Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel

Insights, information and photographs about Spanish gastronomy, wine, culture and customized tours to Spain, where award-winning writer-photographer Gerry Dawes, author of Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food and Wine Road Warrior in Spain, has been traveling for more than 50 years. Content is from articles, books-in-progress and travel notebooks of Gerry Dawes. Reproduction sprohibited without written permission and author credit.

Share This Gerry Dawes's Spain Post

In 2019, again ranked in the Top 50 Gastronomy Blogs and Websites for Gastronomists & Gastronomes in 2019 by Feedspot. "The Best Gastronomy blogs selected from thousands of Food blogs, Culture blogs and Food Science. We’ve carefully selected these websites because they are actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with . . . high-quality information. (Last Updated Oct 23, 2019)

Over 1,150,000 views since inception, 16,000+ views in January 2020.

36. Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel gerrydawesspain.com

"My good friend Gerry Dawes, the unbridled Spanish food and wine enthusiast cum expert whose writing, photography, and countless crisscrossings of the peninsula have done the most to introduce Americans—and especially American food professionals—to my country's culinary life. . .” - - Chef-restaurateur-humanitarian José Andrés, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and Oscar Presenter 2019; Chef-partner of Mercado Little Spain at Hudson Yards, New York 2019

Gerry Dawes at Marisquería Rafa in Madrid.
Photo by John Sconzo, Docsconz: Musings on Food & Life

Custom-designed Wine, Food, Cultural and Photographic Tours of Spain Organized and Led by Gerry Dawes and Spanish Itinerary Planning

12/31/2011

Photography: All photos on this blog were taken with Canon cameras, these lenses and equipment (click on this link to see images of my photo gear).

The Distancing Begins: Jancis Robinson's Read on Pancho Campo MW, "the (now ex) Spanish specialist wine reviewer" (Jay Miller) and "the supposed beacon of probity Robert Parker" in her review of 2011

* * * * *

The Distancing Begins

Jancis Robinson interviews Portuguese winemaker Dierk Von Di Niepoort
at the WineCreator conference in Ronda, 2008.

Jancis Robinson, who supported Pancho Campo as an MW candidate, gives her read on Pancho Campo MW, Jay Miller*, Robert Parker and WineFuture Hong Kong in her review of the year:

"The wine topic of the year on blogs and online fora, at least among the wine writers who dominate them, has been wine writer ethics. Acres of cyberspace have been devoted to the sometimes jaw-dropping conduct of Spain's first Master of Wine and event organiser Pancho Campo.

Allegations have been made that Campo asked for sums from producer associations for access to the (now ex) Spanish specialist wine reviewer* for America's leading wine writer and supposed beacon of probity Robert Parker. The matter is now being investigated and Campo denies any wrongdoing.

His last major event was WineFuture, an ambitious international wine conference in Hong Kong at which the three tastings, for 1,000 tasters, were led by me, Parker and Campo. In retrospect it does not look good that much of Campo's tasting was taken up with films of his arrival at various wineries in a Ferrari."**-- jancisrobinson.com©2011

*Is Jay Miller getting dropped down the memory hole here? He is not even mentioned by name in the article, just Robert Parker, his boss.

**Italics and underlining by GD.

__________________________________________________________________________________

About Gerry Dawes

Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain.

Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés. "

Pilot for a proposed reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

(Filmed in Valencia and Alicante.)

Adventures in Spanish Taste: Insider's Food, Wine, Cultural and Photographic Travel in Spain

The Traveling Gastronomer: A Celebration of Food, Wine, Life, Photography & Quixotic Musings

The Spanish Artisan Wine Group

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com

12/30/2011

Why corks are popping once more - - The Guardian

* * * * *

The Spanish Artisan Wine Group

Gerry Dawes Selections

Why Cork Stoppers in Bottles of Our
Spanish Artisan Wine Group Wines Matter

(Click on the line above, includes a slide show on cork.)

* * * * *

Adventures in Spanish Taste: Insider's Food, Wine, Cultural and Photographic Travel in Spain

Amorim Natural Corks

High Alcohol: Harold McGee

12/27/2011

Photo: Chef Michael Chiarello and Executive Chef Ryan Mcilwaith of Bottega Napa Valley with Jordi Mas (Mas Gourmets de L'Embotits) at Quim de la Boquería in Barcelona

* * * * *

Jordi Mas (Mas Gourmets de L'Embotit), Chef-owner of Napa Valley's Bottega restaurant and Food Network Next Top Chef personality Michael Chiarello and Bottega Executive Chef Ryan Mcilwaith at Quim de la Boquería in Barcelona. Oct. 11, 2011.

