Sabores de la Vida!
The Ambiente Tapas Blog
Sherry: The Great Spanish Wine Hiding in Plain Sight
Over the last nineteen years few restaurants in the UK, or even Spain, have done so much to document how misunderstood Sherry is. It is time, therefore, to move on & take a deeper dive in acknowledgement that our customers now know that Sherry describes one of the world's most versatile wine families from pale, bracingly dry Fino & Manzanilla to ultra sweet & complex Pedro Ximonez with all the styles in between.
We stole the wine from the Spanish, then decided we rather liked it.
In April 1587, Drake sailed into Cádiz harbour with an English fleet and launched a devastating surprise attack. Spanish ships were burned, captured or destroyed. Amongst the loot captured at Cádiz were around 2,900 pipes or casks of wine from the Jerez region, which were taken back to England and gleefully enjoyed!
Beef Cheek Fritter with Mushroom & Idiazabal Rice
Johnny cooks up one of his favourite Autumn dishes; Beef Cheek Fritter with Mushroom & Idiazabal Rice. The perfect dish for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Why Extremadura probably isn’t on your radar
But why it really should be…Extremadura has mountain ranges and river valleys, olive groves and vineyards, pasture and forests. If you like varied scenery you're in the right place. Spending a week driving around it feels like discovering a completely new side of Spain.
Rugged and Full of History
Sitting against the Portuguese border in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula, it has often felt like Spain’s wild frontier: sparsely populated, rugged and a long way from the beaches and big cities that most visitors associate with the country.
Extremadura: Spain’s Wild West of Wine
Extremadura is home to the famous Pata Negra Pig. But did you know their wine is just as impressive? Discover why we love the region so much, and one of our favourite wine producers; Bodegas Coloma
Braised Pig’s Cheek Recipe
Discover our take on an Extremaduran specialty; Carrillera de Cerdo; braised pig cheeks. Our version uses pig cheeks from the Ibérico pig, which is bred throughout Extremadura. Braised in Oloroso Sherry and served with confit garlic mashed potato, our recipe is rich, comforting and just right for the start of Autumn.
What does Darth Vader know about wine anyway?
Presiding over Spain's most famous wine region is the Consejo Regulador, an organisation whose job is to protect Rioja's quality and reputation. A noble undertaking. Unfortunately, like parking wardens, Ofsted inspectors and the Galactic Empire, regulatory bodies have a tendency to become rather enthusiastic about regulating things.
How I got over myself and learned to love Rioja
La Rioja is one of those destinations that makes you question several of Britain's fundamental life choices. The weather is generally better, lunch lasts longer, wine appears on the table without anyone suggesting you download an app, and people seem perfectly comfortable eating dinner at an hour when most Brits have already turned off the kitchen light and put the cat out.
How a Tiny Insect Helped Build Modern Rioja
It is one of wine history’s great ironies: Rioja owes a surprising amount of its modern identity to a tiny vine pest that nearly destroyed it.
Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos Recipe
Pimientos del piquillo rellenos, stuffed piquillo peppers, are a much-loved dish across northern Spain, with countless variations depending on the region and the cook. Our recipe is rich and comforting, filled with a savoury minced meat and served with a creamy tarragon béchamel.
What’s Your Rioja Style?
Most people meet Rioja through red wine, the region's calling card. Tempranillo commonly leads the blend, bringing cherry, plum and raspberry flavours & also lends itself to oak aging creating distinctive & iconic stylistic changes. However there is much more to the region's offerings and this is your chance to discover them…