Those Crowning Moments

"THEY ARE NOT LONG, THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES." reads the first line of the second stanza of Ernest Dowson's appropriately short poem. Neither are the nights, if I may add, in which friends and flavors go so pleasurably together, and before you know it, the night has run out with the wine. That wasn't entirely the case however at the Viñedos Singulares dinner party, where wine outlasted the whole bunch of us who had to head back home.

Celebrated at the brand's cellar, dressed to the nines for a night, the dinner was dedicated to the pairing of flavors in the company of friends. Degustation kicked off with a teriyaki tuna tataki paired with the clean and brillant Vino Afortunado. A pear and salmon canapé accompanied a second white: the fresh, easy Albariño-varietal Luna Creciente. Iberian pork with cranberry sauce came with the lightly mineral Corral del Obispo, sirloin tartare with the fruity Jardín Rojo, and oxtail in raspberry sauce with the intense Entrelobos. Big Band tracks encouraged dancing, interrupted only by cheese platters served with the subtly spicy El Veïnat.

Pairing seemed recurrent that evening. With dishes prepared in Caravan Made's vintage roving kitchen, and wines seemingly plucked fresh from Viñedos Singulares' warehouse shelves, there is a sense of matching old and new, vintage and young. Resurrected from the 1970s, Caravan Made's food truck literally brings gastronomy to markets and festivals dominated by a hashtagging crowd. Viñedos Singulares dedicates to the same set, with fresh, easy flavors that stay essentially true to their Designation of Origin. Never more than a couple years old, the wines move at the same pace as its consumers, driven by trend culture and the natural restlessness of youth.

Founded in 2007, the cellar works with six wineries in La Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Bierzo, Rías Baixas, Rueda and Montsant, visiting each zone to administer the winemaking process from birth to bottle. On this particular night they followed through to the table and on the dance floor, joined by some of Barcelona's food and lifestyle propagators. Such was the night of "wine and roses", or in this case, wine and grapevine, which made for excellent crowns. After all the careful prepping and pairing, what food and wine really provide us are a few delightful and fortunate moments. Here's to the next!

Vino Afortunado, Luna Creciente, Corral del Obispo, Jardín Rojo, Entrelobos and El Veïnat by Viñedos Singulares, vinedossingulares.com Gastronomy by Caravan Made, caravanmade.com Photos by Raúl Muñoz.