Chiarello and Mcilwaith were on a 4,000 km. gastronomic research trip with me across Spain. Jordi Mas co-authored the book Boquería Gourmand with Oscar Uribe, President of La Boquería (Mercat de San Josep) in Barcelona. I wrote the foreword for the English version of the book (see below.)

English Version of Boquería Gourmand, a Book about Barcelona's Fabulous La Boquería Market

_______________________________________________________________________________
About Gerry Dawes

Trailer for a proposed television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com.

Jim Budd on Jim's Loire "Pancho Campo MW: investigation or witch hunt?" Plus Robert Parker's "This blogger. . ." and Links to Other Stories in The Ongoing The Pancho Campo-Jay Miller-Robert M. Parker, Jr. The Wine Advocate Controversy

* * * * *

Pancho Campo MW: investigation or witch hunt? by Jim Budd

Pancho Campo MW – Vinos de Madrid: a response from Robert Parker

12/25/2011

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah from Gerry Dawes & Kay Balun.

* * * * *

Kay Balun and the Bear at Salvador Dalí's house, Port Lligat (Girona), Catalunya. December 2010.

Gerry Dawes & Kay Balun in Barcelona's famous Boquería market toasting with cava (Catalan sparkling wine) a small group that Gerry was leading around Spain. Cava gets breakfast off to a good start!

Photo by Tyler Schwartz.

The Chestnut Seller, Burgos, Castilla y León.

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com.

12/24/2011

Photo Op: Chef Michael Chiarello on One of My Customized Tours of Spain.

* * * * *

On a private customized tour of Spain with Gerry Dawes.
Food Network Next Iron Chef contestant Michael Chiarello,
Chef-owner of Bottega (Napa Valley), Pasterlería Oyarzun, San Sebastián.
Photo by Gerry Dawes©2011 / gerrydawes@aol.com.

In addition to Michael Chiarello and his Executive Chef Ryan Mcilwaith, the following food personalities have been on customized wine and food tours with me to Spain:

Thomas Keller
Ally Barker
Michael Lomonaco
Terrance Brennan (twice)
Mark Miller (five times)
Mark Kiffin
John Gottfried
Michael Whiteman

Chefs and food personalities whom I have accompanied on shorter excursions such as mini tapas hopping tours, luncheons and dinners in Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastián, Valencia, Alicante, etc.:

Norman Van Aken
Stephen Kalt
Rick Moonen
David Burke
Michael Ginor
Michael & Ariane Batterberry
Tim and Nina Zagat
Jeffrey Steingarten
Greg Grossman
Ruth Reichl
Cindy Pawlcyn
Charlie Trotter
Tetsuya Wakuda
Drew Nieporent
John Sconzo
Karen Page
Andrew Dornenburg
Michael Weiss
Greg Drescher
Jimmy Schmidt
Peter Kump
Maria Guarneschelli
Antoinette Bruno

Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain

________________________________________________________________________________

Gerry Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts.

Trailer for a proposed reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com

12/23/2011

The UK "Drinks Business" Top Ten Stories of 2011; The Pancho Campo-Jay Miller-Robert Parker Wine Advocate Controversy & the Masters of Wine Institute's Investigation into Campo's Activities in Spain is Number Eight

* * * * *

Top 10 drinks stories of 2011

The Drinks Business

As the year draws to a close, a scandal currently holds the wine industry in thrall.

The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) announced in December that it was opening an investigation into the conduct of Pancho Campo MW following allegations the president and founder of The Wine Academy of Spain charged Spanish wineries up to €40,000 for a visit from Jay Miller of The Wine Advocate.

Announcing the formal investigation, an IMW statement said: “Membership of the Institute and the right to use the title Master of Wine is reserved for those individuals who have passed all aspects of the Masters of Wine Examination, agreed to abide by the Institute’s formal Code of Conduct and who remain members in good standing.

“In the event that a breach of the Code is proven, a range of sanctions is available to it.

“Having received a formal complaint into Pancho Campo MW’s alleged conduct, the Institute of Masters of Wine has opened an investigation.”

Campo had already moved swiftly to deny any wrongdoing, issuing a statement through The Wine Academy of Spain which said: “The Wine Academy of Spain never requested from any wineries monies for the visits of Jay Miller or for tasting their wines.

“All the expenses for Jay Miller to travel to Spanish wine regions to taste and review wines were covered by The Wine Advocate, including his transportation, accommodation, meals and any other related expenses,” the statement continued.

According to Campo, the only occasion when fees had been charged were for “the organisation, setup and management of events that included seminars, conferences, masterclasses and guided tastings, which were open to the public,” but that “None of these fees were ever paid to The Wine Advocate.”

