Thursday, May 7, 2015

Winemaker Dinner with Santiago Vivanco of Bodegas Dinastía Vivanco in Rioja at Taberna del Alabardero in Washington DC

Picture: Annette Schiller (ombiasyPR and WineTours) and Christian Schiller with Santiago Vivanco of Bodegas Dinastía Vivanco in Rioja at Taberna del Alabardero in Washington DC

See also:
4 Wine Tours by ombiasy coming up in 2015: Germany-East, Germany-South. Germany-Nord and Bordeaux 

In 2013, the annual Digital Wine Communications Conference (DWCC), formerly the European Wine Bloggers Conference, took place in Rioja. The first event of the DWCC in Rioja was at the Vivanco Winery: Reception, Cellar Tour including wine tasting, vineyard tour and tapas party. Santiago Vivanco and his brother Rafael Vivanco were the hosts and stars of this lovely event. So, I was very happy to meet Santiago Vivanco again, this time on the other side of the Atlantic, at the Taberna del Alabardero in Washington DC, one of the best, if not the best Spanish restaurant in the USA.

Pictures: Santiago and Annette: Good to see you!

See also:
A Winery, a Foundation and a Museum: Dinastía Vivanco – Tasting, Tapas and a Tour with Santiago and Rafael Vivanco, Rioja, Spain

Invitation

Executive Chef Javier Romero, in collaboration with Sommeliers Gustavo Iniesta & Jorge Olias, invites you to a unique Wine Tasting experience.

Vivanco Winery is well known all around the world because of its Wine Culture Museum, but also for its marvelous wines.

Featuring: Santiago Vivanco, Owner and Wine Culture Ambassador, Vivanco Foundation, and Hugo Urquiza, Vivanco National Export Manager.

Wednesday, April 29th 2015, Reception 6:30pm Dinner 7:00pm

Pictures: Welcome -  Sommelier Gustavo Iniesta, Santiago Vivanco, Owner and Wine Culture Ambassador, Vivanco Foundation, and Hugo Urquiza, Vivanco National Export Manager

Dinastía Vivanco

Bodegas Dinastía Vivanco is a winery in Briones, La Rioja, established by the Vivanco family. It also includes the Museum of the Culture of Wine and the Dinastía Vivanco Foundation. This triumvirate was built by Pedro Vivanco, one of Spain’s first enologists and the third generation of Vivancos in the wine business. It is now run by Pedro Vivanco’s sons, Santiago and Rafael Vivanco.

Pictures:  Christian G.E. Schiller with Santiago and Rafael Vivanco at Bodegas Dinastía Vivanco in Briones, La Rioja, Spain.

Dinastía Vivanco Foundation

The Dinastía Vivanco Foundation is a foundation set up with the objective of researching and sharing the culture of wine around the world. One of the foundation’s most recent acquisitions, for example, is a book in Latin, which was printed in 1491 in Venice; the book refers to wine as beneficial to the body if consumed in moderation.

Dinastía Vivanco Museum

The Dinastía Vivanco Museum is a fascinating wine museum, showcasing the Vivanco family's impressive personal collection. It is one of the best in the world, if not the best. Pedro Vivanco started the collection and his sons are continuing it. Part of it is Baccus Garden, where the Vivanco family has gathered together over 200 varieties of grapes to form one of the most important private ampelographic collections in the world.

Bodegas Dinastía Vivanco

The focal point of course is the Bodegas Dinastía Vivanco. It is in in Briones, in the foothills of the Cantabrian mountain range and on the banks of the River Ebro. The majority of the 300 hectares of vineyards that the Vivanco family own are in, or around, the municipalities of Briones and Haro in Rioja Alta.

The majority of the 300 hectares of vineyards that the Vivanco family own are in, or around, the municipalities of Briones and Haro in Rioja Alta.

Pictures: A Bodegas Dinastía Vivanco in Briones, La Rioja, Spain.

The winery - surrounded by vineyards - is impressive, boasting an underground, naturally cooled aging cellar that houses 3500 barrels. The majority of the vineyards are planted with Tempranillo, the main grape of Rioja. Other red grapes include Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. The majority of the white grapes that are grown are Viura and Malvasia.

Pictures: Wine Maker Dinner with Santiago Vivanco of Bodegas Dinastía Vivanco in Rioja at Taberna del Alabardero in Washington DC

Family History

The origins of the winemaking tradition of the Vivanco family date back to 1915, to the village of Alberite, La Rioja, where Pedro Vivanco started to make wine for family use from his vineyards. In 1940 he bought a small bodega in Alberite.

Pedro Vivanco’s son, Santiago, started another bodega in the heart of the old quarter of Logroño, where they bottled and sold wine produced in the village. In 1946, Pedro Vivanco was born. He is the pivotal figure in the transformation of the Vivanco family business to what it is today.

