Chicken Empanadas and Azimut Cava #worldwinetravel

 Our World Wine Travel group is spending the year studying wines from Spain.  Last month we explored Rioja wines and I shared my family's trip to Spain in 2019.  Go and check that out!  This month our theme is wines from Catalonia and we are hosted by Savannah on her blog Avvinare.  Here you will find an extensive post about the history, terrain, and wines produced in Catalonia.

While our topic is Catalonia, we are also including eleven other DOs including Cava, Penedes, and Priorat. I am focusing on Cava, and more importantly, Azimut.

Owned by the Suriol family, Azimut is known for making wines and vintage Cava in the organic winemaking tradition. These are all estate bottled fruit and they make the Azimut line from grapes purchased from their neighbors, all of who work organically.  The vineyards are in Alt Penedes, Province of Barcelona, Catalunya.

The Azimut Cava Rose that I tried is a blend of native Catalan varieties of Garnacha and Monastrell. Macerated for a very short time to get the delicate pale pink hue. It is dry and crisp, with floral and red spring berry aromas. The bubbles were massive and delicious. This was about $20 a bottle from our local wine store.

We chose to pair this Cava with chicken empanadas. We purchased them from Market Wagon, a company that is committed to selling farm products within close range of your city. These empanadas were made with shredded chicken, bell peppers and onions, crushed tomatoes in a handmade pastry crust. Not overly spicy but delicious none-the-less! We loved the Cava with the spice of the chicken and vegetables. So delicious! We love enjoying bubbles with spicy food.

If you want to learn more about wines from Catalonia, please check out the posts below.  We have experts writing about wines and I learn from each and every one of them.  As a beginner in the wine world, I am fortunate to have these writers teaching me what they know about wine!

Again, thanks to Susannah from Avvinare for hosting this month. Find us on Twitter the fourth Saturday monthly at 10 am CT chatting up our theme, sharing wine information and great food! Look for hashtag #WorldWineTravel!

• Allison and Chris from Advinetures look at Cava: Spain’s Answer to Champagne.
• Andrea from The Quirky Cork enjoys Tapas with Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava.
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares Pollo a la Catalana + Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat 2019.
• David from Cooking Chat shines with Mushroom Fricassee and Red Wine from Priorat.
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator brings Sparkling Wine Secrets: Catalonia Cava from Marqués de Cáceres with Spanish Chorizo Kale Bean Stew.
• Jeff from Food Wine Click looks at Exploring the Variety of Still Wines from Catalunya.
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass showcases Pere Mata Cupada Rosé Cava: Finesse in a Glass.
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest posts Beyond Cava: Loxarel and Gramona Organic Sparkling Wines.
• Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog waxes poetic about A Taste of Can Descregut; Grower Spanish Sparkling Wine From The Corazón del Penedès.
• Melanie from Wining With Mel muses about Innovative Winemaking in Catalunya’s Penedès: Torres Gran Coronas Reserva.
• Nicole from Somm's Table pens On a Hilltop in Priorat.
• Payal from Keep The Peas joins with Bartender’s Choice from Priorat.
• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles focused on Priorat DOQ in Spain’s Cataluña Region and Franck Massard’s 2015 Humilitat.
• Steve from Children of the Grape describes Cava by the Sea.
• Susannah from Avvinare thinks about Two Key Areas in Catalonia Wine Scene: Cava and Priorat.
• Terri from Our Good Life dished about Chicken Empanadas and Azimut Cava.
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on The Farm adds Enjoying Tapas with Spanish Wines from Catalonia.