When you think in Somontano, wine tradition, memories and culture come to your mind, always together with a privileged land.
But this special territory has also an important culinary legacy, which enriches even more its wine history. This is a land of good olive oil, handcrafted bread, fertile market gardens on the banks of clear rivers, green rolling hills that let you make out the high Pyrenean Mountains, and dwelling of rabbits, partridges and wild boars, which were so important for our ancestors and still play an outstanding role in our meals.
Not less valuable are the farmyard commodities, such as pig, whose meat and ham can be enjoyed after its ritual slaughter, and lamb, from which we get the traditional spareribs and chiretas.
This culinary territory has also lived the passion for spices and mystery, as it is the case for mushrooms and truffles, which are the tops of it.
For this reason, Viñas del Vero has created the “Days of…wine and truffles in Blecua”, in order to support good cooking and local genuine products, which emerge from history and are treated as a valuable legacy deserves.
This encounter is held in Blecua once a year. Prestigious cooks, restaurateurs, journalists, speakers, and other food experts meet together to worship the enigmatic truffle from Graus accompanied by our wines.
The choice was easy. The truffle is present at the surrounding countryside of our vineyards. It is also emblem of the most exquisite cooking and an age-old tradition that has contributed to hold a population reluctant to leave the land where they were born.
And this is why, year after year, we take our visitors to Secastilla Valley (at the border between Somontano and Ribagorza regions) to look for and pick up the truffles, so that they can discover the secrets of this world.
Anyway, when talking about good food, experienced hands are also required; hands used to working with delicate stuff full of personality, like truffle.
The first encounter took place on February 26th and 27th 2001, with cook Daniel Hébet from La Mirande de Avignon Hotel, and the collaboration of Carmelo Bosque from La Taberna de Lillas Pastia and Fernando Abadías from Restaurante Las Torres, both “Michelin stars” in Huesca.
The second summit was on January 28th and 29th 2002, with the presence of the great cook Carmen Ruscalleda, who, after fourteen years of hard work at Restaurante Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar (Barcelona), has achieved a deserved notoriety and very good ratings. Carmen and her great team delighted us with a delicious menu where truffle was presented in nine different ways. Definitely, unforgettable.
This third edition was held on February 3rd and 4th 2003 and we could count on an exceptional cook, considered by critics as one of the 30 best cooks in the world, Andoni Luis Adúriz, from Restaurant Mugaritz in Rentería. He perfectly combined the most traditional dishes of his menu, such as poached eggs, foie, ternasco or torrijas, with some based on truffles.
The fourth edition took place on January 19th and 20th 2004, in this occasion, the cook was the prestigious Santi Santamaría, owner of "El Racó de Can Fabes" located in Sant Celoni (Barcelona) who has three Michelin stars. The menu was absolutely excellent and it was based on different ways of cooking truffles. The wines were VdV Gewürztraminer, VdV Clarión, VdV Gran Vos 2000 and Blecua 1998.
This edition took place last 7 th and 8 th of February, for the 2005 edition the cook was the reknown Manolo de la Ossa, owner of "Las Rejas" restaurant located in Las Pedroñeras (Cuenca) in the spanish region of "la Mancha". The menu: apperitifs, main courses and desserts were really innovative and it was based on truffles. The wines were VdV Chardonnay Colección 2002, Secastilla 2003 and Blecua 2001.
The sixth edition was held on February 6th and 7th 2006 with the famous cook "Fermín Puig" from "Drolma Restaurant" located in Barcelona (Majestic Hotel). This year the menu was very traditional because of Fermín Puig recovered the old recipes of cooking truffles: salad, soup, pheasant sauvage, coquelette, .... The Viñas del Vero wines, selected by the prestigious sumiller "Cristina Rodríguez", were different vintages of white wines: VdV Clarión 1997, VdV Gewürztraminer 1995, VdV Chardonnay Colección 2002, and finally, Blecua 1998.
The last edition, was on February 5st and 6st 2007, with Joan Roca from the “Celler de Can Roca” in Girona. This famous cook surprised our senses with his particular vision of the aromas, linked to an innovative and international cookery, he served: grill truffle soufflé, quail eggs with truffle, anchovy with truffle and Merlot… The wines served in this special event by the superb sumiller Alfonso Gutierrez, were Viñas del Vero Gewürztraminer Colección 2004, VdV Chardonnay Colección 2004, VdV Clarión 2004 and finally Blecua 2001.
