Wine Bar Wednesday: 7.2009 Barlata, Oakland

Hungry? In Oakland's Temescal district? Then you are lucky! BakeSale Betty's, Dona Tomas, Pizzaiola are all walking distance from each other. All amazing taste treats. But if you, like we BrixChicks, are in search of a great foodie experience that includes wine, you will LOVE the newest offering: Barlata Tapas bar, where you can try delicious Spanish wine by the glass or bottle, as well as snack on, okay, devour, yummalicious tapas. The decor is simple, but comfortable with saturated primary colors and lots of light from outside Telegraph avenue. Servers here are knowledgeable about what they serve and if not are happy to ask. Chef Daniel Olivella brings his successful ( he also owns B44 in SF) and lively pan-Spanish cuisine to the East Bay. We are so glad that he did. Everything we tried was delicious. Patatas bravas came in a pyramid of crisp on the outside, mealy on the inside squares enlivened by a spicy pimenton and dabbed with rich aioli. Spanish tortilla was savory delight. And fideos with seafood were a tiny skillet full of perfectly prepared noodles rich and dark with the taste of infused seasonings and olive oil and studded with pieces of monkfish and tiny, purple calamari legs. Both so delicious they were gone before I could capture a picture. Small plates to meet a variety of tastes are available. Whole soft white anchovies, olives, oxtail, etc...And the wine? Off the hook. Many offerings by the glass and reasonable prices by the bottle. I could not resist my old friend Juan Gil and the delightful Monastrell with its inky, blackberry deliciousness. But we also discovered a new monastrell, this one a blend with Cabernet Sauvignon 02 Viña Ulises crianza, Alicante aromas of cedar and leather, with a dark red color and dry but pleasantly fruity cedary flavors, I found it a great discovery. On our last visit we managed to save room for dessert and shared a plate of sweet small bites. The pumpkin seed brittle went great with the wine. Items from all across Spain are here and wines to pair with them. We had several lively visits here and plan to return soon.

So if we apply Xandria's criteria:

Affordability - The problem is that everything is delicious, so a tendency to overorder can jack up to the final total. However, everything is so good, that you won't mind.

Wine list - All Spanish, many regions are represented here and the QPR that comes from having someone find, source and serve items that you can look for later on your own is stellar. I look forward to trying something new there soon.

Wait staff- Very attentive and knowledgeable. Excellent customer service is a hall mark here.

Food- Amazing! Catalan native Olivella brings many classic Spanish items from "Rioja to Jumilla" to the East Bay.

In summary, come for the food, stay for the wine. You will so not be sorry you did!

Barlata

4901 Telegraph Ave. (at 49th Street), Oakland

(510) 450-0678

http://www.barlata.com/.

No reservations.

Urban Wineries Bloom - SFWA's Spring Fling @Crushpad

Fun things to do! Some advanced planning for a change! The following showed up in my inbox and I acted immediately. Bought a ticket. Invited six friends! Crushpad is a fun and exciting venue. "You are cordially invited to the San Francisco Wine Association's exciting “Spring Fling” wine tasting party! The SFWA is the new consortium of 18 boutique, family-owned, urban wineries that are producing small lots of fine wine in San Francisco. These small, high-end vintners are developing hand-crafted wines that are getting rave reviews from the critics.
This will be a fun and festive event celebrating great wine, the spring season, and good friendships, new and old. The SFWA Spring Fling will be held at Crushpad, the Bay Area's premier wine facility. You'll enjoy meeting San Francisco winemakers and sampling hard-to-find premium vintages. Purchase wine on-siteOn that night only, savvy wine enthusiasts can buy their favorite SFWA wines at a discount and also save the cost of shipping by taking their purchases home with them that evening (subject to stock on-hand)!
Event cost is just $20, and space is limited. Please get your ticket today!It will be a fantastic event!
Warm regards,
Your friends at the San Francisco Wine Association
SFWA “Spring Fling”Thursday, May 7th5:30 - 8:00 pm@ Crushpad2573 3rd StreetSan Francisco, CA Directions"
See you there!

Earth Friendly Wines: Parducci Sustainable White and Sustainable Red

Yes, as Liza said in her post below, the Brixchicks love being green (but not sober.) In honor of Earth Day I just wanted to celebrate by tasting these two sustainably-produced wines from Parducci in Mendocino Country. Indeed, Mendocino County is the "greenest" AVA in California and this winery is a particularly good example. They are billing themselves as "America's Greenest Winery" and it seems like they really are walking the talk. They claim to be the first carbon neutral winery in the US. That basically means they do not add greenhouse gases into the atmosphere through the production of their wines, and they use alternative energy sources such as solar and biodiesel fuel. Not only are they carbon neutral but their vineyards are sustainably-certified, they are certified fish-friendly farming, and they are even "Demeter" biodynamic certified. And then there is the whole earth-friendly packaging in which all their paper-products are 100% post-consumer and tree-free, and the inks are soy-based and the cardboard for the wines cases are chlorine-free. That is pretty "earth-friendly."

But what I really want to know is how the wines taste. The "Sustainable White" White Wine Mendocino County 2007 is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Canelli, Tokai and Viognier. Very light gold in color with a light bouquet of tropical fruit, with some notes of grass and citrus. The mouthfeel is a little creamy with a smooth finish. Dry and crisp with a hint of sweetness. I highly recommend you try it, and not only because it is Earth-friendly, but because it is well-balanced and tastes fine.

The "Sustainable Red" Red Wine Mendocino County 2005 is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Primitivo, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Viogner. That is quite a blend...Anyways, the nose is full of red and blue berries but with all those varietals it just does not have a distinct identity on the palate. It is drinkable enough but kinda young and a little on the thin side. Oh well, better luck next time. It is just that the concept is so new and so great that the winemakers should just keep trying...

In the meantime I give this winery kudos for caring enough about the environment (physical and social) and for making a really nice White wine in honor of our earth. Visit www.parducci.com for more information.