Miller has since resigned from The Wine Advocate, but denied his stepping down had anything to do with the Spain debacle. “Some may believe my stepping down is in response to my critics, nothing could be further from the truth,” he said.

“I have never accepted (or request) fees for visiting wine regions or wineries.”

The wine world will wait with baited breath for the outcome of the IMW enquiry in the new year.

Related posts on:

Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel

12/22/2011

Photo of the Day: Fishmonger at Pontevedra Municipal market, Galicia.

Fishmonger at Pontevedra Municipal market, Galicia.

_______________________________________________________

Gerry Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.
". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009.

Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine, Photographic & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com

12/21/2011

Photo of the Day: Pan Gallego, Galician Bread

* * * * *

Pan galego, Galician bread at the Santiago de Compostela market.

(Note: All photographs on this blog are available for purchase. For publication rights, contact me at my e-mail address below the photograph.)

Spain's giant Osborne bull heads for Dallas: Demand for Spanish roadside feature in US and Denmark, but Not Without a Little Revisionist Politically Correct Bullshit from Osborne's Spokesman.

* * * * *

Spain's giant Osborne bull heads for Dallas: Demand for Spanish roadside feature in US and Denmark.

An article in Britain's The Guardian by Giles Tremlett

(Giles Tremlett Madrid guardian.co.uk) Wednesday 14 December 2011

Osborne bull alongside a Spanish highway.
Photo by Gerry Dawes©2010 / gerrydawes@aol.com.

"It is one of most memorable sights in Spain, a huge black bull with horns and prominent cojones that sits on hilltops and roadsides watching over the passing traffic. . .

(Osborne spokesman) Llanza says the bulls are not meant to represent the bullfight. "These are not fighting bulls, they are roadside bulls – large pieces of metal, painted black and with very long lifespans," he said." -- From Tremlett's article in The Guardian.

Yes, the Osborne bulls alongside Spanish roads (over 500 of them) do have big cojones, but it is BULLSHIT to say that they "are not fighting bulls," which has to be some kind of PC revisionist history. The Osbornes, who made their fortune in Sherry and now own other wineries such as La Rioja's Montecillo, plus the Sánchez Caravajal Cinco Jotas jamón Ibérico brand and chain of Cinco Jotas ham-themed restaurants and tapas bars, has long had fighting bull ranches in the Osborne family.

These ubiquitous emblems of Spain that were first installed along Spain's highways as Osborne Veterano sherry brandy advertisements, are indeed modeled on the Spanish fighting bull.

Indeed, the magnificent 19th-century bullring in El Puerto de Santa María, the atmospheric Andalucian Guadalete river port and Bay of Cádiz town where Osborne's historic sherry bodegas are located was built in 1880 by a group headed by D. Tomás Osborne Böhl de Faber. In front of the bullring stands an excellent statue of a fighting bull, done by the late Spanish sculptor Antonio Navarro Santafé, the same sculptor who did the famous Oso y el Madroño (the Bear and the Strawberry Tree monument [the symbol of Madrid] that stands in Madrid's Puerta del Sol.

Another pair of Navarro Santafé modeled fighting bull sculptures are installed in front of one of Osborne's bodegas at the entrance from the road coming in from Jerez de la Frontera.

The brief opening shot in the video below shows one of the Osborne bulls along the highway.

Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com

12/20/2011

Chef Jordi Cruz, One of the Fastest Rising Stars of the Post elBulli Epoque Gets a Second Michelin Star at ABaC in Barcelona.

* * * * *

Persistence of Memory* (Salvador Dalí) Five-Watch Rating

Jordi Cruz is one of my favorite post elBulli-era chefs. I predicted that he will get a third-star. After less, than two years at ABaC, he received his second. !!Enhorabuena!!

ABaC Barcelona (From my article in Departures, May 2011)

Want to catch a true rising star in the Spanish food firmament, one that many predict will soon be awarded three Michelin stars? Jordi Cruz first cooked at the restaurant L’Estany Clar in the village of Berga, north of Barcelona, where at the age of 26 he became the youngest chef in Spain to receive a Michelin star. He then moved further into the Catalan hinterlands, to Món St. Benet, near Manresa, where he cooked at L’Angle, the restaurant attached to Ferran Adrià’s food research center Fundació Alícia. Anyone who ate there immediately recognized his rare talent. Cruz is now lighting up the sophisticated Barcelona culinary sky at the glittering new ABaC Restaurant & Hotel, which opened in 2008. Dishes might include smoked salmon with cauliflower purée served under a smoke-filled cloche, or an ethereal mushroom-and-truffle focaccio accompanied by a little tumbler of champignon bisque with hazelnut foam. Not to be missed is Cruz’s extraordinary extraterrestrial gin-tonic, made with cucumber and a dollop of lemon sorbet. Cruz is not just creative; his food is as delicious as that of any Spanish modernista cuisine chef today. Dinner, $215. 1 Avenida Tibidabo, Barcelona; 34-933/196-600.