As a teenager in the early 1960s, Pedro Vivanco started delivering his family's wine by bicycle, then rose to become a major but anonymous producer for well-known Rioja brands. He received his studies at the Requena School of Enology. In 1985, he bought land in Briones. It was there, in 1990, that he started his most ambitious project to date: Bodegas Dinastía Vivanco, with the Dinastía Vivanco Museum.

Pictures: Santiago Vivanco of Bodegas Dinastía Vivanco in Rioja at Taberna del Alabardero in Washington DC

Pedro Vivanco has two children: Santiago and Rafael. They represent the fourth generation of this winemaking family. Santiago Vivanco was born in Logroño in 1973. He has a Degree in Law and a Master’s in Business Management. Santiago manages the Dinastía Vivanco Foundation and the Dinastía Vivanco Museum. Rafael Vivanco was born in Logroño in 1975. An agronomy engineer and with a Master’s degree in business studies, he later also graduated from the Enology Faculty in Bordeaux. Rafael heads the viticulture and winemaking.

The Winemaker Dinner

Pictures: Executive Chef Javier Romero

See also:
In the Kitchen: Chef Javier Romero at Taberna del Alabardero in Washington DC, USA 

Cocktail Reception

Champiñones Rellenos de Gamba y Salsa Holandesa - Mushrooms Stuffed with Shrimp and Hollandaise Sauce

Flaspacho - Cold Tomato Soup Freeze pop

Dip de Cangrejo, Old Bay y Cítricos - Crab Dip, Old Bay and Citrus


Vivanco Viura-Malvasía-Tempranillo Blanco 2014 D.O.Ca. Rioja

2014 was a good year for white wines. There was higher than normal rainfall with low temperatures at the beginning and middle part of the growing cycle. This resulted in greater canopy growth (vigor) providing the grapes with more acidity and fresh, fruity aromas.

60% Viura, 20% Malvasía, 20% Tempranillo Blanco - Tempranillo Blanco, an indigenous, minority white grape that is exclusive to the DOCa Rioja. With this wine, Vivanco Winery pioneered the use of this grape variety, which gives this white wine a unique personality.

Vinyards: Terroirs in Briones, Rioja Alta (Viura and Malvasía) and Tudelilla, Eastern Rioja, in a vineyard at an altitude of 700 metres above sea level on the slopes of Sierra Carbonera (Tempranillo Blanco).


Vinification: Each grape variety is vinified separately. After a brief cold maceration of the whole grape clusters (between 10-12 hours), the free-run must is fermented in small stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures (12-15 °C) to retain its full varietal expression. The wines remain in contact with their lees in stainless steel tanks for 4 months to preserve the varietal aromas against oxidation and give them greater harmony and unctuousness in mouth.

Tasting notes: Pale-yellow with green hues; clean and bright. To the nose it proves expressive, intense and complex, with aromas of citrus fruit, green apples and white peaches, underscored by elegant floral hints. Very fresh and well-balanced in the mouth, enticing one to drink and enjoy.

First Appetizer

Ensalada Crujiente de Langostino Salvaje, Bacon y Salmorejo - Crunchy Wild Prawn Salad, Bacon and Tomato Sauce


Vivanco Tempranillo-Garnacha- 2013 Rosé D.O.Ca. Rioja

80% Tempranilla, 20% Garnacha.

Vinification: Vinified following traditional free-run methods. The grape juice obtained from crushing the grapes remains in contact with the skins between 12 to 24 hours at a controlled temperature of 10 °C. After this maceration, the free-run must is placed in a different tank where it ferments at a controlled temperature of 14-16 °C to preserve the aromatic complexity of the two grape varieties.


Tasting notes: Lively, bright pink with purple hues. To the nose, it offers aromas of red liquorice, raspberries, and strawberries, all of them wrapped in a floral component of roses and violets. Fresh in the mouth, with a pleasant acidity, good balance and a refreshing fruity finish.

Second Appetizer

Tartar de Atún Marinado con Queso Valdeón, Salsa Española - Tuna Tartar marinated with Blue Cheese, Spagnole Sauce


Vivanco Reserva 2008 Tempranillo & Graciano D.O.Ca. Rioja

90% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano.

Vinification: Each grape variety is vinified separately. After mild crushing, the grapes are fed by gravity into small French oak vats where they ferment and are left to macerate for 20 days in contact with the skins at a controlled temperature of 30 °C with light pump-overs.

Malolactic fermentation: In small French oak vats.

Aging: 24 months in new and second year barrels made with French and American oak. The wine is fine-tuned for several months in French oak vats before being bottled and laid down for the next 24 months.


