Christine got me a big Paella pan for my birthday back in November, and we finally got around to using it. First off, I made homemade merguez and chorizo the day before, and let them sit in the fridge overnight before forming the meat around wooden skewers and grilling them up. Shrimp shells made a broth with vegetables and wine, and red pepper, peas, shrimp, mussels, clams, and bay scallops rounded it out. Everybody brought something good and the table was plenty full- salads, pizzas, cheese, and a bunch of desserts. All the wine was Spanish: a 2004 Turonia Rias Baixas for an aperitif, then a 1998 “Les Terrasses”, a 1995 Tinto Pesquera, a 1996 Flor de Pingus, a 2002 “La Viña de Andres Romero” and a 2004 Numanthia. I liked the Pesquera best, but the Pingus and les Terrasses were good too. The Romero tasted more like a Cali pinot than anything else (in a good way) and the Numanthia is very new-world style but powerful and elegant. I’ll be interested to see how it ages.
