. Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs, slowly, 1 at a time. Add orange puree & vanilla. Add dry ingredients & beat until combined. Cook in buttered 8-inch cake pans for about 40 minutes at 325 degrees. Serve with Port-Fig Syrup. Port-Fig Syrup Makes 2 cups 4 cups port wine 1 1/2 cups chopped dried figs pinch of salt Mix all ingredients in a saucepan & bring to a boil. Turn down to medium heat & simmer until it is reduced by about half. Allow to cool to room temperature. Strain through a wire mesh strainer & chill. It will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. ROSE Pares Balta Ros de Pacs 2005, Penedes $9.99 This is truly a rosé for romantics... Everything from is this estate is 100% Organic & truly made from the heart. This is as homegrown as a winery can get, from the two brothers who run the business end of things to their wives who are the winemakers–they even told us stories of having to fish a curious daughter out of a barrel who fell in while they were all hand-crushing the grapes! A blend of Cab & Merlot, Ros de Pacs is a refreshingly dry Catalan rosé that has tangy cherries, great acidity, dusty texture & great length. It’s never a bad time to drink pink! SPARKLING WINE Cristalino Rosé Brut Cava, $6.99 This is always one of our best-loved Cava’s. A blend of Pinot Noir & Trepat, this sparkling rosé is like a fresh mouthful of chilled strawberry & watermelon essence. There’s something so elemental & romantic about the sound of a cork popping... The price makes it all the more reason to do so! Gramona Gran Cuvee Cava 2003, $19.99 Gramona is one of the last hold-outs for cava producers that are still family run rather than operated by large companies, & this is my favorite cava in the store. A traditional blend of Xarello, Macabeo, Parellada, I love the exceptional elegance of this sparkling wine from Spain. Honey & beeswax aromatics float above golden apple fruit & macaroon notes--but let's talk about the bubbles, shall we? Very fine with an extremely crisp mineral side, this does become the creamy, toasty style I crave as it opens in the glass. Fantastic value. DULCE Alvear Pedro Ximenez Anada 2003, Montilla-Moriles $19.99 Well we have our share of wines made with the luscious Pedro Ximenez grape, some young, some old. While I often prefer the seasoned thirty-year-old variety, this 2002 knocked my socks off–my tasting note from verbatim is "so freakin’ delicious." Chock full of golden raisins & dried apricots, it’s extremely rich & mouth-filling nature is downright nectar-like. Broadbent ‘Lot 1 Auction Reserve Port’, Porto 375 ml/ $10.99, 750 ml $21.99 This is a PLEASURE to drink. While I usually reserve such enthusiasm for single vintage ports, this one (bottled by Niepoort) seduced me into believing that yes Virginia, great blended ruby ports do exist. On the tongue, you’ll find cherries & boysenberries dipped in milk chocolate, pot au creme & a caramel/custardy richness. It’s as if you dipped into a box of cordials–the sweet fruit hooks you & then a rich caramel/vanilla sensation glides down your tongue. The flavors make you want to sip it slowly, but the delicious nature of this port is hard to resist. Lustau East India Solera Sherry, Jerez 375 ml/ $12.99, 750 ml $22.99 One of our most requested dessert wines, East India Sherry is a premium blend of Oloroso & Pedro Ximenez grapes, hence its beautiful caramel color. Remarkably smooth due to its unique maturation process, its sweet fig & hazelnut flavors are balanced with a tangy citrus mid-palate & a mocha finish. An absolute dream with Rabitos Royale, chocolate-covered figs imported from Spain. -94 points, Robert Parker Olivares Dulce Monastrell 2003, Jumilla $24.99 This most unusual dessert wine from Jumilla is made with richly extracted Monastrell. Olivares captures a dusky field of blueberries in a glass, with layers of sun-baked raisins & a spiced memorable finish. An intriguing alternative to young port, this wine will impress itself upon you. Olivares is to Monastrell what Godiva is to chocolate... Mistela White 2005, Terra Alta $27.99 A unique liqueur-like wine, mistela is made from grape must & this one has near-cult status. The aromas send you into a headspin of honeycomb, dried apples, sidra, apricots & more... The sweetness turns to spice & the finish has a waxy feeling that made this wine an experience. After having this open over a romantic weekend trip, this sensuous wine evolved into the essence of orange pekoe tea & had us enamored. One of my favorite dessert wines in our store. Noe Pedro Ximenez Muy Viejo Sherry, Jerez $36.00 To quote Shakespeare, "If I had a thousand sons, the first human principle I would teach them would be to abjure all insipid drinks & dedicate themselves to sherry wine." Well, this would be the one to start with! Noe is aged for 20 years as a vintage sherry & 10 years in solera with grapes from the most exclusive vineyards in Jerez.