Remírez de Ganuza – My perfect pairing, with José Andrés

With his Spanish heritage, enormous culinary talent and humanitarian vision, Chef José Andrés’ reputation precedes him. Born in Spain, Andrés grew up in Barcelona and watching his mother cook, he knew he wanted to be in the kitchen from a young age. ‘I knew I wanted to be in kitchens since I was a boy, seeing my mother cooking and helping my father build the fire when we made paella in the mountains outside of Barcelona,’ Andrés explains. His career began, at the tender age of 19, in the kitchen of Ferran Adrià’s groundbreaking avant-garde restaurant El Bulli.

Often credited with bringing the small plates dining concept to America, Andrés immigrated to the United States in 1991. After a short stint in New York City, he was hired to lead the kitchen at the renowned Jaleo in Washington, D.C. . Within a few years he had helped those restaurants to multiply, and in 2003, began establishing his own group of restaurants with partners, which have subsequently earned him countless fans and numerous awards.

The mission of his restaurant group –which includes names such as minibar, The Bazaar, Bazaar Meat and é – is to change the world through the power of food. Spanning cuisines and cultures, each has its own concept, which provides Andrés and his team with the means to tell unique cultural and culinary stories through food, drink, and design.

In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Andrés formed the ‘World Central Kitchen’, an NGO that provides healthy food to families and individuals touched by disasters. It uses culinary training programmes to empower communities and strengthen economies around the world, as well as providing food and staff for emergency disaster relief.

Andrés’ culinary and humanitarian work, has led him to be recognised by the James Beard Foundation, TIME Magazine and President Obama – these accolades come on top of his two Michelin stars and four Bib Gourmands.

Hailing from his country of origin, Remírez de Ganuza wines are served in all of Andrés’ Jaleo restaurants (DC, Las Vegas, Disney Springs, Chicago and Dubai), The Bazaar in DC and Bazaar Meat in Las Vegas and in Chicago, as well as at Mercado Little Spain in New York City. Offering a wide range of reds and whites, patrons can explore vintages going as far back as the mid-1990s, when the winery was still in its infancy.

José Andrés’ perfect pairing

Pulpo a la Gallega

Based on a traditional dish from the Galicia region in Northern Spain, Pulpo a la Gallega’s star is octopus boiled to tender perfection, sprinkled with pimentón (smoked paprika) and coarse salt, then drizzled with olive oil and served with boiled potatoes.

Paired with

Remírez de Ganuza Blanco Reserva 2018

80% Viura, 20% Malvasía Riojana and other local varieties. 13.5% abv

The fruit hails from selected parcels with an average age of 60 years. Fermented and aged for ten months in new French oak barriques, rotated manually to stir the lees, for added complexity and creaminess. Andrés explains that he loves the Rioja Blanco Reserva 2018 paired with Pulpo a la Gallega because the weight of the wine is sufficient to stand up to the richness of the potatoes, while its acidity keeps the pairing clean, letting the octopus shine.