Exploring Spain through wine at Milwaukee restaurants
The way Karen Bell sees it, what's not to love about Spanish wines?
"They're really approachable, really affordable and really delicious," said Bell, the chef-owner of Bavette La Boucherie in the Third Ward.
Compared with wines from the world's other premier wine-growing regions, Spanish wines deliver more for the price, said Katie Espinosa, an advanced sommelier who's the multiunit director for Bartolotta Restaurants. Bacchus stocks the most Spanish wines of the Bartolotta restaurants, around 40.
"I find that, for wines that are of similar quality from other places in the world, they are a tremendous value. You get a ton of bang for your buck." Espinosa said.
Thanks to Americans' growing infatuation with Spanish food and drink, both are becoming increasingly easy to find around Milwaukee. (The September issue of Food & Wine magazine was devoted to Spain, calling it the hottest destination of 2017.)
But that doesn't mean Spanish wines are always an easy sell at restaurants. Aaron Gersonde, a partner in the group that operates the Spanish restaurants Movida and Bodegón in Walker's Point, noted that people have a comfort zone for wine — they like California Cabernet Sauvignons, say, or Oregon Pinot Noirs, and that's what they'll always drink.
"One of the main things I try to do here is have people walk through what they like" in a wine, he said, so he can suggest Spanish wines with similar traits. For Cab lovers, that might be winemaker Lopez de Heredia's Tondonia, an aged Tempranillo blend from Rioja.
Espinosa thinks Spanish reds, especially wines from Rioja, are even better with steak than Cabernet Sauvignon. "They've got really good acid," she said, and they're already aged by the winemakers and ready to pour. Espinosa included some Spanish bottles on the wine list for the recently opened Mr. B's steakhouse in Mequon.
Hotel Madrid, which houses the fine-dining Bodegón and bar Vermutería 600, sells more than 20 wines by the glass, about half of them Spanish, plus a rotating bottle thanks to a Coravin. The device allows a glass of wine to be poured without extracting the cork, thus preserving the rest of the bottle's flavor.
At Bodegón, the selection of Spanish bottles, alongside wines from France, Italy and beyond, is extensive — around 40 Spanish reds by the bottle and about 25 whites and sparkling wines. Movida's 25 wines by the bottle are entirely Spanish.
RELATED:15 top brunch spots around Milwaukee
At Bavette, a third of its wine list is Spanish, around 10 bottles. The food menu isn't Spanish per se, although it carries items such as jamon iberico, Spain's famous cured ham, and olives marinated in orange and espelette, the chile powder produced in the Basque region.
Bell always sells Cava, Spain's sparkler, and a number of lesser-known wines, such as txakoli (pronounced cha-koh-lee), the white wine from northern Spain.
Slightly effervescent with some minerality, txakoli is "just so refreshing and delicious," and a personal favorite of Bell's, she said. "It goes so well with the food from that area."
With the number of varietals and styles of wine from Spain, Bell noted, wine drinkers can find a Spanish wine they'll love, too.
Bell, who opened Bavette in 2013, lived in Spain for six years and has been leading wine and food tours there for the past four years (she led a tour there in mid-September).
Orry León, co-owner of the Spanish- and Portuguese-inspired restaurant Amilinda downtown, said half of the wine drinkers at Amilinda love Spanish wines and are thrilled they're on Amilinda's menu, while the others are completely unfamiliar with them.
That's where servers step in to ask, "What do you usually drink?" Then they can suggest a Spanish wine that will appeal to diners.
But what León really likes is when customers try the wine that's their server's favorite — which varies from server to server.
"It's just like when you're traveling," he said. "You go to the bartender and ask, 'What's good here?' "
It's not the restaurant trying to sell a more expensive bottle, he said, it's just helping the customer try something new. "We enjoy it; we want you to enjoy it," he said.
Amilinda carries at least 30 types of Spanish wines, on a list of up to 55 bottles (the rest are Portuguese). Any bottle is available by the glass, thanks to the Coravin.
"Before you buy that $100 bottle of wine, I can give you a taste," León said.
Where to find Spanish wines
Milwaukee's growth in Spanish restaurants and the general interest in Spain's wines means it's easier than ever to explore Spain's wines without hopping a jet.
Many restaurants carry at least one or two Spanish wines these days, but diners will find a good variety to explore at these restaurants:
Hotel Madrid (Bodegón and Vermutería 600) — Bodegon is the high-end restaurant serving aged steaks, seafood and other plates; Vermuteria is the adjacent bar, serving cocktails, a house vermouth and other drinks, along with a bar menu of sandwiches and small plates. About 40 Spanish reds and 25 whites and sparkling wines by the bottle, plus another nine by the glass, with the possibility of more. 600 S. 6th St. (414) 488-9146 hotelmadridmke.com
Amilinda — Restaurant serving seasonal dishes with Spanish and Portuguese flavors. Wines are from Spain and Portugal, including Sherry, Port and Madeira fortified wines. About 40 of the 55 or so wines are from Spain. 315 E. Wisconsin Ave. (414) 369-3683 amilinda.com
Bacchus — A contemporary American menu in a fine-dining atmosphere is served at Bacchus, which also has a more casual bar. Its composed appetizers could be assembled to make a meal for diners who like small plates vs. full-size main dishes. Spain is the featured country on the estimable wine list, with about 40 wines, including several Sherries among dessert wines. 925 E. Wells St. (414) 765-1166 bacchusmke.com
Bavette — Creative, seasonal sandwiches, salads, small plates and snacks are served for lunch and dinner along with charcuterie and cheeses at this restaurant and butcher shop. Find 10 or so wines from Spain on the list. 330 E. Menomonee St. (414) 273-3375 bavettelaboucherie.com
Tre Rivali — With its menu of foods inspired by countries around the Mediterranean, the restaurant in the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel stocks about a dozen wines from Spain. 200 N. Broadway. (414) 291-3971 trerivalirestaurant.com
All Purpose — A contemporary American menu that leans just a bit Italian is served here with a seasonal approach. Although the number of Spanish bottles on a recent list wasn't as expansive as elsewhere around town, All Purpose carries some winemakers the others don't on its thoughtful wine list. 814 S. 2nd St. (414) 672-6000 apbarandkitchen.com
Dream Dance Steak — Part steakhouse, part fine-dining restaurant, Dream Dance Steak carries about 20 Spanish wines on its lengthy list, 15 of them reds. 1721 Canal St. at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. (414) 847-7883. paysbig.com/dining
Spanish wine: A few terms to know
One appealing characteristic of Spanish wines is that the producer ages them, either in barrels or bottles or both, releasing them when they're ready to drink, closer to their peak. (Not all Spanish wines are aged — a good number are sold "young.") Katie Espinosa, an advanced sommelier at Bartolotta Restaurants, notes that some of that aging is by law, but some is up to the winemaker. Three levels of aging could be tied loosely to quality (but also, wines made from better grapes are set aside for aging):
The lengths of time can vary by wine region and whether it's red or white wine, but for Rioja, as an example, crianza means the wine has been aged two years, at least six months to a year in barrels and the rest of the time in bottles. Reserva indicates a moderate amount of aging, at least three years; about one year must have been spent in barrels. And gran reserva is for the wines made from the best grapes in the best years and aged the longest; they spend at least two years in oak barrels and are not released before they're five years old. The wines still can be cellared for years after their release.
Some of the wines now being released by Spanish producers are 2001 and 2005 vintages.