Bodegas Fernando Remirez de Ganuza, Followed by Lunch at Restaurant Alameda

Bodegas Fernando Remirex de Ganuza has to be one of the finest bodegas in Rioja. Their wine is fabulous.

The bodega is located in Samaniego, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it villiage in the Basque province of Alava. If you intend on visiting, contact them first to make an appointment (T. 945 60 90 22) This is obligatory as bodegas will not accommodate you if you ruck up out of the blue expecting a tour & taste. Having said that, ruck up is exactly what we did, to the yard of the country mansion where the cellar and offices are housed, and using enchufe, secured a private tour with Fernando's daughter Cristina, followed by a taste of the 2005 Fincas de Ganuza Reserva, and the 2005 Remirez de Ganuza Reserva.

Whilst most would reach for a reserva or grand reserva, I quite prefer Crianza, and their 2008 is a good bet. I was lucky enough to enjoy two more bottles later in the day. Whatever your tipple, Ben Henshaw at Indigo Wine is their London distributor (T. 0207 733 8391).

the cellar

By the by, when you taste wine in Spain, they pour you a very generous glass. I was onto my second when I vowed to Fernando, the wine maker and owner, that I would learn to speak Spanish. Fernando had little idea of what I was going on about, speaking no English himself, but we got there eventually with some Spanish and more French. He understood my enthusiasm. I could communicate that. He also recommended us a restaurant. 'We like chuleton' husband pronounced (in English). I concurred (in Spanish) and a phone call later, a table for 2 was secured for a 3pm lunch at Restaurant Alameda, in Fuenmayor.

Fernando drew this map. He makes excellent wine, but this map won't get you there. It is an optimistic vision that demonstrates how much simpler life becomes after a good glass of wine.

We got lost. It didn't matter - the surrounding countryside was beautiful. I am keeping the map.

What happened next was astonishing. Husband and I will debate this for years to come, but to my mind, Restaurant Alameda serves the best chuleton de buey I have ever had in my life. I have been spoilt. I have eaten incredible chuleton in Madrid and Tolosa at Casa Julian. But whilst I dislike using the term 'best', let me put it this way: for Restaurant Alameda Michelin should create a whole new catagory - a 'whatever your plans are, change them and come here instead'.

The owner and chef, Tomas, cooks each and every chuleton to perfection. If you sit downstairs, as we did, you are able to watch him do so as there is a large window in the wall that divides the dining room from the expansive charcoal grill. We were there for 3 hours. Lunch didn't finish till 6pm. It was a wonderful meal. The chuleton melts in your mouth like butter.

I wholeheartedly recommend anyone travelling to the North of Spain to pay the restaurant a visit. Tomas's dedication is quite extraordinary. I do believe the man's a genius and was very sorry the meal had to end.

gazpacho

croquetas 

chuleton de buey

pimientos del pequillo

By the by, Restaurant Alameda has a sister restaurant in Laguardia, Meson Chuchi.

Fernando's recommendation started something of a trend. From here on in, we asked all winemakers we had the pleasure to meet which restaurant they preferred. And then we did our darndest to eat there. This method turned out some corkers which makes great sense when you think about it: people who know their wine also know their food, for the two go hand in hand.

The next stop in Rioja found us here. Otherwise, to return back to the North Spain main menu, click here.