What a contrast! We had enjoyed every meal we were served at the wineries, but this was something different – Spanish gastronomy with an Asian twist. Tim had booked us into the restaurant of Aitor Esnal in Logroño, and ordered us the tasting menu. My descriptions do not do justice to the seven/eight/more courses, but I hope the pictures do – they tasted every bit as good as they looked, and it was great fun seeing Señor Esnal and his team preparing the meal.
Course 1: Tapas: nori crunch with anchovy cream, squid ink croissant and a idiaxábal bonbon
Course 2: Txakoli foam over mussels
Course 3: Trio of mackerel, cockles and seaweed foam
Course 4: Bread and egg yolk butter
Course 5: Aubergine with chilli glaze salsa
Course 6: Wonton stuffed with langoustine, tom yam soup
Course 7: Tuna with ikura salsa
Course 8: Roasted lettuce with bone marrow
Course 9: Pudding – we’d spent a lot of time staring at the little army of toadstools, they revealed a profiterole filled with hazelnut cream with a cacao soup to be drunk separately
And of course we finished with some petit fours – cannelés and truffles
Our wines were equally spectacular, and matched the food brilliantly:
2022 White Garnacha from Victor Ausejo
2015 Viña Gravonia Blanco Crianza from Lopez de Heredia
2021 Iraun Viura Garnacha blend from Oxerwines
2016 Tempranillo from Finca Allende
2019 Grano a Grano from Abel Mendoza
2014 Reserva from Remírez de Ganuza
2011 ‘winter harvest’ 200 Monges – sweet wine from Vinicola Real, bringing us pretty much full circle
A couple of very nice final night speeches were made, and a very happy group of wine lovers made their way back to the hotel, sorry to leave a place we were discovering has so much more to it than we could have imagined.