Where to Stay: The restaurant is located within the sleek new ABaC Hotel (rooms, from $460), whose owners also have two others places in Barcelona, the Hotel Cram (rooms, from $250; 54 Aribau; 34-932/167-700) downtown—home to Michelin-starred restaurant Gaig)—and the new Hotel Mirror (rooms, from $250; 255 Córcega; 34-932/028-686) in the Eixample district, whose restaurant, The Mirror, just hired two-star chef Paco Pérez. -- Gerry Dawes

20111112-cover-article-thumb_archive_thumb

View the Current Issue

12/18/2011

Una Pura Fábula ¡Bienvenido, Mister Parquet*!: (in Spanish) A Humorous Look Back

* * * * *

¡Bienvenido, Mister Parquet*!

(In Spanish.)

This parody from 2009 by Ernesto Venerables has some striking similarities

to the Pancho Campo-Jay Miller-Robert M. Parker, Jr. Troika controversy of 2011.

The Wines of the Canary Islands - Article in Wines From Spain News

* * * * *

(Originally posted 8/29/2009)

The Wines of the Canary Islands

Article by Gerry Dawes in Wines From Spain News Fall 2009
(Click on above link to see the article.)

(Double click on images to see enlarged version on Picasa.)

* * * * *

About Gerry Dawes

Adventures in Spanish Taste: Insider's Food, Wine, Cultural and Photographic Travel in Spain

The Traveling Gastronomer: A Celebration of Food, Wine, Life, Photography & Quixotic Musings

The Spanish Artisan Wine Group

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com

12/16/2011

The Institute of Masters of Wine Launches An Investigation Into A Formal Complaint Lodged Against Chilean-Spanish Master of Wine Pancho Campo

* * * * *

(All text by The Institute of Masters of Wine.)

Statement Regarding Pancho Campo MW

"The Institute of Masters of Wine is aware of certain claims being made in regard to the alleged conduct of one of its members, Pancho Campo MW. Membership of the Institute and the right to use the title Master of Wine is reserved for those individuals who have passed all aspects of the Masters of Wine Examination, agreed to abide by the Institute’s formal Code of Conduct and who remain members in good standing.

The Code of Conduct sets out the professional and personal standards which are expected of a Master of Wine. The Institute takes alleged breaches of its Code of Conduct very seriously, and investigates all such alleged breaches once a formal complaint is made. In the event that a breach of the Code is proven, a range of sanctions is available to it.

Having received a formal complaint into Pancho Campo MW’s alleged conduct, the Institute of Masters of Wine has opened an investigation. No conclusions have been reached, investigations will continue, and no further statement will be made until such time as the investigation has concluded.

Media Contact
Nathaniel Anderson, Communications Manager, The Institute of Masters of Wine
T: +44 (0)207 621 2830
E: nanderson@mastersofwine.org

The Institute of Masters of Wine

A Master of Wine is someone who has demonstrated, by way of rigorous examination, a thorough knowledge of all aspects of wine and an ability to communicate that knowledge clearly. They actively encourage others in the pursuit of knowledge as well as seeking to bring wine communities together.

The Institute’s vision is one of knowledge and integrity. Through its members – the international community of 299 Masters of Wine – and its activities, it promotes excellence, interaction and learning, across all sectors of the global wine community.

In keeping with its original aims, the Institute promotes a cross-disciplinary approach to understanding wine at the highest level. It also organises and contributes to wine trade events around the world. Annual visits are made to wine producing regions whilst the Institute’s annual tasting and seminar programme provides an independent and authoritative perspective on wine. Every four years, its international symposium brings together leading figures from the wine community to address topical issues in an independent forum.

For more information on the Institute see its www.mastersofwine.org website"

Share This Gerry Dawes's Spain Post

12/31/2011

12/30/2011

12/27/2011

_______________________________________________________________________________ About Gerry Dawes

12/25/2011

12/24/2011

12/23/2011

12/22/2011

12/21/2011

12/20/2011

ABaC Barcelona (From my article in Departures, May 2011)

12/18/2011

12/16/2011

Help Support Gerry Dawes's Spain & Its Content

Search This Blog

Subscribe To Gerry Dawes's Spain

Statistic Counter

Live Traffic Feed

Geraldo-Dalí Persistence of Memory Melting Watch Awards

Blog Archive

Related Blogs with Gerry Dawes Articles

Articles (Partial List)

Websites Well Worth A Visit

Labels

_______________________________________________________________________________
About Gerry Dawes