wine
we are now entering our sixth year of operation and as far as wine goes, it has been quite a run. when first we tasted our initial offerings, there were maybe six or seven Spanish wines, none very distinguished. But standing under a tarp while workmen clambered around us, we found our footing and established the groundwork for our current list. The wines needed to be a good value so that all could enjoy them, flavorful, mainly expressive of the fruit, medium to big shouldered to stand along with our tapas, and they needed to be emblematic of their origination, region or source. As time has passed we have kept these caveats and broadened our search to include sherries, dessert wines and sparkling wines, each with their own distinct characteristics but still consistent with our goals of affordability, flavor and quality.
today we serve over 80 Spanish wines from all regions, all styles and varietals, each distinct but coherent with the Cocino de MAS. the tastes and spectrum of flavors we find in our foods is also present in our wines sometimes in concert and other times in counterpoint. we find this theme and variations works intrinsically well with an ever-changing menu that incoporates local, seasonal and regional foods while emphasizing small, hand-crafted dishes that, like the wines, are the product of a process not a formula, one that places tradition over high-tech, and values the retro-innovation of the small, artisinal kitchen and vineyards to that of the high-production, low-quality yields so prevalent in our popular culture.
the discovery of so many old, abandoned vineyards with 25-100 year-old vines has brought about a new era in Spanish wines allowing today's winemakers to create a depth and scope of flavors in their wines unparalleled in their history. one could call it a renaissance of sorts as winemakers looked back in time to learn as much as possible about the grapes they would be cultivating. vines like these old garnacha, mencia, tempranillo and godal to name a few, have endured droughts, pestilence, abandonement, and modern cultivation practices, have survived today through natural selection with minimal human interaction. these old vines, while not highly productive in modern terms, produce the gems of the natural world: highly concentrated, choice grapes that in turn yield some of the best juice in their history. in turn this caliber of grape allows small, non-corporate growers to create truly beautiful wines with minimal interference in the natural process, bringing all who drink the wine even closer to the source, the land, climate, and history of that place of origin. when quality trumps quantity beautiful things happen. much like our small vegetable farmers who create beautiful heirloom tomatoes, the winemakers of these small vineyards can survive and thrive because there is no industrial way to abstract, extract or substitute for their skill, patience, knowledge and stewardship of the land. one sip and anyone can tell the difference between good and bad wine. another sip yields even more insight, and so on.
how does this relate to our mission at MAS? simply put we too celebrate the small, high-quality, hand-made food and wines that express both tradition and innovation. in food and wine the dictum that "less is more" is really true. less industrial processes equals more flavor, less hybridization or genetic modification equals more beneficial foods, less marketing and slick ads equals more attention to hand-to-hand skills such as pruning, or rotation, or lower yields, slow-cooking or natural starters with cold-fermentation, these all add up to "more" in the long run.
we hope you enjoy our wine selections, we certainly do and regularly taste and evaluate as well as train our staff to appreciate the simple beauty of each creation and pass that appreciation on to you, our customers and friends.
today we serve over 80 Spanish wines from all regions, all styles and varietals, each distinct but coherent with the Cocino de MAS. the tastes and spectrum of flavors we find in our foods is also present in our wines sometimes in concert and other times in counterpoint. we find this theme and variations works intrinsically well with an ever-changing menu that incoporates local, seasonal and regional foods while emphasizing small, hand-crafted dishes that, like the wines, are the product of a process not a formula, one that places tradition over high-tech, and values the retro-innovation of the small, artisinal kitchen and vineyards to that of the high-production, low-quality yields so prevalent in our popular culture.
the discovery of so many old, abandoned vineyards with 25-100 year-old vines has brought about a new era in Spanish wines allowing today's winemakers to create a depth and scope of flavors in their wines unparalleled in their history. one could call it a renaissance of sorts as winemakers looked back in time to learn as much as possible about the grapes they would be cultivating. vines like these old garnacha, mencia, tempranillo and godal to name a few, have endured droughts, pestilence, abandonement, and modern cultivation practices, have survived today through natural selection with minimal human interaction. these old vines, while not highly productive in modern terms, produce the gems of the natural world: highly concentrated, choice grapes that in turn yield some of the best juice in their history. in turn this caliber of grape allows small, non-corporate growers to create truly beautiful wines with minimal interference in the natural process, bringing all who drink the wine even closer to the source, the land, climate, and history of that place of origin. when quality trumps quantity beautiful things happen. much like our small vegetable farmers who create beautiful heirloom tomatoes, the winemakers of these small vineyards can survive and thrive because there is no industrial way to abstract, extract or substitute for their skill, patience, knowledge and stewardship of the land. one sip and anyone can tell the difference between good and bad wine. another sip yields even more insight, and so on.
how does this relate to our mission at MAS? simply put we too celebrate the small, high-quality, hand-made food and wines that express both tradition and innovation. in food and wine the dictum that "less is more" is really true. less industrial processes equals more flavor, less hybridization or genetic modification equals more beneficial foods, less marketing and slick ads equals more attention to hand-to-hand skills such as pruning, or rotation, or lower yields, slow-cooking or natural starters with cold-fermentation, these all add up to "more" in the long run.
we hope you enjoy our wine selections, we certainly do and regularly taste and evaluate as well as train our staff to appreciate the simple beauty of each creation and pass that appreciation on to you, our customers and friends.
