Dali and Codorniu Tasting
What could be better than a bit of culture and some Cava? I was invited to attend the recent Art and Wine meet-up sponsored by Codorniu, the leading Spanish Cava producer. Held at Thai Silk, right by Southwark station I thought it sounded like an interesting evening and was really pleased to be invited.
I know very little about Dali. And the lecture really did put a lot of things into place for me. Born in Catelonia, Spain he spent much time during his childhood living with Pichot, a Spanish artist and family friend. His first ambition was to be a cook and his fascination with food is evident in much of his work.
There is little doubt he was in many ways a disturbed and troubled individual. His family history provides some explanation of the cause. In 1929 at the age of 26, he met his first love, Gala, who at the time was married to Paul Eluard. She became his first lover and muse and later his wife, leaving Eluard to be with Dali. She is present in many of his works, alongside the symbolism that Dali is famous for.
After the introduction to Dali, we were given a brief overview of Cava and Codorniu, along with the chance to sample four excellent examples from Codorniu.
Codorníu Clásico 1872, Brut NV is so called it is is a traditional blend made in the same method as the very first bottle of cava produced by Codorníu in the 19th century. And the method for making all Cava is method champenoise, the same way Champagne is made in France.
However, cava is traditionally made with Spanish grapes that are not well known in the UK In the Clasico, the classic trio of Macabeo, Parellada & Xarel.Lo are blended in equal measure to provide a cava that is distinctive, fresh and well balanced.
We also tried two Blanc de Noirs Cavas, one of them a relatively new addition to the range, the Anna de Codorniu and the other and the first Blanc de Noirs that Codorniu made, the Reina Maria Cristina Blanc de Noirs 2008, which was my favourite of the evening.
Finally, Codorniu Seleccion Raventos Brut which adds Chardonnay to two of the traditional Spanish cava grapes to produce an easy to drink Fizz.
These are excellent sparkling wines that you can buy for somewhere between £7 and £12 and which provide a good alternative to champanges and new world sparkling wines that are £5-£10 a bottle more.
All in an interesting, educating and enjoyable evening. With some great fizz thrown in too
This is not the first time I’ve benefited from Codorniu’s hospitality. I went to a Barcelona Supper Club event a few months ago, with a camera that had a very flat battery…so you were spared my attempts to blog about it. However I had a fabulous time then, and I DO recommend going along to the next one if you get the chance. You will have a guided cava tasting, a short cookery class and a Jamon carving lesson, where you will be shown how to carve Iberico Jamon by a Spanish expert (and, if you are me, get to eat rather a lot of it too). I heard that there’s one coming up in June, so why not take a look at the Codorniu Barcelona Club on facebook and watch out for the date and location
There are various Arts and Wine events held in London – a great way to combine two of my favourite things and meet a few new people too.
