Closing of Restaurant Week at Vitea
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May 31st, besides being Puerto Vallarta’s anniversary with fireworks and all, in a way to wrap-up our yearly Restaurant-Week (that lasts two weeks, from May 15th to the 31st) a select few were offered a most special dining experience. It all started like this: Montserrat Escapa, the Spanish wine merchant from Divinetum in Guadalajara decided, along with Bernahrd Güth and Ulf Henriksson from Vitea (that great European looking restaurant on the new malecón), to have a special evening for the bon-vivants that are their regulars.
The evening featured a most elaborate pairing (the sommeliers’ art of helping you select the right wine to go with your dinner; or “maridaje” as we call it in Spanish, which derives from the word “marriage”), including some very spectacular Spanish wines represented by Divinetum.
As we learned from Bernhard, pairing, like marriage, shouldnot should not be boring or static limited to choosing the right wine for your dinner selection;but as he showed us on Sunday night, you can go beyond that and prepare those very special dishes to blend with the wines offered; since the wines already have their own personality and unique attributes, a wine connoisseur like Bernhard can design a menu in which eachdish blends perfectly with the wine being served. Being a wine merchant myself I have come to hold a very high respect for his knowledge of wines, having witnessed inamazement how he can decipher their origin, history and contents.
Montserrat first offered us a delicious Miros Verdejo 2007, a white wine made by Bodegas Peñafiel from the Ribera del Duero in the Rueda region, for which Bernhard produced a delicate Soup of Mussels and Saffron and I can tell you I had never savored anything like it ever before, delicious!
Then Divinetum came out with a Red Monastrell 2007 from Banderas del Bruch, in the Castilla region, for which Vitea composed a Grilled Calamari on sweet Peppers.
A red Crianza 2004 from the Olabarri cellars in the Rioja region appeared, for which the restaurant chefs created a prosciutto Ravioli on a Salad of roasted Tomato.
The stage was set for the most daring proposals from both “marriage” partners; Montserrat boldly offered one of the jewels of her crown; a Novellum Crianza 2005 Tinta de Toro from the Rejadorada Winery in the Toro region, which Ulf countered with a Red wine and olive braised beef with brava Potatoes and spring Onions; let me tell you, seldom are you treated to such an extravaganza of flavors and aromas making love to each other so passionately!
This Trio formed by Montserrat, Bernhard and Ulf!
My-oh-my! Vitea!
I had spent many very pleasurable times at Vitea but that Sunday was.. well, extreme Vitea.
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Eduardo Rincón- Gallardo
E-mail: toureps@prodigy.net.mx
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May 31st, besides being 
wine merchant myself I have come to hold a very high respect for his knowledge of wines, having witnessed inamazement how he can decipher their origin, history and contents.
A red Crianza 2004 from the Olabarri cellars in the Rioja region appeared, for which the restaurant chefs created a prosciutto Ravioli on a Salad of roasted Tomato.