Tasting notes: Intense, purple-red, with a brick rim evincing barrel ageing This wine offers aromas of cinnamon and sage surrounded by fruity notes of cherries and blackberries underscored by a mineral component. Deep, and ripe on the palate, with a velvety, silky, enveloping mouthfeel.

First Course

Pochas con Boletus, Pastel de Faisán y Aire de Ajetes - White Beans with Fungi Porcini, Pheasant Pie and Tender Garlic Foam


Colección Vivanco 4 Varietales 2010 Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha & Mazuelo D.O.Ca. Rioja

70% Tempranillo, 15% Graciano, 10% Garnacha y 5% Mazuelo.

Vinification: Manual grape harvest of each grape variety in small, ten kilogram tubs. Cooling in cold room until the temperature of the grapes goes down to 3 °C. Double selection of clusters and grains, with mild destemming and crushing. Separate vinification of each variety. Gravity-fed into French oak vats with no pumping. Each grape variety is cold macerated and fermented individually with native yeast strains: 22 days for Tempranillo, 21 for Graciano, 23 for Garnacha and 22 for Mazuelo. Gravity racked to new and second-year French oak barrels before malolactic fermentation.


Aging: 20-month stay in barrels from different cooperages, with different toasting levels and origins, without racking. Each of the four wines remains over lees until bottled, with periodic bâtonnages during the first months. The wines are racked and bottled without filtering or fining, so a small amount of natural precipitate may appear over time.

Tasting notes: Very intense garnet-cherry red. Powerful, complex aroma, with abundant ripe red and dark fruit, and well-integrated find wood. There are also elegant mineral notes, spices, toffee and liquorice. Very expressive in the mouth, with a silky, fresh, tasty, intense mouthfeel, leaving a long aftertaste, complex and elegant.

Main Course

Entrecote de Búfalo en Salsa Ahumada de Moras y Cous-Cous de Setas - Buffalo Steak, Smoked Blackberry Sauce and Mushrooms Couscous


Coleccion Vivanco 2010 Parcelas de Garnacha D.O.Ca. Rioja

100% Garnacha.

1.497 bottles.

Vinification: Manual grape harvest of each grape variety in small ten-kilogram tubs. Cooling in cold room until the temperature of the grapes goes down to 3 °C. Double selection of clusters and grains, with mild destemming and crushing. Individual vinification of grapes from La Ladera de Zorraquín and El Recuenco. Gravity-fed into French oak vats with no pumping. Cold macerated and fermented for 19 days with native yeast strains. Gravity racked to new and second-year French 500-litre oak barrels before malolactic fermentation.


Aging: 18-month stay in barrels from different cooperages without racking. The wine remains over lees until bottled, with periodic bâtonnages during the first four months. The wine is bottled without filtering or fining, so a small amount of natural precipitate may appear over time.

Tasting notes: Very intense garnet-cherry red. Powerful, complex aroma, with abundant ripe red and dark fruit, and well-integrated find wood. There are also elegant mineral notes, spices, toffee and liquorice. Very expressive in the mouth, with a silky, fresh, tasty, intense mouthfeel, leaving a long aftertaste, complex and elegant.

Dessert

Texturas de Higo, Queso y Membrillo - Figs, Cheese and Quince Jelly


Coleccion Vivanco Dulce de Invierno 2011

Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha & Mazuelo D.O.Ca. Rioja

50% Tempranillo, 20% Graciano, 20% Garnacha y 10% Mazuelo.

2.342 bottles of 37,5 cl.

Harvest date: 18 January 2012

Alcohol: 14,5 % vol.

Residual Sugar: 108 g/l

Vinification: Late, winter harvest. The grapes were picked manually in small 10 kg tubs, separately by grape variety, producing tiny yields due to dehydration. After a long, mild pressing the grape must was allowed to ferment for about a month and a half in French oak barrels.


Aging: 12-month stay in French oak barrels from different cooperages, with different toasting levels and origins. Each of the wines was left in contact with its fine lees until bottling, with periodic bâtonnages during the first months. The wines were racked and bottled and subsequently aged for almost another year in the bottle.

Tasting notes: Pale-orange with green hues; clean and bright. Very pleasant intense aromas of candied fruit, dried peaches, orange confit and quince jelly, all of it enveloped in elegant floral and cocoa notes. Sensual and delicate in the mouth, with a delicate, fresh, well-integrated fruity sweetness that makes it a long, tasty and pleasant wine.

Bye-bye

Thanks to all involved at Bodegas Dinastía Vivanco in Rioja and at Taberna del Alabardero in Washington DC for a wonderful evening.

Pictures: Annette and Christian Schiller, and Darryl Priest and his Wife with Santiago Vivanco

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