The Clever Root’s fall 2016 issue features Katie Button and Felix Meana in the cover story, “From Rias Baixas, With Love.”
A “food adventure” magazine, The Clever Root merges food and drink culture with farming and our relationship to the earth.
The article, by David Ransom, begins with an overview of the culinary couple. After working in Spain and around the USA for notable chefs, they formed Heirloom Hospitality group and opened two restaurants: Cúrate Tapas Bar and Nightbell in Asheville, NC.
From The Clever Root:
While their collective wine lists have a global focus, when Katie and Felix sat down with The Clever Root to talk about which menu items work with which wines, they interestingly picked a Spanish white wine, not red (which Spain produces more of), to pair with their chosen dishes. The region? Spain’s verdant northwest corner of Galicia, home to the winemaking region of Rias Baixas. The varietal? Albariño. The reason? “Its incredible versatility,” says Felix.
Felix then pairs Albariños from the Rias Baixas region of Spain with Katie’s tapas. Cúrate favorites like esparragos blancos, pulpo al la gallega, and cerdo iberico are matched with the clean flavors of Albariño wines. Felix and Katie presented similar pairings in New York City earlier this year.
In a sidebar, advanced sommelier and wine consultant Jill Zimorski also sings the praises of Rias Baixas Albariños. Jill is a colleague and friend of Katie and Felix. She worked with them in Washington, D.C., with Chef José Andrés.
“Rias Baixas Albariño, for me, should literally be considered one of the great white wines of the world,” she says. “Along with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, Albariño personifies the characteristics of what makes a great white wine: balance, acidity and, most important, complexity. It also has an amazing ability to age, not something many people consider part of Albariño’s lexicon.”
To discover Felix and Katie’s pairing suggestions, pick up the most recent issue of The Clever Root or subscribe via their website.
