Great news, chicas y chicos! You don’t have to wait until July 4 for a reason to celebrate – National Verdejo Day is just around the corner! This Thursday, June 12 marks the first annual National Verdejo Day, and if you happen to be near New York, Miami, Chicago or, yes, beautiful downtown Los Angeles, you can live it up at a rooftop party in honor of this crisp white wine from Spain’s Rueda D.O. region.
L.A. folks – get your tickets by visiting my Events page and following the link provided in the “Sign Me Up!” section. Tickets are only $25, and the party includes a little taste of Spanish appetizers from Rueda that pair well with Verdejo.
And you know I wouldn’t send you off to a wine fiesta without some fun facts to tuck away in your hip pocket. Here’s all you need to know about Verdejo:
HOLA, ME LLAMO: Verdejo is a white wine grape from Spain’s Rueda D.O. region.
MY ROOTS: Don’t confuse Verdejo with Verdelho, the white grape from Portugal. DNA testing shows that they are two distinct grape varieties. It’s believed that Verdejo showed up in the Rueda region around the 11th century. Before that, it was introduced to southern Spain from North Africa.
ALL ABOUT ME: Verdejo is a dry white wine with zingy acidity and lovely fruit aromas of peach, pear, tropical fruit, and lemon. You’ll also get a touch of herbs (think fennel) and a trace of limestone minerality. It’s a medium-bodied wine with an alcohol content hovering between 11 and 12 percent. Verdejo develops honeyed, nutty flavors as it ages.
FOODS I LOVE: This is a wine that loves tapas, especially garlicky clams, grilled shrimp and bacalau (fried cod). The wine’s acidity holds up nicely with vinaigrette dressing in salads, and the same crispness “cuts” through a creamy pasta dish and Manchego cheese.
DO TRY THIS AT HOME: Verdejo is one of those wines that’s easy on the wallet. You can get a nice Verdejo for less than $15. Give these a swirl: Protos Verdejo 2013; Mocen Verdejo Fermendado en Barrica 2011; Pago traslagares Oro Pálido Organic Verdejo 2013; Castelo de Medina Castelo Vendimia Seleccionada Verdejo 2012; Pedro Escudero Fuente Elvira Verdejo 2013.
¡Salud, and see you in downtown L.A.!
P,
I forgot to tell you I really like this one.
JH
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