CorkRules - Episodes | Huertas Huertas

Available on

About this Episode

Cecilia Bonet, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas explore the wine list at Huertas, a Spanish restaurant with a lively bohemian vibe, the wine list highlights Spanish wines to pair well with authentic Spanish cuisine. Cecilia reviews wine from various locations in Spain, including the Canary Islands, and identifies the best bottles on the list whether you are looking for value or something a little more adventurous.

Wines reviewed include:

2019 Bitoku by Adega do Demo winery
2008 Viña Tondonia Reserva, La Rioja Alta, Spain
2017 Ignios Orígenes Baboso Negro, Canary Islands

Transcript: Huertas

Huertas

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!

A podcast where we review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I’m your host Robert Tas along with Cecilia Bonet, wine educator and certified sommelier

Hello Cecilia, great to have you back for another great wine list.

CB: Hello Robert!

RT: Before we jump in, let’s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists because we know from experience, that sometimes wine lists can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, value wines or that special bottle that will take your dining experience over the top.

RT: So, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list.

HUERTAS NYC

Huertas serves Basque-influenced fare, evoking the lively eating and drinking culture of Northern Spain and creatively inspired by our home in NYC.

OUR MENU combines the playful elements of a Pintxo Bar, and the elevated aspects of cuisine in the Basque country. We offer a rotating assortment of pintxos, or small bites, and larger seasonally evolving raciones, accompanied by unabashedly & classic Spanish beverages, such as refrescos, house made vermouth, and a long list of Spanish wine, sherry & cider.

Spanish Basque inspired fare with a menu of pintxos and shared plates

With a full bar area overlooking the open kitchen

Located in the East Village

The answer to your group dinner plans

Top Level View

I’d like to resume in one sentence “Versatile wine list with lotta options to drink with amazing pintxos”. All the wines you will find here, are a perfect selection of Spanish wines, and not just classic Tempranillos. You can also choose to drink from the Canary and the Balearic Islands too.

Unique Stuff

Ignios Orígenes Baboso Negro | 2017 | Ycoden-Daute-Isora, Canary Islands

Ignios Baboso comes from a 20-year-old single vineyard on volcanic clay loam in northwestern Tenerife, converted to organic farming by Tenerife vigneron, Borja Pérez González.

Baboso is the most bodacious of the Canary red varieties. Fruit-forward by nature, is very fresh and balanced, with a remarkable minerality typical of the volcanic soils. It requires decanting and 20 minutes of patience to unravel all the perfume of black fruits, tea, spices and toast that it treasures.

This wine cries out for grilled meals as the Happy Valley Steak or with some Roasted Mushrooms.

Value Wines

I recommend you a wine named Bitoku by Adega do Demo winery. It was produced in 2019 in Ribeiro, a region 45 km. from the Atlantic Ocean, within Galicia, Spain.

This is a blend of treixadura and Loureiro, a perfect example of a Ribeiro wine. Ever heard of the treixadura grape varietal? It’s refined and smooth. The Treixadura is a white grape, and the jewel of this region. It sprouts and ripens slowly, therefore it is sensitive to altitude, growing mainly in valleys and slopes.

There's energy and minerality in the texture of this 2019 Bitoku. Reminds us a little of Northern Rhone whites, Rousanne/Marsanne but with more freshness.

Perfect match with seafood, so try the Gambas al Ajillo!

Bigger budget/Special Occasion

I’d like to introduce you with a remarkable, unusual old-fashioned wine from La Rioja Alta, Spain.

Viña Tondonia Reserva 2008, is the flagship wine from the Lopez Heredia Estate, and a wine not to be missed.

Lopez Heredia is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful stories in the world of Spanish wine. The winery was founded in 1877 by Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, great-grandfather of the current owners, together with a French négociant who returned to his country once the phylloxera crisis was over.

This incredibly complex ruby red wine was created with mainly tempranillo, with the addition of graciano and mazuelo grapes; in an alluvial amphitheatre overlooking the Ebro. Then barrel aged for six years.

The 2008 was a relatively cool vintage, but a fantastic year for giving acidity to this wine and all that is needed for a long development in bottle. It captures the classic house style, savoury, earthy yet with fine dark fruit definition.

Try it with the Jamon Iberico, and even if a bottle seems too much, you can also find it by the glass.

Cecilia, Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate the wine list at HUERTAS. I can’t wait to go try your great suggestions.

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: Info@CorkRules.com or visit our web website where we have a request form available and we will do our best to get it in the queue as quickly as possible.

We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime, please check out our website for other episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.